All About Lawns

The Plan
In lawn care and building, preparation is most important. The earlier you start working on your lawn the better. If you can begin preparation of the lawn site when the house is being built, so much the better. You can then get the big machinery in to do the job while the builders have it doing other work on the site anyway. Move all the topsoil to one side and put in a good layer of gravel to ensure good drainage for the lawn. Then a layer of subsoil and then replace your topsoil.

If you are not in the lucky position of starting your lawn from scratch, you will have to take a long hard look at the garden you have and see if it is worth saving or whether it would be better to start again. If the drainage is poor and the quality of the soil is not up to much, dig it up and start again. The thing to do is remove the soil. Save it in a corner put down a layer of gravel and small rocks etc. then replace the topsoil that you removed. This is now your subsoil. Then cover up with new topsoil.

It is easy enough to get in most areas though the price can vary greatly. Try to get the topsoil locally because it will suit the conditions in your garden. You will be able to grow the same things that grow well for others in your area. However if you want to change to type of soil that you have to grow something unusual then this is your chance.

Sit down with a pen and paper and actually draw out a diagram of the garden as it is now and then another of the garden as you think you might like it. You would be amazed how this little exercise will help you to focus your mind on the job in hand. You will think of things doing this that you might never have thought of or at least not until it was too late. Like where the oil tank is to go. And can you hide it? Will the neighbours complain if I put a tree there? Will a deck look ridiculous in a garden like this etc. Can I get the ride-along lawnmower in through that gap? More importantly how does the new lawn figure in the new garden?

If your lawn had poor drainage but you feel that it is otherwise in reasonably good shape, you may only need to lay drain tile.

Grading
It is a good idea to build a grade into the lawn. i.e. a slope. This will help with the drainage and will not be noticeable to the naked eye. The first thing you do is remove the topsoil from the areas where the levels are going to be changed and save it nearby. Use a level and a length of string between two sticks to check the levels. You will not be able to do it by sight. If you can, you are doing it wrong.

By the way if you are going to put concrete in parts of your garden and you are removing the topsoil, save it for the flowerbed. You can never have too much good topsoil. You never know what is going to be delivered when you are buying it, until they deliver it and it's too late then. If you do not need it yourself offer it to a neighbour. Or put an advert in the local paper. You might make a few cents out of the deal.

Topsoil
If you have good topsoil yourself and are buying more to raise part of the lawn, check out the quality of the topsoil if you can. If you can not then it might be worth stripping the good topsoil you have off and putting it on the new topsoil you are buying. Just to be sure of having quality topsoil for your lawn. It makes all the difference.

Sowing Your Lawn

What type of grass to use. The type of grass you use depends on the climate you live in. There are two types of grasses that are commonly used in cooler areas, grasses such as Fescue, Bluegrass and Ryegrass. These grasses are suited to cutting to a length of between 2.5'' to 3.5''. Don't go lower than 2.5". Other types of grasses such as Bermuda, Zoysia and Centipede are for warmer areas. These grasses will also tolerate a very low cut of ½'' to 1''.

Mowing the New Lawn

Now that you have graded, prepared and sown your lawn you will need to think about when you are going to cut it. If you cut it too soon you can do damage to the young grass. If you leave it too late you can cause other problems. Of course this really does not arise if you are putting down a pre-grown turf lawn.

Depending on weather conditions, and whether you are allowed to water in the summer where you are etc. your grass should be ready to cut in about eight to ten weeks. Most likely all the seed will have sprouted by then. If you have a turf lawn water it well every couple of days being careful not to overdo it. You want to ensure that the roots grow quickly and set the sod. Make sure this has happened before you use a lawnmower especially one that is hard on the ground, like a push-mower or a ride-on. The easiest on the lawn is the regular motor-mower.

People are inclined to take mowing for granted. It is a delicate operation. You can not cut your grass too short or cut too much off the blade of grass either. If you cut too high a percentage of the length off the grass i.e. more than one third, it will struggle because it will not have enough green to produce food for the grass plant.

Always make sure that the lawn is dry when cutting. The blade will give a cleaner cut when dry. If the grass is wet at all, the blade will hack at the grass leaving it broken and bruised and the grass will need to recover. This will slow its growth and discolour the lawn. Also the ground will be far softer when it is wet and you may find that the wheels of your mower are digging furrows in your lawn as you go along, not to mention your feet.

Feeding Your Lawn

Remember your lawn is made up of living things, and not just grass. But we will ignore the rest here, for the moment. The grass must like any living thing be fed. If it is not properly fed if will show signs of malnutrition.

So, what do you feed a lawn? Not bacon and eggs, anyway. No the two things that grass needs most is Nitrogen and Potassium. The nitrogen makes leaves grow and gives them the green colour. It is what farmers put on the grass in their fields to make it grow faster, thicker and stronger. Potassium builds disease resistance and helps it to survive cold and drought. Phosphorous is also a good idea as it promotes strong root growth. A fertilizer with high phosphorous is good to use at the end of the summer to prepare the lawn for the winter. Winterization is an essential part of all gardening programs.

You can get a soil test done to ascertain the needs of your soil. Your nearest garden centre will advise you about who does it locally. Or you can buy a kit and do it yourself. There are many different types of fertilizer and they all come in different forms. Granular (slow and fast release), Liquid and Organic.

The granular fertilizer is the most popular and is the obvious choice because it releases the fertilizer over time and means the you do not need to apply fertilizer to your lawn sometimes for months. However, if your grass is hungry now you might want to give it a dose of the liquid fertilizer at the same time to keep it going until the granular one starts to work. This is applied with a hose or watering can so you can add a herbicide to the water and save time. The fast granular release fertilizers can burn the grass and you will need to water more often. Check the manufacture's instructions before mixing any chemicals.

Organic fertilizers as the name implies are made from what was once a living organism. They are usually slow release and have an unpleasant smell. But, the smell goes away and you can say that you are doing your bit for the environment.

Lawnmower Basics

It might seem obvious but, always read the instruction manual before using a lawnmower. Learn how to maintain it and adjust all the user-adjustable parts. Keep the motor serviced if it is a motorised mower. Keep the blades sharp. This should be done by a professional. If the blades are not sharpened evenly and at the right angle they are not only useless but also dangerous.
If you need to reduce the height of your lawn by a considerable amount, mow the at the highest height recommended by the manufacturer. Then come back in a few days and reduce the blade height to take more off. Do this better for the grass. You will have to judge how often to cut the lawn. It will depend on the type of grass, how long you want it and how quickly it grows. About every four to seven days should be okay, but you will have to judge yourself. The most important thing is not to mow too often.
Most of the rules that apply to a lawnmower also apply to an edge trimmer, also known as an Edger. It is always a good idea to use one of these to tidy the edges it makes a huge difference and it beats the clippers. I would recommend using it before you use the lawnmower because when you have done the edges the lawn is a mess of loose cut grass. The lawnmower will then go over the area and it will pick up all the clippings and eliminate the need to rake the lawn which often leaves marks on it for a few days.
There are many different types of lawnmower now push, electric, motor, and ride-on. The ride-on has become a necessity for some people who have huge lawns or a modest lawn and are physically challenged. For others it is a status symbol. If you have a small lawn and a three bedroom semi you do not need one. It is that simple. Yes folks it does happen. I think that the best one to get is the motorised rotary mower. They are not expensive and the will go forever. That is the one with the propeller. It doesn't give as good a cut as the cylinder mower, but, the difference is minimal and the so is the maintenance. For a nice neat manicured look the cylinder mower is your man. The cylinder mower is the one with the curved blades arranged in the shape of a cylinder. The rotary mower is the one that has blades like a helicopter underneath and is inclined to blow the grass around your lawn on the cheaper models.
Believe it or not there is now what they call a garden tractor. Forgive my disbelief, but, when I was young there was no such thing. Only two people had tractors the farmers and the park keepers. So I suppose the man on the tractor can now turn up his nose at the man in the ride along. But, I don't see the garden tractor making it to the three bedroom semi.

Maintaining Your Lawn
Maintaining a lawn is rewarding and worthwhile. A well maintained lawn enhances the look of your house and I imagine increases its value. When it is not maintained it will have the opposite effect. In the summer it is the ideal place to relax after a hard day's work whether at the office or minding the kids. It is often the venue of choice for family get-togethers and parties.
Of course this has to stop in the winter because the last thing you want is everyone walking around on a wet lawn turning it into something approximating an elephant's watering hole in the Serengeti.
Something people don't realise is that grass can become infected with fungus just like every other organism. Therefore, if your lawn is prone to this, it might be a good idea to spray the lawn with a good fungicide.
Keep a diary of the jobs you do this year this will be very useful next year. You will know when you had the lawnmower serviced, when you gave the lawn its first and last cut what chemicals you used and when. This will be very useful in determining the effectiveness of your activities.