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Lawns and lawns are increasingly becoming part of our lives, as they provide the opportunity interesting design plot, park, recreation area. In order for the lawn to look beautiful and neat, without turning yellow or thinning, it is very important to approach the choice responsibly suitable variety. Let's figure it out what grass is best for the lawn.
It is very important not only to familiarize yourself with the type of climate for which this or that mixture or crop is intended, but to carefully study the grasses themselves that are included in the composition, because often lawn mixtures are imported from European countries, where growing conditions are many times milder than ours.
Cannot be used for lawn decoration regular grass because it depletes the soil. A lawn mixture is specially created for beautiful design lawns, has a decorative appearance and grows evenly.
As a rule, perennial grass is used (you can see the top view in the photo), which, with proper care and watering, will please the eye for many years.
Primary requirements
What kind of grass is there? In order for the lawn to look perfect, the decorative grass for the lawn should be:
- frost-resistant;
- fast growing;
- perennial;
- with a well-developed root system;
- designed for a specific climate;
- capable of vegetative propagation.
Besides, perfect grass for a lawn it should tolerate cutting well.
Lawn grass: how to choose
Grasses are an excellent option for a lawn; they allow you to get uniform green shoots, are excellent at removing weeds, and have a strong root system. And the lawn where they grow looks very beautiful and well-groomed. The following types of herbs are suitable:
- meadow bluegrass;
- fescue;
- bentgrass;
- ryegrass
To make your lawn look interesting, you can use grass mixtures.
To decorate your lawn, you can choose either one variety of seeds (monoculture) or a special mixture. Monoculture looks more beautiful and neat, and is used to design elite lawns and areas, but it costs much more and requires more careful care. And the mixtures are less capricious, while covering the lawn with an even green carpet.
Description of mixtures
How to choose a mixture
First of all, you should pay attention to the composition; the main part of the lawn mixture should be three key plants: meadow bluegrass, thin bentgrass and red fescue. Often the name of herbs is written in Latin, so you should remember in advance that bluegrass is called Poa pratensis, bentgrass is called Agrostis tenuis, and the name Festuca rubra will help you recognize fescue. Knowing what the herb is called in Latin will help you avoid making mistakes.
In addition to the three main plants, the mixture may also include other components, knowledge of the advantages and disadvantages of which will help you not make mistakes when choosing.
- Bentgrass as lawn grass. The plant has high speed growth, but its horizontal shoots are colored light tone, so they will be noticeable on a dark lawn. The lawn will not look uniform enough, which is why such grass can be used in recreation areas, but is unacceptable in parterre lawns.
- Common minnow, narrow-leaved and flattened. They look less impressive than meadow mint, the blades of grass are tough, and their lifespan is short, no more than 7 years, then the grass will need to be reseeded.
- Meadow fescue. This is a very fast growing grass, so it is suitable for those who need a temporary lawn in a short time. Such grass will sprout in one to two months, creating beautiful lawn. Perfect for underseeding so that the lawn doesn’t look bare: while the slow-growing shoots of meadow grass grow back, meadow fescue will perfectly camouflage empty areas. But the plant has weak roots, a short lifespan, and does not tolerate trampling very well.
- Swamp mint. Ideal for lawns with high humidity soil. The lawn will be beautiful and neat, but the grass itself does not live long and needs constant reseeding. White bentgrass is also suitable for such areas.
- Oak grove bluegrass. Ideal for growing in shady areas as it grows well without direct sunlight. But due to the poorly developed root system, such a lawn requires rare cuttings and does not tolerate movement.
- Dog bentgrass. Used for lawns where walking is not intended, for example, for ground floors. The lawn will look perfect due to the beautiful emerald color of the thin blades of grass. But the grass has a short lifespan; such a lawn will not live more than 5 years; in addition, the grass is capricious and has a weak root system.
Very important! These plants can be included in mixtures, but not as the main component.
In an effort to save time and money, many owners personal plots They try to create a lawn from existing vegetation. But no matter how much effort is put in, in such a situation it is not possible to achieve either evenness of the coating, or its softness and durability.
What is the secret of special grass mixtures for lawns, the sowing of which ensures vigorous germination and the formation of a dense green carpet that preserves its beauty for several years without much hassle? Obviously, the answer lies in the selection of plants and the quality of grass seeds for the lawn, as well as proper care of the surface. How to choose plant species, and what properties such herbs should have, read in this article.
Required qualities of grass for a lawn
Cereal plants can withstand the loads experienced by the lawn better than other crops. They are unpretentious, reproduce not only by sowing, but also vegetatively, easily tolerate shearing, and with proper care they quickly grow and create an even grass cover.
But of the entire mass of cereals, not all are suitable for sowing on a green lawn. To be included in a grass mixture for a lawn, a plant must meet a number of requirements:
- First of all, pay attention to decorative qualities grass, its softness and ability to maintain bright color for a long time.
- In the conditions of the middle zone, the frost resistance of the crop is extremely important.
- The best grasses for lawns form an extensive root system that provides nutrition and development of plants in any type of soil.
- Plants to create a lawn should easily tolerate mowing by hand or recover quickly after it.
The composition of specialized mixtures is dominated by perennial grasses for the lawn, which means that a year after sowing, the owner of the site will not have to renew the covering.
The best species form a dense turf in one season, and the renewal of the cover occurs due to the formation of new shoots from existing plants.
This type of lawn takes care of itself. The roots of the grasses are so intertwined that they do not allow weed species to break through, and new ones quickly appear in the place of dead rosettes. In addition, a well-chosen lawn is pleasant and safe to walk on; it can withstand unfavorable conditions painlessly. weather and intensive use.
When choosing grass seeds for your lawn, be sure to consider:
- purpose of the created coverage;
- climatic features of lawn use;
- local natural factors, for example, lighting conditions, soil type, location groundwater and even the landing area.
Today, grass mixtures for lawns include about two dozen species of plants. But not all of them can withstand Russian conditions operation.
Types of perennial grasses for the lawn
The most commonly chosen seed crops are varieties of bluegrass, bentgrass and fescue. In the mixtures of major manufacturers you can see ryegrass, hybrid grasses specially created for use on lawns, as well as other grasses that provide special qualities to the green surface.
How to choose from the existing variety for your dacha the lawn grass that would long years decorated the area?
Among lawn grasses, meadow bluegrass is the most popular. This is a perennial herbaceous plant, the height of which does not exceed 20 cm, and 80 cm during the flowering period. In Russia, the crop is easy to find not only on the lawn, but also in growing wild, and the grass:
- prefers soil rich in humus;
- forms a powerful root system;
- not afraid of intensive walking on green cover;
- starts growing season early;
- easily withstands heat;
- recovers quickly after mowing.
This perennial lawn grass also has its drawback. The bluegrass-based coating shows its full strength only a year after sowing.
If bluegrass is listed among the grass seeds for the lawn, this means that the green cover will not be affected by summer heat, will withstand shading and will not lose its decorative effect after a long period of rain.
Just like the bluegrass different kinds fescue is an unpretentious cereal plant found everywhere in natural conditions. Frost-resistant and drought-resistant red fescue is often used as lawn grass. The plant does not differ in growth rate, but feels great even on soils poor in nutrition. 
At the dacha, the grass for the lawn could well be such an affordable and extremely easy-to-care for meadow timothy. The grass, characteristic of many regions of the northern hemisphere, reaches a height of 30–80 cm, quickly forms elastic rosettes that are pleasant to the touch, inexpensive and very attractive.
Bentgrass is famous for the density of the cover formed and its ability to tolerate low mowing. The grass has a beautiful color, easily coexists with other types of grasses and is stable in a wide range of weather conditions.
Before sowing grass for your lawn, you should carefully consider its properties. In mixtures foreign manufacturers Often there are cultures that are not able to provide the effect that they show in their homeland.
An example is perennial ryegrass, which sometimes cannot withstand Russian winters and dies at temperatures below –15 °C and insufficient snow cover. As a result, already in the second season, the lush cover after sowing noticeably thins out. 
Do not confuse meadow bluegrass with its annual relative. Fast-growing lawn grass reproduces only by seeds. In the first year, such a lawn will actively turn green, but with regular mowing it will not produce offspring and will lose its beauty after wintering. And such common grasses as sheep fescue, turfgrass and grass grass change some time after sowing, forming noticeable hummocks on a flat lawn.
Sowing a single crop or a grass mixture for the lawn?
Since all plants except positive qualities, there is also weak sides, then to create a high-quality green covering of an area, grass mixtures for lawns are more often used, which, depending on the purpose and sowing conditions, can be divided into:
- to quickly ascending ones, that is, allowing for minimum time get a new cover or restore a lost one;
- shade-tolerant, able to tolerate cultivation in the shade without loss of decorativeness and density of cover;
- to drought-resistant, remaining attractive and fresh in conditions of bright sunlight and lack of adequate moisture.
In universal lawn seed mixtures, the creators try to combine all of the listed qualities and give the gardener the opportunity to get a decent result in any conditions.
Therefore, to maintain the external attractiveness and evenness of the cover, it is necessary, although not often, to be mowed. Only such types of lawn as meadow and Moorish lawns, where cereals, perennial and annual flowering crops are found in free growth, are not mowed.
For plants to show themselves with the best side, lawn seeds must have high germination rate, and sowing is carried out evenly and in compliance with accepted agricultural practices. Proper selection of the mixture allows you to emphasize the advantages of individual plants and neutralize their shortcomings, so that the resulting lawn will be more even and beautiful in any weather, on any soil and with minimal care.
), proper site planning and purchasing the right lawn care tools are the cornerstones of success when growing a lawn.
There are no lawns that don’t require any maintenance, watering or mowing. There are more demanding or less demanding lawns, fast growing, moderate and slow growing.
Choosing lawn seeds:
Rule 1- It is necessary to independently determine for what purposes the lawn will be used. For example, you want a decorative or parterre lawn, a sports lawn, a lawn for active rest, children's lawn or lawn for children, lawn in shady areas of the garden, ordinary lawn, simple green grass.
Rule 3- When choosing seeds, carefully read the instructions and composition on the packaging or the seller’s website, or consult with a specialist to make sure that this mixture is suitable for you.
Rule 2- Determine existing and future conditions in the area chosen for the lawn.
For example, what type of soil is on your site (clay or sand), how sunny or shaded is the area, how often do you plan to care for your future lawn.
Rule 4- Remember that more expensive mixtures usually contain the best varieties lawn grasses than cheap ones. For example, Russian mixtures of lawn grass seeds for home gardening of the highest quality, such as “Sportivnaya”, “Zagorodnaya”, “Shade Tolerant” cannot cost less than 140-170 rubles per 1 kg. Imported lawn grass seeds of the highest quality cannot cost less than 300-350 rubles per 1 kg.
With the development of the lawn grass market, the emergence large quantity companies producing and selling lawn grass seeds, it is becoming increasingly difficult to choose the necessary and high-quality lawn. The risk of purchasing low-quality seeds or seeds that are unsuitable for your purposes increases significantly.
To buy a lawn good quality, meeting your needs must be followed certain rules, and also approach the selection of seeds with the necessary amount of caution.
The biggest danger is bad seeds, which will not make a good lawn. A “bad” grass mixture can be either a cheap grass mixture or an excellent quality one that is absolutely unsuitable for your site.
Almost no garden can do without plants that form the ground cover. They protect the soil from abrasion and destruction, prevent the formation of dust, and serve as a backdrop for decorative elements. But how can you choose lawn grass for your dacha and yard in order to take less care of the green carpet? This question is important, since when sowing the foundation of the future landscape area is laid.
Scientific articles and entire books have been written about creating lawns, but only a small part of this vast information is suitable for garden design. The fact is that the techniques used to create a “football carpet”, green stripes along highways, extensive parks and golf courses are very interesting, but other information is important for private gardeners. And first of all - this right choice seeds of cereal plants.
How to choose lawn grass for your garden and yard
Is it worth buying seeds based on the purpose of the lawn and growing conditions? This is the first question you need to know the answer to when purchasing lawn grass. For example, if you need to create a lawn for children to play on, a special grass mixture for sports turf is a smart choice. If the garden carpet is intended to have a decorative effect, then it makes sense to buy seeds for a meadow lawn that blooms beautifully.
IN garden centers We sell seed mixtures for lawns for every taste and desire. On beautiful packaging you can read: “for light areas”, “for shade”, “sports lawn”, “drought-resistant lawn” and so on. Looking at the shelves with seeds, one gets the impression that it is enough to choose the right lawn grass and the green lawn will be ideal in the conditions of a particular dacha.
In fact we're talking about only minor differences. For example, no matter what plants you choose for your lawn, they all need regular watering. It’s just that with a lack of moisture, some will suffer more, others less, and less only in comparison with most lawn grasses. But it’s still impossible to talk about real drought resistance in this case. That is, if you want to sow “drought-resistant” lawn plants in order to care for them less, then you must understand that they will still be far from sedums and saxifrages.
The differences between “special seeds” and general purpose seed mixtures are in small nuances, there are no fundamental differences.
But this does not mean at all that you should not pay attention to the manufacturer’s recommendations. Just remember that the health of your lawn depends more on lawn establishment and maintenance techniques than on the correct seed mixture. Unfortunately, seed sellers often “forget” to remind you of this; they even benefit when the buyer thinks that the main key to success in growing a lawn is good choice plant seeds.
So that you have no doubt about the correctness of this conclusion, I will give one more example. It concerns so-called “evergreen lawns”. If you see such a mark on the packaging, then remember that this is a common commercial ploy aimed at increasing sales.
Sometimes in advertising videos they show how, while shoveling snow, they discover fresh grass underneath it. But in winter, under a snow cap, any lawn remains green. But in the spring the old leaves herbaceous plants dry out and for some time the lawn becomes like a withered straw bed. And only when fresh herbs will grow back and the green cover will be restored. The unsightly period with wilted foliage is short-lived, but all cereal plants, without exception, even “evergreens,” go through it.
Read also:
What plants help protect the garden from
The best grass for the lawn
What kind of lawn grass is best to plant at the dacha? In an effort to create a beautiful garden carpet, people often rely on the names of grass species. In this botanical matter, gardeners should remember the following. All or almost all mixtures consist of seeds of only four types of lawn grass (photos can be seen below the description):
- Meadow bluegrass
- Red fescue
- Giant bentgrass
- Perennial ryegrass
This is the basis or base of any grass mixture. So that you have a more complete understanding of these types of plants and lawns made from them, I will give a brief floristic and landscape description for each.
Meadow bluegrass (Poa pratensis)
A plant with matte bright green leaves, bent along the central vein. It is by this feature that bluegrass can be identified among other grasses in the grass stand. A lawn formed from bluegrass is always thick and beautiful. It makes excellent sports and parterre lawns.
Bluegrass adapts well to soils different composition and medium moisture. At the same time, it reacts positively to artificial irrigation and mineral supplements. When the question is asked which lawn grass is the most unpretentious, bluegrass is sometimes mentioned in reviews.
Red fescue (Festuca rubra)
The thin leaves of this plant form a dense mass of shoots, at the base of which a pink color is noticeable. Fescue prefers soil that is light in mechanical composition and can withstand short-term restrictions in watering.
It is advisable to sow it on slopes or other uneven terrain where water is poorly retained in the soil. With normal moisture, fescue grows very rapidly, forming a lush and dense carpet. Therefore, it is considered a suitable sports grass and is also sometimes called lazy people's lawn grass.
Giant bentgrass (Agrostis gigantea)
Compared to cereals from other genera, bentgrass is considered miniature plant. It forms tender shoots light green color. Bentgrass is very often used not in mixtures, but independently for pure sowing.
The plant actively bushes and at the same time grows slowly and low. Therefore, bentgrass is often called a lawn grass that does not require mowing. And it is also recommended for those who are looking for lawn grass to grow less.
But one should also take into account the fact that general care It’s more difficult for bentgrass. You will have to adapt to mowing, which is still periodically necessary, and at a very low height (only 2 cm), as well as combing.
Do not buy bentgrass seeds for sowing in large quantities at once. Test them first on small area and check how suitable this culture is for you.
As for the requirements for abiotic conditions, bentgrass needs good lighting. At the same time, the cereal is moderately demanding on soil fertility and is relatively resistant to temporary waterlogging and heavy soils.
Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne)
A beautiful plant with wide, slightly shiny light green leaves. Ryegrass is different rapid growth and good tillering. It requires constant moisture, fertility and warmth. It is because of the latter condition that the grass does not take root well on lawns in middle lane Russia, where there are harsh winters.
But despite this, it is advisable to include it in herbal mixtures. This is explained by the fact that ryegrass sprouts very quickly and thereby provides an early decorative effect and protects the soil from erosion. Other grains with smaller seeds tend to show up later in the lawn cover.
It is necessary to draw a conclusion about which grass is best for a lawn based on microclimatic conditions dacha and desired purpose (decorative, sports or economic). If your task is to decorate the yard, then it is better to use mixtures. In addition to these main cereals, grass mixtures may contain other species that beautifully decorate a Moorish or meadow lawn:
- blue cornflower;
- grandiflora flax;
- Eschscholzia Californian;
- matthiola bicornuum;
- self-seeded poppy;
- creeping tenacious;
- common blackhead;
- creeping clover;
- small-leaved timothy;
- coin loosestrife;
- perennial daisy;
- carnation ;
- carnation grass.
What is better to buy – pure seeds or a ready-made mixture?
In the literature you can often find recommendations on how to create lawn mixtures yourself and calculate the sowing rate, taking into account the weight and size of the seeds. But is it worth bothering with this? Today in stores reasonable price You can buy ready-made compositions for lawns of different purposes and conditions.
If you buy individual lawn grass seeds, calculate the entire spectrum yourself necessary criteria, then you will spend more time, and even money. The more accurate percentage composition different types lawn grass is not so important. In the process of growth and development, plants enter into competitive relationships and, as a result, a grass community will still form on your lawn that will be more stable under the given conditions.
Additional criteria when choosing seeds
It is important not only to choose the right the best grass for the lawn, but it’s also a good idea to buy seed material. Don't forget about the following points:
- Lawn grass seeds must be dry and of high quality. A high-quality seed mixture retains its flowability and is free of lumps and foreign inclusions. The smell in the bag should not be moldy or musty.
- When choosing, it is better to give preference to fresher seeds. Although this indicator is not so important. Cereal seeds retain good germination for 6 years. Therefore, if you follow the storage rules, everything should be in order.
- If you buy a herbal mixture, it is recommended to take one that is richer in composition. It’s great if one type of plant is represented by several varieties. This increases the chances of getting stable turf.
I hope that in this article you found the answer to the question of how to choose the right lawn grass for sowing in your country house. Which lawn grass is better is a rhetorical question, since it all depends on what kind of lawn you want to form and what conditions prevail on your site. But I'm sure that in any case you will find suitable seeds for your future stunning lawn
Good luck in your gardening endeavors!
Each of us dreams of waking up on a summer morning in the country and walking barefoot on the green grass, picking an apple and enjoying the aromas of summer. Both adults and children like a green lawn; it gives the dacha a neat appearance and is pleasing to the eye. Choosing a lawn is not an easy task; in our article we will talk about the types of lawns and how to prepare the soil for sowing.
Types of lawn
A lawn is both medicine and protection for the soil. By sowing lawn grass, you won't have to fight weeds. Typically, to create beautiful lawn cereal plants are planted, although clover or periwinkle can be sown. Lawn grasses are chosen depending on what the lawn is intended for.
Parterre lawns It is decorative and is planted in the front part of the site. For such a lawn, you need to choose low grass with a high growth density, for example, common bentgrass, meadow grass, red fescue, etc.
Park lawns They involve walking on them, so they choose not just one type of grass, but mixtures of different grasses in order to form a dense and durable turf. We recommend the following mixture: Common bentgrass (15%), perennial ryegrass (60%), red fescue (25%). Or you can use this mixture: Sheep fescue (20%), perennial ryegrass (30%), common bluegrass (20%), white bentgrass (30%).
meadow lawn is characterized by durability and resistance to trampling, because in most cases it is used for outdoor activities. To ensure that the lawn can withstand loads and at the same time maintain its beauty, wheatgrass and bluegrass are used to create it.
Sports turf requires grass that is not only resistant to mechanical damage, but also has the property of quick drying. To ensure that your lawn meets the standards, you not only need to choose the right mixture, but also take care of creating drainage to drain water.
Rolled lawn looks like a roll of living grass that needs to be spread around the area. The advantage of such a lawn is instant decorative look territory, it is not difficult to install and easily takes root on the soil. The disadvantages include its cost, which is quite high.
When to sow
To ensure that the grass on your lawn grows quickly and does not burn from the sun, then best time for sowing it is spring. In spring there is still no scorching sun, and it rains so often that you do not have to water the lawn every day. Best month for this purpose - March and early May.
Setting the stage
Before you start sowing, inspect the soil; it should be dry enough and the soil should not stick to your feet. It is best if you prepare the soil long before sowing, for example in the fall. During the winter, the earth will not only restore strength, but also accumulate moisture.
The soil needs to be dug up and the lumps loosened using a rake. The surface should be smooth without bumps or holes. Pick out all the old roots and get rid of the weeds. Carefully read the instructions for sowing a specific grass, because... the methodology may differ from one another. Some grass varieties require sand to be added to the soil.
Photo: www.aloha-lawn.com
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