The following suggestions are intended for situations where the grass areas are for family play or to set off the surrounding planting, rather than where a perfect lawn is intended. Many books give detailed prescriptions for making and maintaining perfect lawns – if that is your desire.
Grass maintenance activities will include mowing, feeding, aerating the soil, and weed control.
Mowing
This has a pronounced effect both upon the appearance and the composition of the lawn. When the grass is actively growing in early summer, it may need cutting once a week or every ten days. At this season, the maximum length of time it can safely be left, if a lawn effect is required, is a fortnight. At the beginning and the end of the growing season, and usually during dry periods from July/ August on, the grass will not need such frequent cutting and a fortnightly cycle should be adopted.
The frequency and height of cutting will determine the species of grass and other plants present. Where the cut is made close to the soil surface, only plants able to grow from the base will survive and flourish; this will include certain species of grass but also plants such as plantain, daisies and moss. If the grass is cut longer, other species of grass are able to survive, whilst daisies are less able to do so. Very close mowing, ie with the blades set at only 15mm (.6in) or less above ground level, will induce a larger crop of weeds and moss, as even the grasses are unable to cover the ground effectively. The optimum cutting height for weed control and general durability under the influence of children or grandchildren is where the mower blades are set at 20-25mm (0.8-lin). Also, where the grass is let grow this long, the frequency of cutting needed to maintain an attractive appearance drops slightly!
Lawns do not have to be cut close and frequently. In the right circumstances, very attractive meadow lawns can be created by only cutting the grass two or three times a year. In a meadow, wild flowers such as snake’s-head fritillary, wild orchids, cowslips, vetches and cranesbills can flower and seed if the area is only cut periodically; with intensive mowing, these plants are soon eliminated or reduced to sterile plants. The above xamples of meadow plants all flower at different times of the year and if an area is to be managed to give a meadow lawn, the timing of the cutting needs to be correlated with the flowering and fruiting season of the meadow herbs present. If you wish to grow a variety of such plants, giving a succession of flowering times throughout the summer, the different areas must be cut at different times. With bulbs, such as daffodils or snakes-head fritillary, the area must not be cut until June, or the bulbs are unlikely to flower satisfactorily next year and will not naturalise. With flowers such as vetches, cranesbills or wild orchids, an early cut no later than the beginning of April can be given to tidy up the area, with the next cut in late July or September. What should be avoided is cutting at different seasons in following years, as this will hinder the development of a flora suited to one particular mowing regime. Apart from the attractions of the meadow flowers, meadow lawns require substantially less effort to maintain! They will look attractive and cared-for if a half metre wide strip is regularly cut around the edges and paths.
Mowers cut either by a revolving cylinder or a rotating blade. Cylinder mowers are better where a neat effect is required and the grass cuttings removed from site, whereas rotary mowers are faster and will tackle longer grass or wetter conditions.
Feeding
This is necessary to maintain a heavily used or frequently mown lawn in good order. The regular removal of the mowings means an effective loss of nutrients from the lawn and these need replacing if the grass is to flourish. A wide variety of fertilisers are sold specifically formulated for use on lawns. Two different types of fertiliser are often used. An autumn feed, with relatively more phosphorus and potassium to nitrogen, is given to promote healthy growth prior to the ravages of winter. In the spring a heavier application of a formulation with more nitrogen is given.
Where a meadow lawn is intended, little or no feeding should be given. Most of the attractive wild flowers have a preference for a lower level of nutrients and are swamped by grasses where too much fertiliser is applied. In these situations, the removal of the periodic mowings will gradually alter the nutrient status of the ground in favour of the meadow plants.
Aeration
Where worms are controlled or where the soil gets trampled and compacted, eg by the playing of games, aeration will be necessary. The purpose of aerating the soil is to relieve compaction and improve both the drainage of moisture through the soil and the oxygen available to plant roots. A compacted lawn will take a long time to dry out following rain and the grass will grow much less well, tending to look scraggy (but needing less cutting!).
Aeration can be carried out using several different tools. The simplest is a fork, which is pushed into the ground and lifted slightly, to create a space around the prongs. Mechanical tools which will perform the same function are available. Some of these make holes in the turf with a solid tine, as with the fork, or have a blade which makes a narrow slit. These methods work effectively, although they compress the soil as the tine is inserted. A more effective technique is to extract a core of turf and soil using a machine with hollow tines. Because these remove a core of soil, they cause less additional compaction, which is relieved as the soil expands to fill the space left by the removal of the core. The cores can either be left to weather down (as happens to earthworm casts) or removed and grit brushed into the holes to give a long-term improvement in drainage. Aeration should be carried out from late autumn into winter and the lawn not used during the period after treatment.
There is often a build-up of organic matter on the soil surface from the roots of grasses or old mowings. This can harbour disease and make mowing difficult. It can be removed either using a strong garden rake or a machine designed for the purpose. The ideal time for this operation is either in the autumn or after the first cut in spring.
Weed and moss control
In a lawn weed control will consist of removing unwanted weeds, such as daisies or moss. Lawn herbicides are invaluable in removing certain weeds. However, any respite gained may only be temporary, especially if some aspect of management is favouring the weed at the expense of the grass. For example, raising the height of mowing will act against daisies and reduce their numbers.
Moss can be a particularly troublesome weed to control. Moss killers will give some respite but several other things should be done at the same time to make any lasting effect. Moss will flourish where the soil is permanently damp, such as when it is shaded for much of the day, or drainage is poor; it will also grow better where either the soil pH is low or the nutrient status is low. The complete cure, therefore, involves killing the moss with a suitable herbicide and removing the remains from the soil using a rake; feeding the grass with an appropriate fertiliser and raising the pH if necessary; improving the natural drainage by aerating the soil; and, if practical, reducing the shading of the lawn.
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