Grass

Preparation  Turf   Seed and Sowing  Weeds and Pests

Maintenance

To keep the lawn in good condition it must be cut regularly - at least once a week. If allowed to grow long, the coarser grasses will take over. This is often seen at the edges if they are not kept in trim; tufts of thick-bladed grasses appear and their rhizomes start to invade the flowerbeds. Also when longer grass is cut it suffers shock, becomes whitened and takes some time to recover.
Frequent close cutting thickens the sward leaving no room for weeds to grow. The lowest height of the 'luxury lawn' in summer, should be about 13mm (½ inch), in spring, autumn and during drought periods the height should be about 19mm (¾ inch).

When choosing a lawnmower the size of the plot and the quality of finish required are two important factors to consider. A small patch near to the house which just needs to be kept neat will only require the smallest electric rotary mower. For a larger area extending further may need a petrol driven rotary machine. If the same plot is laid out in luxury grass, has an even surface and the keeper requires a bowling-green finish, then a traditional cylinder mower is the machine of choice.

Rotary Mower

A rotary mower has a blade mounted horizontally which is spun by the motor. They can be powered by electricity or by a petrol engine and are mounted on a number of deck types. Most run on wheels, but some have a roller which replaces the rear wheels - the roller leaves the classic striped effect. Larger petrol-engined models have a link which drives the wheels or the roller and some have a self-starter. For very large lawns a ride-on mower with a wide cutting swathe will be needed, most have a rotary blade and sometimes two mounted side-by-side.
Most of the rotary models have a grass collecting system, but there are some which have a mulching deck. Instead of having a chute which directs the cuttings into a collector, the blade forces them downwards into the sward where they decompose. This means that the lawn requires less fertilizer and there are no cuttings to dispose of - the improved fertility, and to reduce the volume of the cuttings, means more frequent mowing. Because the soft cuttings rot away they do not contribute much to the problem of thatch (see below), which is mainly grass stems which have died back and arise to a similar extent in traditionally cut grass.
Another type has a deck which hovers on a cushion of air created by the spinning blade. Earlier models did not collect the grass, but most now do so. Petrol-engined machines use a two-stroke motor as these mowers are recommended for cutting steep slopes and the engine is lubricated by the fuel mix, not from a sump as in four-stroke models.
The latest development is a rechargable robotic machine with sensors which guide it around, it can keep a small lawn trimmed without human intervention - in theory anyway. It uses a rotary blade and mulches the cuttings

Cylinder Mower

Cylinder mowers were the first type to be developed and the idea came from the woollen industry as a similar mechanism was used to finish the woven cloth. The blades are mounted on a cylinder in a spiral fashion and cut against another fixed horizontal blade in a scissor action. This arrangement leaves a better quality of finish, but is unable to cope with longer grass so has to be used more frequently than the rotary type. There are small push machines, electric and petrol-engined models. They all have a roller at the rear and the latter machines have a drive link to this roller. Relative to the width of blades, cylinder mowers are more expensive than rotary models.

Irrigation is a contentious subject and in the present situation of water shortages and high water charging, watering the lawn is a luxury, but it does not need to be watered after it has been established. Too much irrigation causes the roots to remain close to the surface so they are unable to reach water lower down. Left to develop normally they will grow down further and are better able to withstand a dry spell. The first thing to do in dry weather is to allow the grass to grow longer, the deeper sward keeps the soil cooler so there is reduced loss by evaporation. If water is in extremely short supply, it should be kept for more important plants which do not recover. Even after apparently dying away much of the grass will recover and can easily be reseeded if necessary.
In drier regions the choice of grass species in the seed mix will have a great bearing on resistance to drought. White clover is sometimes included to maintain the green look, but it tends to be patchy and is slippery when wet.
If irrigation is necessary a good soaking once weekly is better than more frequent 'splashes' with a hose. The best time to water is in the evening so there will be less lost to evaporation. To monitor the amount of water, place a container with vertical sides in the watering zone. When the water level has reached to about 2.5 cm the sprinkler can be turned off. This amount of water should percolate down to about 20 cm in normal soil (note the time taken for future waterings or setting a timer). Spiking will improve the penetration so more water can be stored lower down. 'Grey' water can be used for irrigation, this is water that has been used for washing or has been collected form the roof, but is not suitable for drinking. The choice of soaps and detergents is important and they should be biodegradable - the water from a dishwasher would not suit.

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A less formal grassed area can have some of the 'weed' grasses like Rye-grass, and a few broadleaved weeds are allowed as well. Cutting this 'utility lawn' too short will weaken the coarser grasses, allowing low growing weeds and moss to thrive. The frequency of mowing is every 5 to 7 days. From late spring the cutting height should be between 2.5 and 3 cm, in late autumn raise this to 3.75 cm until the following year. This gives it a better chance to resist the invasion of moss and weeds.
An important task not to miss is keeping the edges trimmed. This may be left to alternate cutting times, but as mentioned above if they are not cut, coarser grasses thrive and encroach on the flowerbeds. Using a half-moon edging tool to cut a clean face to the turf is another way to stop the grasses which spread by rhizomes and stolons from invading the beds and should be carried out at least once per year. Just by trimming the edges a lawn can appear to be newly mown.

A half-moon lawn edger.

There are some tasks which should be done less frequently to keep the sward in top condition. If the cuttings are removed it will require some feeding. A common problem with a lawn is a lack of nutrients to keep it growing well and the weeds take over. The temptation is to starve the grass to reduce the need to mow as often, but this leads to more work to bring it back to health. (I know because I am guilty - it's a case of do as I say, not as I do!). Feeding is usually done as the grass starts into growth in the spring and again in the summer, with a final one in the autumn. The spring and summer feeds should contain more Nitrogen to encourage growth. The autumn feed should have a reduced Nitrogen content so that there is less soft leafy growth when frosts could cause damage. Also it can flop over in wet weather providing the conditions for fungal diseases like Snow Mould.

A layer of thatch which is made up of dead grass, moss and leaf debris, tends to build up choking the sward and should be removed by scarifying with a spring-tined rake or better still a rake with hardened tines made specifically for the job - the Wolf-Garten Roller Scarifying Rake has wheels which makes the job much easier. Small electrical and more powerful petrol-engined machines (below left) are more efficient for larger areas and can be hired since they are only required once a year. If the task has not been carried out regularly the spring tines on electrical models may bounce along the surface and not penetrate to the base of the tight mat which has formed. The hardened tines of the Wolf rake or the slotted disks on a petrol-driven machine are better suited for this job.
Foot traffic and constant wetting and drying, compact the soil cutting off the air which is essential for healthy roots. Spiking is the remedy and involves inserting the tines of a fork to about 10 cm and gently levering back and forth. This also allows surface water to drain away more quickly. To keep the holes open, coarse sand can be swept across the surface, or a topdressing made up with sieved compost, sieved loam and coarse sand in the proportions 1:1:3 respectively. A plastic-tined leaf rake is ideal for combing it through the grass to leave the blades showing through; after a week and some rain or watering the dressing will disappear. Some grass seed can be added to the dressing to improve the quality or if the grass is sparce.

  
The picture on the left shows the tines of a mechanical scarifier; on the right, those of a hollow-tined aerator.

For much better aeration and drainage, a hollow-tined aerator is used. The hand-operated version is a rectangular frame with four vertical tubes below a foot tread. The tubes remove a small core of soil about 1.5cm across and leaves a hole about 7.5 cm deep. When this is filled with coarse sand or grit the drainage is improved greatly. The mechanical version (above right) can be hired for larger areas, but is a bit of a beast.

  
two manual, hollow-tined aerators

Scarifying and aerating are usually carried out in the autumn before the autumn feed, allowing time for the grass to recover before growth slows, but it can also be done in the spring.

Grass  Preparation  Turf   Seed and Sowing  Weeds and Pests

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