Varieties of grass for a country lawn. Should you prefer a rolled or seeded lawn, and what herbs are best to choose?

The green lawn near the house has magnetism; it makes the area well-groomed and indicates that the owners love order. If you decide to do the landscaping yourself, study what grass should be like for a lawn, when to plant it, what are the pros and cons different varieties, and also what is the difference between annual and perennial plants. Despite many nuances, the use of seeds correct composition – The best decision, because it is very difficult to obtain an even thick coating from ordinary herbs.

One crop or grass mixture: which is better?

Grass lawns come in different varieties and seeds are selected depending on their type. Let's figure out which grass mixtures and monocultures are suitable for lawns in personal plots.

A well-groomed lawn is a decoration for the yard

Main types of lawns

All lawns can be divided into two groups - decorative and special application. Special lawns are football fields, sports grounds, golf courses, roadside areas and airfield lawns. Such coatings must withstand the intense load associated with active movement on the grass. The second, decorative, group includes:

standard lawn;
ground floor;
Mauritanian;
English;
meadow

Moorish meadow

Since the purpose of sports and ornamental grasses is radically different, the choice of seeds for them also has significant differences. The grass on a football field, like on a golf course, must be of high quality, have a strong root system and special leaves that do not turn into mush the first time it gets under your shoes. Monoculture is more suitable for this purpose rather than a mixed lawn of different seeds.

Features and differences between monocultures and grass mixtures

Pure crops, consisting of one variety of plants, are most often used for lawns on sports grounds, football fields and other special surfaces. To organize home lawns, they are too demanding in terms of lighting, watering, and soil type. Not every summer resident will be able to satisfy these whims, especially if it is not possible to provide regular watering and care. In addition, such seeds have a high price.

For home gardens and garden lawns, a perennial lawn made from a mixture of seeds will be very beneficial - it stays green longer and does not require annual planting. Unlike perennial herbs annual plants They quickly fade after the seeds ripen, and even watering cannot help preserve the greenery - you can’t go against nature. Perennial herbs will bloom and bear fruit again if they are given proper care.

The stores provide a fairly large selection of grass mixtures from several varieties. If you want to get a smooth lawn covering that can adapt well to the climate and be resistant to diseases, definitely choose mixed formulations. Assembled components planting material selected so that they do not compete, but complement each other.

Perennial herb mixtures

What can busy gardeners do who don’t want or can’t devote time to the hassle of sowing a lawn? There is an excellent option for them - a ready-made clover lawn with small leaves. Such “carpets” are sold in rolls, which should be spread on prepared soil no later than 1-2 days after cutting. The first two weeks the lawn needs to be watered abundantly so that the plants take root.

Choosing grass for the lawn: basic nuances

Bright green, soft grass for the lawn is the dream of private home owners. To obtain exactly this result, it is recommended to use perennial grasses with a rhizomatous-bush growth pattern.

Garden landscape

Required qualities of grass for a lawn

Grass for the lawn should be selected based on its purpose. You also need to consider quality seed material and the type of soil so that plants can grow smoothly and beautifully on it. There are other criteria for selecting seeds that relate to the site:

altitude groundwater;
terms of Use;
purpose of the lawn (for sports games, site decorations or other);
climate;
solar Activity;
frequency of site maintenance.

Moorish flowering lawn

If you want to create a real oasis on your site, you will need lawn grass with flowers. This is beautiful, and also useful for the garden - flowering plants attract bees and other insects involved in pollination. A mixture of cereals, herbs and wildflowers is suitable for these purposes. It is preferable that they bloom in different time, then the lawn will please the house with its appearance for as long as possible - right up to autumn.

When creating Moorish meadows, it is important to combine plants with stems of the same height so that they do not crowd each other. The herbs that landscape designers use in their work are a mixture of cornflowers, flax, calendula, daisies, nemesia, forget-me-nots, primroses, red clover, saxifrage and popovnik. Grains such as thin bentgrass, bluegrass and fescue are perfect for them. Choose your grass mixture based on these composition recommendations.

Rules for choosing grass for different lawns

Grass mixtures for the site can be selected according to certain characteristics:

sunny - suitable for growing in open areas, tolerates warm climates;
shady - consist of herbs that are quite adapted to grow in shaded places;
universal - with the properties of the solar and shadow groups;
fast - to restore damaged areas of the lawn in a short time due to rapid germination.

Mixture of slow-growing species

Next, we consider the features of choosing grass cover for different sites, taking into account all the above requirements. Preference is given to mixtures of several plants. Each species cereal crops There are pros and cons, which is why it is recommended to use a grass mixture. The plants that are part of it will compensate as they grow weak sides each other, creating a great result.

Lawn covering on the playground

A grass carpet on which children will play is quite reasonably required to be wear-resistant and soft at the same time. The best choice for this purpose, plant a lawn of white clover with the addition of cereals, which will ensure dense coverage.

You can also use red, white creeping, pink and other varieties of clover - they will all give the desired softness. Blooming clover will add coziness to the courtyard kindergarten.

The time for sowing is a long period from the second ten days of May to mid-September. To obtain dense, beautiful vegetation, 40 g of seeds should be sown per meter of area. If necessary, the lawn can be “repaired” by sowing seeds in places with bald spots. As for the composition of the grass mixture for the playground, it may include the following plants:

cocksfoot;
red and meadow fescue;
ryegrass;
timothy grass.

Traditional turf on the playground

Features of choosing a mixture for special-purpose lawns

We are talking about green areas and alleys on the territory of resorts, airfields, on slopes of road surfaces and other areas where the grass covering should purify the air and absorb noise. The decorative purpose fades into the background. The main thing is that the grass in such areas can withstand gas pollution and heat. sun rays. Suitable for these purposes:

rump;
ryegrass;
bluegrass;
shoot-forming bentgrass.

The same herbs can be used for sowing along the fence if the area is close to railway or tracks.

Selection and sowing of grass for a sports field

The optimal types of grass for a sports lawn are varieties that can withstand intense loads, soil breaks, trampling and other mechanical damage at any time of the year. Such grounds are organized for golf, football and other sports games, as well as for holding active events on the territory of schools and kindergartens.

Seeds should be sown in early November or late October at a rate of 40-50 g per 1 square meter. m. In places with the highest load, the norm doubles. An area of high load, for example, is the area near the football goal. Grass mixtures for sports fields often consist of the following cereals:

English or perennial ryegrass;
meadow bluegrass;
meadow or red fescue.

The grass on the golf course must be immaculate.

If the climate in your area is cold, choose the time to sow lawn grass based on the average daily air temperature. Outside the window it should be at least 6-8 degrees Celsius, otherwise the sprouted sprouts will not have time to get stronger and get used to the weather conditions before the onset of real winter. If everything is done correctly, in the spring you will be pleased with uniform, dense shoots.

Selection and sowing of grasses for ornamental lawns

As you know, decorative coverings include garden and park, parterre, meadow, Moorish and English lawns. The load on such clearings is minimal; their main function is to decorate the site. The main criteria when choosing a grass mixture are the aesthetics of the green carpet and the brightness of the color. And for the Moorish lawn it is also important to have flowering plants various color accents.

For a parterre lawn you only need a couple of varieties of grass, while for other types of ornamental lawns you will need more seeds. Landscape designers recommend the best varieties grass for lawn:

bentgrass is shoot-forming and giant;
ryegrass (annual and perennial variety);
meadow and sheep fescue;
meadow bluegrass;
awnless rump;
all types of clover (preference for pink hybrid, meadow, white creeping).

Decorative lawns go well with flower beds

For sowing you need 20-40 g of seeds per 1 square meter. m, which is quite economical. If there is a lot of clover in the grass mixture, which has a highly branched stem, you can use 20 g of seeds; if there is more of other herbs, it is better to sow 40 g. The optimal time for this is cool autumn or spring. The summer months are suitable for patching up bald spots in the lawn grass. As for the height of plants, it is not recommended to mow them below 5-7 cm.

Types and varieties of lawn grasses: a brief description

Low-growing clover remains a popular lawn plant, because it decorates the area and smells great during flowering. There are other grasses that are most often used in lawn mixtures.

Traditional choice - meadow bluegrass

It is heat and frost resistant perennial, which at good care It turns green quickly, but also quickly loses its beauty with insufficient watering and weeding. Yes, in the first year of growing a bluegrass lawn you will have to actively remove weeds, but after a year you will get an even and dense layer through which it will be difficult for weeds to break through. It is not as beautiful as a decorative clover lawn, but it is very practical.

If your site is in the shade, choose woodland or squat bluegrass, because its meadow counterpart will suffer from powdery mildew in such conditions. Perhaps this is the first of the significant disadvantages of using this plant as a monoculture.

The second is the requirement for care. Plus meadow bluegrass in long term life and early appearance of greenery. Your area will begin to turn green immediately after the snow melts!

Meadow bluegrass during flowering

Perennial ryegrass – “fast” lawn

Ryegrass is a plant that has unique viability in warm climates. That is why it is also used for sowing pastures (by the way, another name for the variety is pasture). If this grass predominates in your grass mixture, the area will be green until the end of November, right up to frost. All care for ryegrass consists of moderate watering and cutting, after which it quickly recovers.

The advantages of ryegrass are resistance to diseases, trampling, excellent germination rate and a lifespan of up to 7 years. The disadvantage of the cereal is a fairly high percentage of freezing of the sown area. About 60% of this lawn grass will overwinter. For comparison, bluegrass practically does not freeze even in the harshest winter (losses are less than 3%). Therefore, in cold regions, ryegrass will have to be reseeded.

What does perennial ryegrass look like?

Red fescue - grass without whims

The main advantage of this variety of lawn grass is its unpretentiousness to conditions. Even without proper care, the lawn will have a beautiful appearance, and the grass on it will be silky and soft. In terms of characteristics, fescue has drought resistance and shade tolerance in first place. If you want a grain that will stay green even if you're away for a week, go for red fescue.

Fescue seeds

You can combine it with bluegrass to keep your lawn green for as long as possible. During dry periods, unpretentious fescue will please the eye, and in cold weather autumn period, right up to severe frosts, the frost resistance of bluegrass grass will be useful. As for overwintering, perennial fescue germinates 90-95% in the spring. There is practically no need to finish it.

Fescue is an unpretentious plant

Clover and its varieties

Clover, or shamrock, is a godsend for large lawn areas. This perennial herb is distinguished by a beautiful carpet and the presence of many patterned leaves of emerald color. Botanically, there are more than 300 types of clover, but no more than 20 are used to decorate the landscape. One of the most popular is white, meadow and red clover for the lawn, as well as several decorative species bred specifically for decorating areas.

Clover goes well with other plants

Before sowing grass, it is necessary to destroy weeds so that they do not choke the young plants. A clover carpet can cope with this task on its own from the second year of its life. You may even have to keep it confined to one area or it will spread throughout your yard. Since the shamrock is still wild plant, most of its types do not need special care.

Clover loves fertilizer and responds well to fertilizing with manure, which can be applied in the fall. Once every two months, fertilizing with potassium-phosphorus preparations is also allowed. If the site is located on podzolic soil, you will have to spray the plantings with boron fertilizers when the first signs of flowering appear. There is no need to use other means of feeding.

Unusual clover will decorate the area

If you plan to grow grass not only for ornamental purposes, but also for feeding rabbits, you can combine alfalfa and clover lawn, since alfalfa is high in fiber and protein. You can also add some sainfoin seeds, which is also an unpretentious crop. Please note that alfalfa ages faster than trefoil, so the percentage of its seeds in the mixture should be lower.

Choosing grass for a beautiful lawn is a responsible matter, because it will not be possible to correct mistakes right away. If you are unsure whether an herb mixture or monoculture is suitable for your soil, watering conditions and climate, consult an expert. It will help create a green carpet that will decorate the yard for several years and will create great mood.

Every owner of a country house dreams of having a green lawn in front of their house. It can decorate any yard. In addition, green cover is quite practical, because a piece of land covered with thick green grass can be used for relaxation and games.

However, creating a beautiful lawn is not as simple a task as it might seem at first glance. Even if the owner takes care of the green carpet, it does not always please with its beauty. Bald spots may appear in places after harsh winters.

The main mistake when creating a lawn

It must be said that problems with lawns, as a rule, arise mainly from those people who have chosen the wrong grass mixture. When choosing lawn grass, a person usually pays attention only to what type of lawn it is intended for - sports or parterre.

Lastly, owners country houses I am interested in the types of lawn grasses that are included in the mixture. And many people don’t even look at it. For most people, this information means little. But it is very important, since a large number of different mixtures are imported into our country from the European continent and not everyone is suitable for Russian climate conditions.

In European countries, the climate is milder and the criteria for selecting grass for the lawn are completely different. With us harsh climatic conditions, therefore, higher demands must be placed on grass mixtures used to create a lawn.

If the grass purchased to create a lawn does not have frost resistance, then it won't survive the winter well, and in the spring you will have to deal with the restoration of damaged areas of the lawn.

To avoid all this, you need to take the selection of grass for your lawn very seriously and carefully select grass seeds. It is worth considering only those that are adapted to the climatic conditions of our country. How to choose the right one lawn grass so that the lawn does not suffer from the Russian climate - this will be discussed in this article.

Requirements for lawn grass

Regardless of what kind of lawn the grass is used for, it will always must be perennial, since a lawn is created for several years, and creating it from plants that have a short life span makes no sense.

It is best to use grass seeds to form a lawn, which belong to the group of cereals. And all because they are more adapted to the harsh climatic conditions of our country. But not all crops included in this group should be used, but only those that meet certain requirements:

Resistant to freezing.
They have good external decorative qualities - height of cover, juicy green color with uniform germination.
The ability to develop a powerful root system that is not destroyed by soil movement and is able to grow in highly compacted soils.
Rapid growth of cover after mowing.
Ability to reproduce vegetatively. This is due to the fact that constant mowing of the lawn does not provide the opportunity for seed propagation.

Herbs best adapted to Russian climatic conditions

If you look at all the grass seeds that are offered for lawns in stores, then with all their diversity you can find only three plants, meeting all the above criteria. This three includes: thin bentgrass, red fescue, meadow grass.

These plants belong to the group short rhizomatous cereals. They are united by the similarity of the properties that are inherent in them.

They are not afraid of sudden temperature changes, even freezing late autumn or in the early spring months will not lead to their death. The root system of these plants is able to withstand extremely low temperatures.
As they grow, these plants form high-density turf, which is simply impossible for weeds to penetrate. When growing such grass on one square meter about 30 thousand shoots are concentrated.
Another advantage of this “trinity” is its ability to withstand frequent mowing.
They reproduce well vegetatively, so they are excellent for forming a lawn.

All of the above advantages allow us to say that with proper care, the lawn can be used for decades without the need for reseeding.

If you decide to arrange a lawn on your property, then, naturally, you will need purchase the right herbal mixture to create a lawn. When you go to the store to buy lawn grass seeds, you should pay attention to those mixtures that contain the highest percentage of these particular cereals.

Sometimes the names of these cereals included in the mixtures are written in Latin. Therefore, before going to the store, you should find out how these seeds sound in Latin, so that you can quickly select the right herbal mixture.

In Latin, these herbs are as follows:

agrostis tenuis - refers to thin bentgrass;
the name of the meadow bluegrass is poa pratensis;
The name festuca rubra in Latin is given to red fescue.

Types of lawn grasses and nuances of choice

Mixtures often contain low-growing herbs that are adapted to certain growing conditions. They cannot be called universal crops, however, in some places they are recommended for planting.

One such crop is bluegrass. The plant has as its main advantage its high ability to grow in the shade. This allows it to be grown under garden plants, as well as in the locations of buildings.

The light gets there minimum quantity, but, nevertheless, this does not prevent the lawn grass from growing and creating a green carpet. By planting this crop, you can rid your lawn of bald spots, as well as pale cover. However, you should know that when growing, this grass is not able to form a dense root system.

Therefore, you should not often walk on a lawn formed by this grass. You should also avoid frequent mowing, otherwise it will negatively affect the appearance of the lawn.

Swamp Bluegrass

If the site is dominated by soil with high humidity, then in this case you can plant swamp bluegrass. This culture is capable of forming a beautiful green cover. As it grows, it forms powerful root system.

The lifespan of this plant is short, so it is necessary to sift frequently. This plant can be combined with another one - a lawn crop white bentgrass, which grows quite well in moist soil.

However, in comparison with bluegrass, its decorative properties are lower. If we talk about the lifespan, it is usually eight years.

Dog bentgrass

As for the parterre lawn, which is generally not recommended to walk on, you can use dog bentgrass to grow it. This herb belongs to the group of herbs with high decorative properties , which is due to its emerald color, as well as the blades of grass being thin and soft to the touch.

Often a lawn formed by such grass called velvet, because from a distance it looks like expensive fabric. However, despite these advantages, dog bentgrass has certain disadvantages.

One of them is the capriciousness of this plant. The lifespan of the dog bentgrass is only five years. She has weak roots and This grass grows extremely slowly, and it is not resistant to trampling.

Meadow fescue

If you want to have a beautiful lawn on your property that will be distinguished by its aesthetic appearance, and you don’t want to wait a long time for the grass to sprout and form it, then you need to choose a mixture that contains meadow fescue.

By planting this grass, in just two months you can have it in front of your house. beautiful green cover. Among all grass crops for lawns, this grass is one of the fastest growing.

It is suitable for use in its pure form to create a temporary lawn, which is planned to be used in one place for no more than four years. The lawn will not last longer because this grass has a short lifespan.

Lawn grasses unsuitable for the Russian climate

As part of lawn herbal plants There are herbs from Europe that are not recommended to be planted in our country due to the severity of the climate. They are designed for mild conditions, so they will die quite quickly.

These herbs include perennial ryegrass, which grows quite well, has high decorative properties and, in the process of its development, forms a thick cover.

However, after the first winter most of the grass dies, resulting in large bald spots appearing on the lawn. In European countries this herb is actively used. A lawn created from this grass can last for eight years.

Poa annua is often found as an additional component in mixtures offered in stores. The main feature of this grass is its unpretentiousness, as well as its high growth rate.

However, there is one drawback in this plant. It lies in the fact that this grass reproduces by seeds, and at cold temperatures this is simply impossible. The next year the grass does not produce offspring, which leads to active growth weeds.

Two more herbs that should not be planted in the Russian climate - soddy pike and sheep fescue. They have many advantages, but still have disadvantages. By growing a lawn of these grasses, over time it turns from a smooth green carpet into a covering with a predominance of green mounds.

Many owners of country houses want to have a green lawn in front of their house. You can create it yourself. However, to get good lawn, necessary put in a lot of effort. And it's not just a matter of necessity ongoing care behind the green carpet.

No less important correct selection herbs. If you do not pay attention to this point, the result will disappoint you. Not everything for lawn grass is suitable for the harsh climate of our country.

You should be aware of this, so when choosing herbal lawn mixtures preference should be given to those that contain cultures low temperature resistant, and can form a thick green cover.

Taking this point into account when choosing lawn grass, after planting, you can quickly get a beautiful carpet in front of your house, which will become the main decoration of your site.

There are a few questions to ask yourself before creating your lawn. Firstly, what exactly do you need a lawn for? For beauty? For outdoor sports games? Or for everything at once? Secondly, what are the conditions in the area intended for the lawn - sun, shade, wet, dry, high or low soil acidity? And based on this, make a choice from the list the best lawn grass producers.

As a rule, for Russian climate zone Only certain varieties of herbs are suitable. Therefore, before purchasing, you should carefully read the composition of the mixture and determine whether it contains the following species: meadow bluegrass, red fescue and perennial ryegrass. Sometimes bentgrass (its different types) is added to them. Despite the certain scarcity of the main set, each species has many varieties that differ in appearance, growth rate, resistance to damage, and so on.

There are several requirements for high-quality lawn mixtures:

they must take root quickly (even on soil poor in nutrients);
after mowing, it grows more slowly, but the brightness of color and density should remain the same;
can withstand temperature changes typical for Russia;
be resistant to diseases and pests.

If the lawn at your dacha has already grown, you should think about buying a lawn mower; we have selected the best models for you:

In Russia, five manufacturers of herbal mixtures are most popular.

5. Green Meadow

The American company Green Meadow opens the rating of manufacturers of high-quality grass mixtures for lawns. It is one of the most famous suppliers of a variety of plants in both the USA and Europe. It has a rich assortment, however, Russian lawn lovers should remember that a rare mixture will take root on Russian soil. The basis of the mixture is perennial ryegrass; it is very beautiful to look at, but has a short lifespan. Ryegrass is included in many mixtures, as its rapid germination will provide the lawn with a beautiful, even color at the very beginning, and then give way to longer-lived grasses. However, it still does not tolerate frost well and dies at temperatures of -15 and below. Residents of the southern regions of Russia can enjoy its bright malachite color, but “Europeans” and Siberians should think twice about it.

4. Lilliput

The lawn mixture from Liliput is specially developed for the harsh Russian climate and is made as undemanding as possible. This is a lawn for the lazy (or for those who can't garden more than one day every couple of weeks). The grass mixture from “Lilliput” is based on meadow grass and four parts of different varieties of fescue. All varieties are very hardy and resistant to negative factors. environment– from temperature changes to illnesses.

3. Green square

Another domestic manufacturer opens the top 3 best lawn grass mixtures. It differs from “Liliput” in both a larger number of options and more favorable price. Although the difference in price begins to be felt on a large scale, for example, if the lawn area starts from 50 m2 or more. There are mixtures specifically designed for various climatic regions of Russia - from the subtropical zone of the Caucasus to the arid Lower Volga region and harsh Siberia.

2.Powerseed

Powerseed lawn mixtures are adapted to western/central US climates and are therefore suitable for central and southern regions of Russia. One of the most popular mixtures is for quickly restoring lawns. It is convenient that the old lawn does not need to be dug up, fertilized, or watered regularly. It just grows on its own - what else do you need?

1. Terragrün

One of distinctive features Terragrün - our own mixtures, in which wild species and cultivated varieties are mixed in various proportions. At the same time, the germination rate of seeds from German craftsmen reaches 95% (one of the highest rates on the market). A wide range of products will help create a lawn not only in the favorable climatic conditions of the south of Russia, but also in other, colder regions.

The varieties “Universal”, “Canada Green”, and “Golf Master” are very popular on the market. By the way, the latter, despite the specialized name, is actually very stable and looks great in the lawn. The only drawback is that it requires good drainage system, since it does not tolerate soil freezing and may die.

The functional “responsibilities” of a lawn can be compared to the purpose of a living room in a house. In addition to decorative purposes, this part suburban area Can serve as a place for children's games or picnics. In this article we will talk about the correct selection and planting of lawn grass.

It should immediately be noted that a green lawn has the ability to improve the microclimate of a suburban area thanks to:

effective fight against airborne bacteria;
excellent absorption of dust and vibrations;
reducing the costs of eliminating weeds.

But creating a beautiful, healthy lawn takes a little effort and time. At the initial stage, you will need some knowledge about the types of lawn grasses. After all, they are the basis for creating a high-quality lawn.

Depending on the timing of growth, there are three main types of herbs:

annuals;
two-year-olds;
perennial.

Annual plants live only one year. After the seeds ripen, all above-ground and underground organs die off. These include annual ryegrass and bluegrass.

Biennial grasses (multifloral ryegrass, hop alfalfa) are characterized by the formation of stems, leaves and roots in the first year of life, and fruit-bearing shoots (fruits, seeds and flowers) in the second year.

As for perennial grasses, their development phase includes:

death of shoots in the first year;
the appearance of buds at the roots of plants;
shoots growing from these buds next year;
annual vegetative renewal of the root system.

Most a good decision will be sowing perennial grasses in the area. Their most important characteristic is their life cycle. It depends on the speed of flowering of grasses. The maximum lifespan is for plants that are characterized by slow development from germination to flowering. These include:

bentgrass;
red fescue;
meadow bluegrass.

Grows quite quickly:

pasture wheatgrass;
rootless wheatgrass;
multicolor ryegrass;
comb

A very important criterion for lawn grass is the degree of development of the root system. Based on this characteristic, plants are divided into:

loose bushes;
rhizomatous;
rhizomatous-loose bushes;
taproot;
dense bush.

In loose-bush grasses (meadow fescue, wild grass, rhizomatous wheatgrass, most types of ryegrass), the root system is located near the earth's surface. They have one tillering node and an aboveground spreading bush that produces many shoots.

Rhizomatous plants (white bentgrass, bluegrass, meadow foxtail and several types of red fescue) are characterized by the proximity of the root shoot to the ground surface. Underground shoots have several nodes at once. Thanks to the rapid growth of a new root system, stems appear and the constant presence of grass for a long period of time.

Rhizome-loose-bush grasses such as red fescue, meadow bluegrass and bentgrass have long and short roots. This leads to a dense and uniform settlement of the soil. In most cases, these plants are the basis for creating a high-quality lawn.

Taproot grasses include red and white clover, blue alfalfa, horned butterfly and sainfoin. Their distinctive feature is the presence of a dominant shoot, which is located near the surface of the earth. The growth of young shoots occurs on a large tap root, which becomes thicker every year and penetrates the soil to its maximum depth. Such plants are distinguished by attractive lush bushes that do not require special care.

The tillering point of dense bush grasses (furrowed fescue, sheep fescue, white fescue) is located above the ground surface. New shoots are attached to old shoots. When grass grows, hummocks appear. For this reason, sowing and caring for densely bushy plants is done very carefully.

There is another classification of lawn grasses, which depends on the height of the shoots. Plants are distinguished:

upper tier;
middle link;
lower tier.

The upper tier consists of light-loving herbs. They have thick stems reaching up to 1 m in height. These lawn grasses include:

sainfoin;
creeping wheatgrass;
a boneless fire;
narrow-haired wheatgrass.

Plants of the middle link (yellow alfalfa, hybrid clover, pasture ryegrass, meadow timothy, meadow fescue) reach a height of up to 0.6-1 m. The main advantage of their use is that after cutting they begin to bush well. And this makes the lawn more attractive.

When creating the lower tier, grasses are used that have thin stems and grow up to 0.7 m. These include:

meadow bluegrass;
red fescue;
white clover;
horned frog;
bentgrass

After mowing them, a dense, squat covering is formed.

Particularly popular is planting lawn grass, which is a mixture of plants. Moreover, mixtures of herbs are produced for different climatic and soil characteristics of the area.

The most universal of them is the “Liliput” lawn composition. It consists of seven components that are highly resistant to many environmental factors:

3 types of red fescue (Reverent, Olive, Independence) – 55%;
Brooklawn meadow bluegrass – 20%;
Helena red hairy fescue – 10%;
fine Highland bentgrass – 10%;
bentgrass Kato – 5%.

The variety of lawns and the distinctive features of proper coverage

There are two main types of lawns:

special;
decorative.

The former are also called sports surfaces. They are designed for sports and children's games. Sports turf is resistant to increased loads. It can host friendly matches in football, tennis, field hockey and badminton.

The main goal of a decorative lawn is to create a stylish and harmonious landscape design. Moral satisfaction and attractive aesthetic properties are the main advantages decorative coatings for a person.

It is these two qualities that make the second type of lawn more in demand. Moreover, there is plenty to choose from. Decorative lawns are divided into:

parterre;
Moorish;
roll;
meadow

Parterre flat lawn coverings have an excellent landscape. They will look great around flower beds and along long alleys. Walk on ground lawns undesirable. Therefore, they act only as original decorative elements.

Moorish lawns are non-standard and elegant coverings. They consist of flowering summer plants no more than 0.5 m high. This type of lawn does not require close attention. The main thing is timely watering of the site. Coverage renewal occurs once a year.

Rolled lawn coverings are suitable for those owners of a country plot who are interested in quick creation picturesque green lawn. They are distinguished by simple installation technology. Load-resistant rolled lawn need to:

deliver to the installation site;
spread out correctly;
compact and water.

The main purpose of meadow lawns is to plant grass in large areas. Moreover, not only grass is planted in the ground, but also various garden flowers. The presence of backlight will create favorable conditions in winter.

Regardless of the type of lawn covering, it must meet a number of requirements. The main criteria of the device the right lawn are:

effective weed control;
normal growth after applying mineral fertilizers;
resistance to freezing and disease;
the fastest possible process of plant rooting;
the presence of a powerful branched root system;
ability to vegetative propagation and growth on depleted soils;
slow growth rates and preservation of bright colors after cutting.

Installation of a Moorish lawn

One of the most common decorative coverings is Moorish lawn. This is not surprising, since it has many advantages. The main ones:

probability of growth on any type of soil;
minimal maintenance requirements;
affordable price of lawn grass;
low costs for arranging the coating.

The Moorish lawn is similar to a bright green meadow, on which a variety of flowers grow. Conventionally, its creation consists of the following stages:

selection of grass and flower seeds;
determination of landscape configuration;
soil preparation;
sowing seed material;
plant care.

When choosing grass seeds, you must meet a number of requirements that are typical for a Moorish lawn. These include:

the presence of low-growing plants;
the number of flowers in the lawn should not exceed 20%;
mixing seeds with sand in a ratio of 1:3 before sowing.

The main grasses for lawns are:

annual ryegrass;
common bentgrass;
thin bentgrass;
red fescue.

As for flower seeds, preference is given to those that will bloom in different terms. The main condition is the low height of the plants. The following are suitable for decorating a Moorish lawn:

carnations;
hyacinths;
calendula;
terry tulips;
primrose;
dwarf zinnias;
daisies.

When determining the shape of the area to be planted with lawn grass, it is based on personal preference. Although in most cases the rectangular shape is the most common.

You need to start preparing the soil for the Moorish lawn in the fall. The area is dug up and organic fertilizers. Further work will be carried out in the spring. They provide:

digging the soil to a depth of 10 cm;
removal of weed roots;
adding ammonium nitrate (10-15 g/1 m²);
watering the site;
leveling and compacting the earth's surface.

The need to compact the earth is due to the fact that if there is a load on the lawn:

the soil will go down;
Contact with shoes will leave footprints on the lawn.

This will lead to loss of attractiveness of the coating and will complicate its care.

Sowing work is carried out in the following order:

loosening the top layer of soil (2-3 cm);
scattering seeds throughout the territory (10 g of seeds mixed with sand per 1 m²);
covering the seeds with soil;
watering the area (water from the sprinkler should flow as if it were raining lightly);
covering the planted area with plastic film for several days.

Caring for a Moorish lawn involves timely:

glaze;
removal of weeds;
treatment of herbal diseases.

If rot (fusarium) is present, part of the lawn covering is removed along with the fertile soil. If appeared powdery mildew, then the plants should be treated with a fungicide and the amount of watering reduced.

Additional plant care includes spring cleaning of the lawn surface from dry grass, debris and leaves. 2-3 years after sowing, the lawn becomes heavily compacted. To ensure that air access to the root system of herbs does not stop, it is necessary to carefully pierce the ground with a pitchfork 1-2 times a year.

Features of creating a sports lawn

A distinctive feature of a sports lawn is the need for a drainage system. The surface should not be covered with puddles or mud, and you should move on the grass without slipping.

The process of creating a drainage system involves performing the following work:

the top soil layer is removed to a depth of 0.5-1 m (depending on the groundwater level);
a slope is created from the lower part of the drainage towards the outer parts (per 1 m of length - 5-10 mm of slope);
plastic or asbestos-cement pipes are laid at the very bottom of the trench at intervals of 5 m;
holes are made in the pipes every 25-30 cm and covered with fibrous material;
laying geotextile material;
collector device (pipes are used whose diameter exceeds the diameter of the drainage pipes by 2 times);
the slope of the collector pipes towards the water intake is provided;
filling the trench with crushed stone.

Collector and drainage pipes no need to connect. Their ends are brought to the surface of the filled crushed stone. You also need to think about the design of the well. It should have a diameter within 1.5 m and a depth of up to 2 m (located below the collector).

After laying the pipes, a subsoil cushion is created. It consists of crushed stone, gravel and sand. It is better when sand and gravel have different grain sizes. Creating a pillow involves sequential laying of materials, starting with the coarse fraction and ending with the fine fraction.

Conventionally, filling the trench from bottom to top will occur as follows:

large granite crushed stone;
small crushed stone;
large gravel;
fine gravel;
sand.

The technology for constructing a subsoil cushion involves covering all communication elements of the drainage system with gravel and crushed stone. Sand is used to level the surface.

The size of the subsoil cushion can be completely different. The main thing is that its upper part is at a level of 25-30 cm from the subsequently laid lawn. All layers are compacted and then watered. A bias must be made towards the drainage collectors.

For sowing sports turf the following are used:

red fescue (the main grass that makes up the lawn within 40-60%);
meadow fescue;
creeping bentgrass;
white bentgrass;
common bentgrass;
meadow bluegrass;
perennial ryegrass;
common comb.

The technology for planting grass for sports turf is identical to the construction of Moorish turf. The only difference is the seeding rate, which is 45-50 g/m². The seedlings roll away when they reach a height of up to 5 cm. When the grass grows to a height of 16-18 cm, the first cutting is performed.

Video on installing a lawn: