32 IMPORTANCE OF LAWN

P. Sudha

Introduction:

A lawn is an inseparable part of a good home garden. It provides a natural setting for a growing flowers and shrubs like a canvas for painting a picture. It is cool and refreshing in summer and pleasant and relaxing in winter. A lawn is an area of closely-cut grasses in the garden. In lawns, the grasses are not allowed to grow long and are frequently cut with a lawn mower. Hence, the lawn seems to be a green carpet on the land. Being a source of pride and charm, it enhances the beauty of gardens. Besides this, lawns form suitable backgrounds for specimens such as trees, shrubs, flowerbeds and borders. The position of lawn may vary depending upon the layout of the garden.

Objectives

·         The main objective of a lawn is creating a beautiful landscape design.

·           Lawn is the symbol of peace of mind and happiness.

·         The lawn creates clean and beautiful surrounding.

The shape of a lawn

The shape of a lawn may be regular or irregular. The most popular regular shape is rectangular. An irregular shape will be more difficult to maintain and will require superior artistic judgment for providing a natural and beautiful setting. A rectangular lawn may not look so formal if the herbaceous or mixed border, into which it merges, has been given an irregular shape. An irregular shape, unequal in length and breadth, with no pointed corners and not too many curves, is very effective, if carefully surrounded by flower borders, trees or rockery. Advantage may be taken of the existing natural features. In the hills, a portion may be converted into lawn by making a terrace and the remaining area may be allowed to retain its natural slope.

In landscape gardening, position of lawns is marked in the lay out itself, but in house gardens it has not been marked in the layout. In the later cases, lawn is made at the convenient place after completion of construction works. Since grasses are drought hardy herbs, maintenance of grasses in lawns is not at all a difficult job

Lawn-making involves the following main steps;

·         Selection of site

·         Preparation of soil

·         Raising of grass

·         Mowing

·         Watering

·         Top dressing

·         Tree planting

Selection of Site

The place for making a lawn should be wide open with access to direct sunlight. It may be in the corner of buildings, in front ofrockery or in front of a water pool. The lawn to be made should be viewed from the verandah and windows of the house. Nothing should obstruct the view of the lawn.

Preparation of Soil

Fertile loamy soil rich in organic matter is best for lawn-making. The selected area is dug, levelled and enriched with organic manure or fertile soil before planting grasses. If the soil is heavy, coarse sand is added after removing the top soil to 25cm height. The soil pH is adjusted to 6.5-7.0. If the soil is acidic, limestone is added to it and if alkaline, gypsum should be added to it for neutralizing the pH. In general, the soil should retain moisture but there should be no waterlogging to favour for the growth of grasses. Therefore, adequate drainage is essential.

LEVELLING

Levelling is very essential for a lawn. One of the easily practised and recommended methods is to check the level with the help of a spirit level and by inserting wooden pegsof uniform height as markers. The wooden pegs are about 30 cm (12 in.) high with a mark at 15 cm (6 in.) from the top. Put the spirit level at the point which may be likely to be the even level of the lawn. Drive the first peg into the centre of the lawn and test it with the straight edge and spirit level. Drive the second peg at a distance of about 2.5 metres (8 ft) from the first peg. Proceed thus all over the place. 15 cm (6 in.) mark of the peg will be above or below the surface. Where the marks are above, soil is to be filled; where they are below, soil is to be removed.

A rough and ready method normally followed in Indian gardens is the use of a wooden plank about 15cm broad and 60 cm (2 ft) long with a handle or with rope tied at both the ends and pulled from one side to another. Eye estimation is the only way of judging in such a method and this practice is fraught with drawbacks.

Raising of Grass

Having prepared the soil, water is sprinkled over the soil to settle down the soil particles and dusts. Weeds if any are removed from the land. Then grasses are planted in the soil in the following ways

·         Seed Sowing

·         Turfing

·         Dibbling

·         Chopping

Mowing

Mowing is the cutting of grasses at a required height. It is useful to avoid the neglected appearance of the lawn. The first mowing is given when the grasses attain 5-10cm height. It is done manually using shears.The second mowing should be done at about the same height in another 3-4 days. Gradually the grass will thicken and spread out. The first year is a crucial period for lawn making and the lawn should be mowed twice a week. Once the lawn is well made, mowing may be done once a week. A well-kept lawn may not look attractive, if its edges are not trimmed. The lawn edges must be neat. An edge-cutter is helpful for this.

Scraping and raking. Due to constant rolling and mowing the soil sometimes forms a hard crust on the surface and the lower part of the grass becomes matted or woody. The lawn then needs to be scraped and raked. The entire lawn should be scraped with a khurpi. The condition of lawn is good, thorough raking will be sufficient to take out old runners and aerate soil. Then mow the grass until the old stumps of grass are well trimmed and the surface of the lawn cleaned and exposed to the sun.

Watering

Small lawns can be watered regularly with rose can, but large lawns are watered with sprinklers fitted in rows and connected with pipelines. Generally, water is given at a regular interval of 10 days.

Weeding

Hand weeding is very important to maintain good lawns. Weeds should be pulled out selectively from the lawn soon after their emergence in the lawn.

Top Dressing

Top dressing is usually done during Feb-March, June-July and Oct-Nov. 50g urea, l00g ammonium sulphate, l00g bone meal and 1kgFYM are given as top dressing to one square metrearea of lawn. Top dressing will helps to have perfect green lawns. Liquid manure is sprayed over the lawn once in a month to have dark green colour in the grasses. 5 litre of liquid manure is required to fertilize 10 square feet area of lawn. It is prepared by dissolving 45g of ammonium sulphate in 5 litres of water.

Tree Planting:

In lawns, grasses are alone established to add extra beauty to the area. Such lawns are called monotonous lawns. To increase the beauty of spacious lawns, beautiful trees or shrubs are planted as single specimens in the lawns.

Amherstianobilis, Callistemon lanceolatus, Magnolia grandiflora, Pinuslongifolia, Araucaria excelsa, Thujaorientalis, Cupressus, etc. are important trees grown in lawns to break monotony.

Agave Americana, Musa superba, Bougainvilleas, Cestrum nocturnam, Hibiscus sps, etc. are common shrubs used to break monotony of lawns.

Methods of Lawn Making

Common methods of lawn making are

v  Seed sowing

v   Turfing

v   Dibbling

v   Choppings

Seed sowing:

In making lawn from seed, the risks are that the life of the seed is short, birds and ants are very partial to them and they might get washed off to one side due to heavy rain. Proper levelling of land, precautions against birds and ants and proper watering are the control of these.

Turfing:

A turf means a piece of earth surfaces thickly filled with rooted grass. In turfing fairly long stripes of earth with roots of the grass in fact are cut and let on the soil. Turf is a slab of compact grass with a thin layer of soil bounded by the grass roots. Turf slabs are grown on concrete platforms in farms to supply adequate number of pieces of turfs for lawn making. Turf slabs of 30 x 60 or 30 x 30cm size is cut from the farms and laid on the prepared area without gap. They are then beaten with a turfbeater for providing proper fitting of grass roots with the soil. The turfs are then watered regularly but liberally to have dense growth of grasses in the lawn. Turfing is an expensive method.

Dibbling:

Small pits are made in the plot at the spacing of 15 x 15cm using a dibble (a small pointed wood) and the grass roots are planted in the pits. This is usually done immediately after rainy season or making the soil wet by watering. The grass roots take six months to grow into a beautiful compact lawn. This is the cheapest but slowest method of raising grasses in lawns. Before dibbling or turfing, weed-roots, if any, should be removed. Begin from oneside and lay the turves as you lay bricks, so that the joints of two rows of turves are in the middle of

the next-one. If this is not followed, a crack may develop at the joint. Workfrom one side, standing on a wooden plank laid on the part already turfed. The turves should be beaten in line; they are not damaged or harmed by doing so. Beating should be done with a wooden mallet. After turfing is complete, brush the soil into the crevices between the turves and put the roller lightly over the surface. It takes about 2-3 months for the roots to cover the whole ground. This is the quickest method, but not the most economical if turves are purchased. Turves in small blocks can also be obtained from the wasteland or the jungles.

Plastering with grass is also recommended by some and I tried it in Shillong. The result was not as good as with dibbling. Grass runners may be chopped about 3-5 cm (11\2 -2 in.) in length, mixed in the proportion of two parts of roots and one part of farmyard manure. Add water so as to make a mud plaster and spread evenly over the soil. It will take about 15 days for the roots to develop

Chopping:

Rootstocks of turf slabs are chopped into small bits of 2-7cm length and mixed with a blastering mixture. The blastering mixture contains well decomposed cow dung or horse manure, red soil and wood ash. For two baskets of chopped stocks, one basket of cow dung, one basket of red soil and a shovel full of wood ash are required for making a paste. All these components are stirred well with enough water to make a paste.The prepared land is watered to make it wet. Then the paste is spread uniformly at the thickness of 2.5cm over the prepared soil. The pasted surface is covered with leaf litter to minimize the rate of evaporation and to protect the rootstocks from heating effect of sunlight. From the next day onwards, watering is done gently with a rose can to favour for sprouting of grasses from the rootstocks. Generally, grasses take 15 days to shoot up in the soil

Manuring. A top-dressing of garden soil, and leaf mould in equal proportions is beneficial. For clayey soil, sand in equal quantity should be added to the mixture. One hundred kg of the mixture is sufficient for an area of 100 m2. Bone-meal 1kg per 10 m2 should also be applied. The lawn should be rolled after top-dressing. This should be repeated in September.

Ammonium sulphate at 1kg for 100 m2 applied every month from October-November to February-March gives a lush green lawn with thick growth. The concentration may be 1/2 tablespoonful in llitre of water. It may preferably be applied as a liquid manure.

Moss and earthworm eradication. In moss-infested lawns, potassium permanganate at about 30 g per square metre (one oz per gallon of water per square yard) is reported to be helpful. Application should be immediately after mowing. Two such applications at an interval of fifteen days are recommended for heavy moss infestation. Earthworms enrich the soil and it would not like to eradicate them from the lawn

If, however, it is decided to eradicate them, a solution of half the strength is recommended. After application, earthworms wriggle to the surface and should be sweft off. Field rats can also be nuisance to the lawns.

LAWN GRASSES

Doob or Bermuda grass is the most popular lawn grass in the plains. It is the soft, dark green, vigorous, and of trailing habit. It is shallow-rooted needs frequent watering. It is slow in germination which takes about 2-4 weeks. It does not do so well in the hills. Another grass recommended for the plains is Jocia japonica. For the hills the grass recommended is Loliumperenne.

GRASSES USEFUL FOR LAWNS

1.      Hariyali is a medium textured grass. It is suitable to grow in open sunny places. It is a drought resistance species.

   2.      Buffalo grass or St. Augustine grass is a coarse textured grass useful to grow in shady places.

3.      Chain grass is a fine textured grass best to grow in saline soils exposed to open sunlight.

4.      Blue grass is a medium textured grass suitable for acid soils at higher elevations.

5.      Klkuyu grass is a rough grass best for acid soils at higher elevations.

6.      Japan grass is a coarse textured grass. It is ideal for sandy soils exposed to the direct sunlight. It is a slow growing species.

7.      Doob grass is suitable for open sunny places.

8.      Dwarf Bermunda grass is best for open sunny places. It does not require frequent mowing.

9.      Fescu grass is suitable for open sunny places.

10.  Kenya grass, Kolkutta grass, Korean grasses, Hybrid Bermunda, etc. are also useful to grown in lawns

Astroturf

Astroturf is a synthetic lawn made from synthetic fibres. Grass-like fibres are fixed on the surface of a polymeric sheet to make anastroturf. Lawn-like green structures found in stadia for cricket, football and hockey are formed ofastroturfs. As has been done in original lawns,the astroturfs are sprinkled with water to provide some smoothness for easy rolling of balls as they roll over the lawn. Astroturfs do not absorb heat, but it radiates heat to some extent, Therefore, water should be sprinkled over it frequently. Astroturfs cannot be damaged by pests and diseases.

Care And Maintenance

• Keep on Mowing. Continue to water and mow your lawn, as needed, throughout the fall
• Aerate the soil
• Rake the leaves
• Fertilize for Future Growth
•   Fill in Bald spots
•  Weed Control

Lawn Care and maintenance

Seasonal lawn establishment and care varies depending on the climate zone and type of lawn grown. Aeration is one method used to maintain a lawnEarly autumn, spring, and early summer are the primary seasons to seed and turf. Seeding is the least expensive, but may take longer for the lawn to be established. Aerating it just before planting/seeding may promote deeper root growth and thicker turf or turfingprovides an almost instant lawn, and can be undertaken in most temperate climates in any season, but is more expensive and more vulnerable to drought until established. Hydroseeding is a quick, less expensive method of planting large, sloped or hillside landscapes.

Fertilizers and chemicals

Various organic and inorganic or synthetic fertilizers are available, with instant or time-release applications. Pesticides, insecticides and fungicides are available. Consideration for their effects on the lawn and garden ecosystem and dispersion on the surrounding environment, can constrain their use

1.      ESSENTIALS OF A GOOD LAWN:

a. Essentials of a good lawn are that grass should be thick

b. Good green colour, without any weeds.

c.  It should have trim edges and the land should be even. It should give the feel of a green carpet when walked upon.

Weeds are a great nuisance in a lawn and weeding is a continuous process. Normally a home garden can be managed without a weedicide if the initial preparation is good. The Indian nut grass and common weed and is difficult to eradicate. The weed roots should be removed after deep digging at the time of preparation of the soil for the lawn.

The soil up to a depth of 2 spits should be dug. Any big stones should be removed. Smaller stones below the level of 7-8 cm (3 in.) should not be removed as theyprovide necessary drainage and make the soil porous. They also keep the soil cool. If the soil is very heavy with poor drainage, it may be dug up to another spitand the bottom layermay be filled with stones, clinkers, leaves, etc. For big lawns, which have poor drainage, pipes may have to be laid. This will, however, require expert advice.

Tools used in lawn:

Lawn Care

Good quality tools are essential for ensuring a healthy lawn, and using the right tool for the right job will make creation and maintenance simple. As well as common garden tools there are many specialty lawn tools that are designed to make lawn care easy.

Lawnmower

This is the essential tool for any lawn. Different types are available, with rotary or cylinder bladesand some collect grass clippings as they go. Mowers can be gas-driven; more environmentally friendly types run on batteries or are push-propelled.

String trimmer

Essential for cutting grass that the mower can’t reach, they are excellent for use around walls, fences, and patios. They are also useful for tight corners and verylong grass.

Edging shears

A neatly edged lawn is an attractive feature in the garden, and edging shears make trimming easy. Push the soil away from the grass edge, and then use the shears like scissors—only the cutting blade hile the other blade remains static. Edging shears keep grass border trimmed.

Turfing iron

This useful tool is used to remove turf from existing lawns. After the square of turf has been cut, the turfing iron is used to slice underneath it, severing the grass roots. It has a sharp point for cutting and an angled handle to produce level pieces of turf.

Half moon cutter

Used for creating sharp, crisp edges or neat cuts, the half moon cutter is designed to slice efficiently through the turf with a flat blade that ensures a straight line.

Broom

Good for a variety of uses, a broom is a common garden tool. Using a stiff broom is one of the most effective methods of brushing top-dressing into the holes created by aeration (although brooms with softer heads should be used on finer lawns). Brooms are also useful for sweeping hard surfaces, like patios and paths, after lawn renovations, and for keeping the garden neat.

Besom

Often referred to as a witch’s broom, this is a useful alternative to a stiff broom since the coarse brushwood is effective for sweeping leaves off the surface of the lawn in fall, removing grasslippings etc.,

Conclusion:

Lawn is an important component in all gardens. Without lawn the aim of landscape is not fulfilled. So lawn forms suitable background for other species. Lawn is an essential part in the garden because people enjoy the beauty and have peace in mind while seeing the lawn. So careful planning, architectural skill and care and maintenance is essential for well established lawn in the garden.

References

• Ross, R.1999, colourful gardening, Pyland peters and small, London.
• Too good, A. 1995, Designing with house plants, Grange Books Publication, London.
• Kumaresan .V, 2016, Horticulture, .
• Prathibha, P.Trivedi, 2014, Home GardeningICAR Publications, New Delhi.

Web links

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landscape_design
•  https://www.indiaagronet.com/horticulture/CONTENTS/LANDSCAPE.htm
• https://www.gardendesign.com/landscape-design/
•  www.bhg.com/gardening/landscaping…/landscape  gardeningjones.com/blog/2011/02/27/5-basic-components-of-landscape-design
•  https://prasathgarden.blogspot.com/2012/02/components-of-garden.html