1. Definition Development and Maintenance of Lawn and Turf 1.1. Lawn A lawn is a stretch of land beautified and covered with perennial trimmed grasses. It may be imagined as a carpeted floor and add accounts for 75 % beauty of the garden. Examples: Bermuda grass, Zoysia grass, Axonopus grass, Kikuyu grass are very good for lawns. 1.2. Turf Turf is a piece of land beatified with thickly grown grass over it. Grass used on a football field, cricket field, golf course is referred to as turf. Examples: Centipede grass, Bahia grass, Saint Augustine grass, Poa grass, Festuca grass, Agrostis grass, Lolium grass, Agrospyron grass are good for turf. 2. Importance of Lawn and Turf 1. It is used to beautify the rural and urban areas 2. It prevent soil erosion 3. It is used to stabilize the soil 4. It breaks the monotony and brings the integrity of garden components 5. It is a cushiony layer for players 6. It checks the environmental pollution 7. Increase the economic value of land 3. Establishment of a Lawn and Turf 3.1. Selection of Site 1. Open sunny places and preferably with little quantity of shade 2. Site should have ample quantity of water for irrigation 3. Free from hazards like grazing and use of pathways 4. Should not be under the tree canopy as the litter affects the quality of grass 5. Soil and water should be medium to good quality 6. Should have good drainage system 7. The soil should have a ph 5.5 to 6.0 3.2. Leveling Properly leveled land is required for uniformity growth of grass and maintenance of the area. Compiled by: Md. Dulal Sarkar Assist. Prof., Department of Horticulture Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University Page 1 of 6
3.3. Grading Grading of ground is needed to get drainage away from the main area and if possible, the slope should be 30 cm in l5 meters. From the center, not more than 15% slope. 3.4. Soil Preparation Ploughing and spading is required to loosen the soil. Digging up to 30-45 cm depth is very important. The soil should be exposed to the sun for l5-20 days. Clods should break up and roots of the weeds, hard stones, rocks etc. should be removed. Organic manures along with lime to be added into the soil and leveled properly. 3.5. Selection of Grasses Botanical Name Common name Texture Situation Cynodon dactylon Doob grass Medium fine open sunny location, drought resistant Stenotaphrum secundatum St. Augustine Coarse shady situation Sporobolus tremulus Chain grass Fine saline soils and open sunny locations Poa annua blue grass Medium fine acid soils and higher elevations Pennisetum clandestinum Kikuyu grass Rough acids soils, higher elevations Zoisia japonica Japan grass Coarse open sunny situation, slow in growth Zoisia matrella Manila grass Medium open sunny situation Zoisia tenuifolia Korean grass Fine open sunny situation Festuca sp. Fescue grass Coarse Shade tolerant Paspalum vaginatum Paspalum grass Medium open sunny situation 3.5.1. Seed Constitution of Turf Grass Seed should be pure, consisting of only one species or cultivar, or as blend. When a mixture is chosen as planting material it should contain at least 50% of the desired permanent species and 50% of other species of similar characteristics. For an example- a species for beauty (50% bluegrass) + a species for toughness and, disease and pest resistance (25% fescue) + a species for quick establishment and durability (25% ryegrass). 3.6. Plants Suitable for Planting in Lawns Trees Amherstia Bottlebrush Magmolia Monterey cypress Pinus Thuja Araucaria Shrubs Agave Bougainvillea Jasmines Hibiscus Page 2 of 6
3.7. Planting Methods 3.7.1. Planting in Lawn The lawn can be prepared by any one of the following methods. 3.7.1.1. Sowing About 30 kg of seed is required for planting one hectare. After seeding, the seeds are to be covered with soil and leveled with light rolling. Sprinkling of water up to 4 cm depth is suitable. Lawn mower is used when the grass grows up to 5 cm height. 3.7.1.2. Dibbling Rooted or uprooted grass cuttings can be dibbled when the soil is slightly moist. The dibbling may be done 10-12 cm apart and frequent watering should be done till the grass starts sprouting. The grass gets ready for first cutting in 5-6 weeks. This method takes about 4-5 months to establish a good lawn. 3.7.1.3. Turfing Turfing is the process of planting thick grass to develop a lawn. Small pieces of turf are cut uniformly from a place where the grass is short, compact and free from weeds. The cut pieces are then placed on the prepared surface and, rolled and watered liberally. This is one of the satisfactory and quickest methods of forming a lawn. 3.7.1.4 Turf plastering Grass is chopped properly into small bits of 5-7 cm long. Two baskets of chopped grass pieces should be mixed with one basket garden soil and fresh cow dung and a shovel of wood ash with required quantity of water to form a thick pasty substance. This mixture is then spread uniformly on the surface of a leveled ground to a thickness of at least 2.5 cm and watering should be done. Then ground should be rolled. The grass will shoot up in a fortnight. Lawn mower is used after three months. 3.7.2. Planting in Turf 3.7.2.1. Sodding Sodding is the method of lawn establishment by using sod. Sod is grass that is specially cultivated, mowed and cut into strips including about 1-2 inches of roots. Establishing a lawn in this way provides an instant ground cover. Although it is the most expensive method, thus it produces the most rapid results and least problematic. 3.7.2.2. Plugging Plugging is a method of lawn establishment that involves the transplanting of small pieces of sod which plugs into holes in the seedbed. The holes are spaced about 6-12 inches apart. Plugging is a labor intensive operation and takes time but it can be done mechanically. After the operation, the plot may be rolled to provide good soil contact with roots. This method of planting sod is sometimes called spot sodding. Page 3 of 6
3.7.2.3. Sprigging Pieces of short stems or runners are called sprigs which may also be used to establish a lawn. This method of lawn establishment is called sprigging and accomplished by placing the sprigs in shallow about 1-2 inches furrows at about 4-6 inches spacing. 3.7.2.4. Stolonizing Stolonizing is a form of sprigging in which the recommended numbers of sprigs are spread uniformly over the seedbed. Stolonizing is sometimes called broadcast sprigging. After spreading, the sprigs are partially covered with soil by rolling. This method is usually adopted for planting large areas. 4. Maintenance of Lawn and Turf 4.1. Proper Drainage and Aeration A lawn has been walked over for a long period, the soil becomes compact, scanty of air and impeding water infiltration. To increase aeration and drainage, cores of soil may be removed using a plunger or core aerator. Raking should be done twice, once before rain and other when rain is over, to avoid clogging of old roots and encourages new shoots. 4.2. Manuring and Fertilization Nitrogen is the most important plant nutrient for lawn. Cowdung should be applied once a year while the ammonium sulphate, super phosphate and potassium sulphate should be applied twice a year. Fertilizer should be applied when the lawn is dry and sufficient irrigation is to be given after fertilizing. 4.3. Rolling Uniform growth of the lawn can be achieved by rolling, which helps in touching the nodes of the erect grasses to the ground level and spreading the grass uniformly. This also keeps the area well leveled. At the beginning of rain, the first rolling is to be done with a heavy roller and subsequent light rolling is also advised. 4.4. Mowing 1. Cutting of grass more than 1/3 rd of the leaf area 2. Mowing stimulates bud development and tillering of grasses 3. Normal cutting height is 2.0-2.5 inches from the ground level 4. It should be done at 10-20 days intervals depending upon the growth of grass Page 4 of 6
4.5. Clippings and Dethatching Mulching mowers are used to cut the clippings into small pieces and they do not lie on the lawn but fall to the ground. Clippings on the ground eventually decompose to improve soil fertility. The undecomposed organic material can build up over a period. This buildup of thatch hampered the lawn maintenance activities such as watering and fertilizing. When thatch buildup becomes excessive, it must be reduced, in part because insects and other pests thrive in thatch. 4.6. Edging Edging is a cosmetic activity in which the edge of a lawn, especially next to a walkway is trimmed in a straight line or smooth fashion by edging machines. 4.7. Irrigation The soil should be soaked with water l5 cm deep during irrigation. Watering should be done weekly twice in hot weather and, once in winter and no watering is required during rainy season. During winter, dew should be brushed into the lawn so as to get its full advantage. During summer, irrigation should be done either in the morning or evening. 4.8. Liming In acidic soil, application of lime after every 2-3 years is necessary. Clay soil requires heavier application after every 5-6 years. The best time to apply lime is just before the rains. 4.9. Weeding This is one of the most important and continuous operations. Hand weeding can be the most practical method to eradicate them. 4.10. Plant Protection Measures Lawn grass should be kept free from any kind of infestation. Fortunately, grasses are less affected by insect pests and diseases. However, general plant protection measures should be taken properly. Page 5 of 6
Fig. Laying sod Fig. Rolling newly laid sod Fig. Plugging method Fig. An edger Fig. Thatch in a lawn Fig. Sprigging Fig. Seeding by the crosswise method Fig. Texure of grasses Fig. bunching and creeping type growth habit of grass Page 6 of 6