Planting a New Lawn
A new lawn is a statement that the owner of the house cares for his
/her investment. Like painting a villa, it can certainly add
considerable value. In fact the increased value in a new lawn far exceeds the value of the
investment in the new lawn. And despite peoples experiences, given the
right care a new lawn is the simplest thing to master.
Why
not use our "Planting a New Lawn Project" to guide you step by step through the process of starting a new lawn. |
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New Lawn Soil Preparation.
If you have decided to create a new lawn instead of repairing
an old lawn then ground preparation
followed by soil preparation is the most important part of owning and maintaining a
new real green grass lawn. If you are clearing (purging) bought in soil of weeds thoroughly soak the soil to
encourage any dormant weeds to grow, as the germination of any weeds
is best encouraged before replanting or sowing. Fertilise the soil and
apply Lawns in Spain "Total Clear". Continue watering the soil to
encourage any weed seeds to grow. After two weeks re-apply the weed killer
if any more weeds appear. If you are zapping an old lawn, fertilise the soil and apply Lawns in
Spain "Total Clear". Continue watering the soil to encourage any
weed seeds to grow. After two weeks re-apply the weed killer if anything is
still not dead. If no weeds appear then the old saying is:- "if it looks
too good to be true then it probably is too good to be true". In a nutshell
you may not have applied enough water to make the seeds want to grow. The best
time to kill weeds and unwanted grass is BEFORE you start the new lawn
process. Not
applying enough water in the early stages of creating a new lawn has
implications because when
you sow seeds/plant plugs and begin watering a new lawn it is not a good time to
apply weed killer.
And if you do not want to
or feel you don't need to do any soil
preparation
If the topsoil has not been replaced then you must clear the soil of existing
weeds, rubble, foreign material and stones.
Lawn weeds fall into a few categories. Firstly there are annuals, which grow seed and
die at certain times of the year. Then there are perennials like anise, dandelions etc which will keep appearing unless the root is
killed. And lastly there are Grassy Weeds, which are basically rogue grasses
or the the wrong type of grasses that will never produce a quality lawn.
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Clear Weeds
After removing rubble etc, remember to clear weeds.
There are different types of weeds that need different treatments....It is always advisable at this stage to thoroughly soak the soil to encourage any dormant weeds to grow, as the germination of any weeds is best encouraged at this early stage, and once again once any more weeds have appeared, then another application of weed killer can be applied. If no weeds appear then the old saying is:- "if it looks too good to be true then it probably is too good to be true". In a nutshell you probably haven't applied enough water to make the seeds want to grow. Not applying enough water also has potential and dangerous consequences later, when you sow the seed/plugs.
Basically when you plant plugs or sow seed (which means you are going to
start watering the plot) the last thing you want is to see is rogue grass and/or
weeds starting to grow. So water now when it is possible to kill the unwanted
species with "Total Clear" as when the new lawn is getting
established, it's unwise to apply herbicides.
The most successful lawns, will be started by preparing the
soil in the Autumn and left for a few months to settle. During this
time, further herbicide should be applied to any weeds that show, and finally
plant your new lawn in the Spring.
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Soil Testing
At this point it is advisable to perform a soil test.
However if you want to risk your investment in plugs/seed, then this stage is entirely up to you.
(optional).
Here are the reasons...
It will either confirm your ground is ready for your new lawn, or
Affect your
choice of grass, or
Suggest that you need to apply soil correction materials or chemicals.
We
recommend performing at least a basic acid/alkaline soil test.
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Final Height
Sowing Seed
Planting Plugs
Now all you have to do is order your plugs or seed and we will include step by step planting and aftercare advice for you or your gardener.
Remember we deliver door to door.
See also lawn care, sowing seed and planting grass plugs.