Lawns - Problems

It's all about roots. Warm season grasses have roots that go down more than 1 Meter, and once you have a lawn with warm season grasses, you are almost drought proof. You see, when warm season grasses do not get watered they do not die, they don't immediately go brown, they merely shut down and wait for the next watering.
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Trying to grow any plant on soil that is poor, badly drained or just basically rubbish is a sure recipe for failure. Its a little bit like the foundations of a house, you don't see much for your effort, but done well will stand you good for many years. So get your soil to the right quality for growing plants (a lawn is no different). Try and improve your soil rather than the easy solution of buying more soil. A course of action that can invariably end up with more rubbish soil on top of yours. Once you have the correct growing medium then plants will grow. The correct components of a good soil are equal parts Silt, Clay, Sand and Organic Matter. (Be careful if you are adding sand as the sand may contain excess levels of salt.) Get a soil test done!!

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You have made a substantial investment in soil preparation and purchasing the right grass products, but at this point spending 5 days watering a newly plated grass seed lawn or spending 3 weeks watering turf or grass plugs and the motivation begins to waver. Whether you are planting from seed, laying turf or planting plugs, you must be diligent with respect to watering. The first few weeks of a new lawn are crucial in its survival.

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Lawns are commonly misunderstood. In the UK a sprinkling of feed and weed or miracle grow are most peoples idea of lawn maintenance. If you feel that your expertise will stand you well for leaf discolouration, leaf die back, what types of fertilizer and when to apply, soil pH or composition, and many other aspects of horticultural issues, then great, otherwise see our page on gardeners for your area, or phone us.
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The cost of owning a swimming pool in Spain (depending on size) will be around 800 euros per year. Over and above this could be the cost of water, chemicals, equipment repair etc.  A real grass lawn can be maintained for a fraction of this, however most lawns just get watered!
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Fruit and Veg, Border plants, Shrubs etc all get the first crack of the whip with respect to lawn fertilizer. A lawn can consist of thousands of grass plants that are expected to grow so vigorously that they look like a green carpet. But so often, the grass is expected to do this with little or no fertilizer. A lawn needs fertilizing two or three times a year, this is normal, and in Spain because the growing season is longer, then more fertilizer is required.
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On closer examination, a beautiful green lawn may actually contain a high proportion of weeds and be nothing more than clover and yellow trefoil, with very little grass. After many years of no treatment, the first application of selective weed killer brings home the stark reality of the situation (I have a lawn made up of weeds). So before applying lawn weed killer, try and estimate what proportion of your lawn is weeds. If it's a lot of weeds then go gently with the weed killer, and although more expensive, maybe first apply 'feed and weed'. This is a slower solution, but as it is slower acting it gives the grass a longer period to replace the weeds.
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