I’ve never laid carpet, tiles or lino but there is one floor I
do know how to lay and that is the carpeting for the outdoor
room. I speak of course of the most popular garden ground-cover
the lawn.
Prepare before you sow
The best time to
sow grass seed is between early April and early September,
however you must firstly carry out some preparation. Ideally
sometime between March and August you must “burn off” any
unwanted growth. Achieve this by spraying all weedy soil areas
on a dry day with a herbicide containing the active ingredient
Glyphosate. Apply according to the manufacturers instructions
and heed safety warnings.
Grading the site
A
minimum of 1 month must elapse before you start to grade or
level the site, this will allow the spray to reach the roots of
weeds such as docks and dandelions. Ensure nothing but light
rainfall occurs when you are carrying out soil movement and
grading whether it be by hand or machine. This will prevent
creating a pan in the soil (a layer of smeared soil or subsoil
that water cannot drain through). You must grade the site to an
acceptable level without bringing subsoil to the surface;
subsoil on the surface has ruined many the new lawns by causing
hungry looking brown patches. When grading your soil remove any
half buried timber and old tree roots as they will lead to toad
stools in the established lawn. Also remove any concrete blocks
and large stones; basically remove any debris bigger than your
fist.
Fallow before final cultivation
Leave the
graded site to settle and regrow any dormant weeds for at least
a month then spray the weed growth again with a Glyphosate based
herbicide. For the final cultivation give the soil a shallow
rotovate or lightly dig it over with a garden fork whilst
breaking clods with the back of the fork. Rake to an acceptable
level whilst removing all surface debris down to the size of a 1
euro coin including weed stems and roots. The soil should have a
nice fine tilth like the texture of cake crumbs; it should not
be fine like powder as this will prevent seed germination.
Seed sowing secrets
The ideal situation would be to sow
the seed before you get the next heavy shower of rain as at that
stage you will begin to loose the soil tilth. You will need
approx 40 to 50g of seed per square metre, which can be
broadcast by hand or use a wheeled spreader Divide the seed into
2 lots and spread half the seed whilst walking up and down, with
the other half being spread whilst walking left and right across
the lawn When spreading any seed avoid spreading onto drives,
patios and beds. Lightly rake the seed into the soil with a
sprung rake, do not drive it in or bury it. Follow this by
lightly rolling the area with a half-filled water roller; the
idea is to get firm seed and soil contact to ensure germination.
Have some extra soil and seed to hand as a hollow or two may
show up when rolling, you can then top up the soil and give it a
shake of seed. Depending on the weather conditions your
seedlings will begin to appear within 2 to 3 weeks.
About the Author:
James Kilkelly runs a professional
garden design service in Galway, Ireland. He has a regular
gardening column in a Irish regional newspaper. Visit his
website at
http://www.gardenplansireland.com/ He also regularly posts
his expert advice on
http://www.gardenstew.com/
Original Article:
http://www.gardenplansireland.com/articles/article15.html
