What can be done in the fall for a beautiful lawn

The well-known adage “Get your sleigh ready in summer” can be applied to any pair of seasons. There will always be things to do. In relation to the lawn, it can be formulated as follows: "Prepare the lawn in the fall, in the summer it will be beautiful." And in practice this means that in the fall, at the end of the summer cottage season, it is necessary to complete the complex agrotechnical measures so that next summer the clearing in front of the house will please the eye with a juicy bright green grass. An experienced summer resident knows what needs to be done in the fall in order to get a beautiful lawn in the summer.

List of autumn works

In the fall, a whole range of compulsory works is performed on the lawn. A short list looks like this: mowing the old and sowing seeds for new grass, scarification and scarification, aeration of the lawn. These beautiful foreign words may scare a beginner, but for an experienced gardener-summer resident, they mean quite understandable work with a shovel, rake and pitchfork.

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Scarification consists in combing dry grass and straw, which are located on the lawn above the root level. During verticulation, the sod and upper roots are cut vertically. This operation stimulates the emergence of new grass bushes. At the same time, moss (felt) comes out to the surface from the sod, which is then removed. To aerate the lawn, the turf is pierced with a pitchfork, which increases the contact area between the turf and air.

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For a person ignorant of agricultural technology, these operations look a little scary, the lawn looks very unsightly for some time, but then it becomes more beautiful than it was.

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Straw question

Combing straw from the grass, the beginner ponders the question of where it came from. And the answer is simple. Lawn grass reproduces not only by seeds, but also by division. In this case, new side shoots that have grown above the surface of the earth are called "stolons", and those that have grown below the soil level are called rhizomes. After two or three years, new shoots become old, die off, but do not rush to decompose. And during this time, newer ones appear, all this intertwines and spoils the appearance of the lawn. As long as this mixed layer is thin, it even brings some benefit to the lawn - it protects the grass roots from overheating and evaporation. And when it becomes excessively thick, it prevents access to the roots of water and oxygen. Moreover, various pests and fungi begin to multiply in it. So the gardener has to scrape and remove these former new, old, shoots. Just before that, you need to dig out small samples in different places on the lawn and measure the thickness of the straw layer. Up to 5 mm you do not have to worry, but after this value, scarification is necessary.

When and how to scarification

Scarification can be done either in the spring or in the fall. Spring is held after the snow has completely melted. At this time, the grass wakes up and begins to grow faster. Autumn - prepares the lawn for the new season. But, if you clear the lawn of straw in the spring, then in the summer weeds will take its place. In spring, it is easier for weeds to take root on cleared land.

For scarification, you should choose a time when the earth is still warming up by the sun and warm rains are coming. October meets these conditions. And the day for work should be dry, and in the second half of the day the grass should be dry - already dry from the morning dew.

This work requires preliminary preparation. Three weeks before it is carried out, it is necessary to destroy all weeds with the help of special means. Two weeks before the appointed day, walk along the lawn with a scythe and, in several steps with an interval of 3-4 days, mow the grass to a height of 5 cm. If moss grows on the lawn, then one week it needs to be treated with herbicides, and the day before scarification, remove the remains with a fan rake.

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Scarifiers are manual, gasoline and electric. If the lawn is small in size, then it can be processed manually. A large lawn will require equipment. Everyone himself determines the type of tool in accordance with his needs and capabilities.

In any case, brushing the lawn is carried out in several passes. Moreover, some advanced gardeners recommend making each next pass at an angle of 45⁰ to the previous one. They are sure that with such a pattern of movement, not a single straw can hide from the scarifier. On the last pass, the blades of the implement must cut into the soil to a depth of 5 mm. It is considered by connoisseurs to be ideal for sowing new grass seeds.

What to plant herbs

Herbs are different. Some give shoots below the top level of the soil, others - above the ground, but sideways. The third species grows straight up. It is this plant that is most favorable for obtaining a beautiful lawn. But that is not all. Some of the vertically growing grasses form hummocks. This is bad. And the grass bluegrass does not form bumps and grows straight up. Here it is most often used to obtain a beautiful lawn.

Conclusion

The suburban area is not only beds with carrots and strawberries, bushes of raspberries and apple trees, but also a beautiful lawn. And in order for him to admire you with his appearance all summer season and every year, you need to take care of him all year round. And from autumn to prepare for the next summer.