You may have to screen the soil if the surface layer of the ground is stony. It is essential to screen the soil if you plan to plant soil, but less of a necessity if you intend to lay turf.
The operation of laying the turf is a simple one once the ground is brought to a good surface, but it should not be done immediately after the preparation of the ground. You do have to allow time for the ground to subside, particularly if any part of the ground has been banked up above the natural surface. If rain supervenes so much the better, as it will hasten the subsidence, disclose inequalities, and render the soil in a better condition to weld with the new turf.
The turf should be laid in close contact over the whole surface, gaps at the joints being filled up with fine soil as the work proceeds. Inequalities in the ground may be fixed as they come under the workman’s observation, with the same material. For any garden waterfalls, large fountains, or patio statuary that will be placed on the turf make especially certain these areas are evenly laid.
After all is laid, the surface must be gone over with the beater and all upstanding places treated with it until they accord with the general level. If no rain immediately follows, the turf may be submitted to a good watering, after which the beater should be used again and any hollows and gaping joints should be filled up with soil.
After a day or two’s rest, the roller should be brought into operation to further compact the surface and reduce inequalities. After that, the usual operations of mowing and rolling may be performed as occasion calls for them. It is well to look for early indications of weeds on newly turfed ground, and to promptly eradicate all that appear. It is best to wait to place any garden fountains, patio statuary, or outdoor fountains until this process has been given a few weeks.
Before sowing is attempted the ground must be well compacted by treading or rolling until it will no longer take footprints. It should be then lightly raked over to provide lodgment for the seed. The operation of sowing is best conducted on a calm day, and the best time of year for the purpose is from the middle of March till the end of April. Autumn sowing should not be later than the middle of September. Some experts are in favor of autumn sowing because the soil is warm and the dew is heavy.
The quantity of seed should not be less than one quart of recleaned seed to three hundred square feet. It is better to err on the side of too much than of too little. A bushel of lawn grass seed as usually understood in the trade weighs twenty pounds.
Obtain the seed from a reliable firm and follow the printed instructions closely. Old seed purchased from local sources, even if bearing a well-known name, may be disappointing, and grass seed sold in bulk at small country stores may contain an undesirable percentage of other seeds or chaff.
Sow the seed widely, taking care not to leave any bare places. Cover it once with a sprinkling of fine dry soil and roll. If the surface soil is damp it will pick up on the roller, and bring the seeds with it. Birds must be kept away by stretching black cotton or garden netting over the ground, or by covering it well with pea brush or other similar bushy material that may be at hand. Any large fountains designed to attract birds should potentially be left until the seed has time to grow. Consider a patio wall fountain or a wall water fountain away from the fresh seed instead.
The grass plants should make their appearance within twenty-one days. If rain has followed the sowing it may be earlier. When they have obtained a height of from three to three and one half inches, the ground may be rolled, and the next day the mower should be passed over it, taking the precaution to set the blade so that it does not cut close to the ground.
It must be in the best condition for cutting, or it will drag up the young grass plants instead of taking off their tops. After this you can follow the usual routine of rolling and mowing at regular intervals, not forgetting to water the grass if the weather proves dry. Should plantains, the weeds which come most often to mock the lawn maker, appear, they may be effectually dealt with by placing a pinch of dry table salt on the crown of each plant. This kills them in a day or two.
Sown grass is materially assisted if treated early with an approved fertilizer. You can get recommendations of which fertilizer to use from the garden center. If moss makes its appearance, it implies that the soil is out of condition, either owing to the need for drainage, perhaps from the overrun of a large water feature such as a water wall fountain or other large fountain placed nearby, or to the absence of food for the grass plants. In most cases the application of a fertilizer, by stimulating the vigor of the grass plants, will cause the moss to disappear. Moss in itself is in no sense harmful, but is always an indication of a poor soil.
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