Which lawn to choose: seeded or rolled? All PROS and CONS of both options with prices

On average, a lawn is used in the city for 5-6 years, in suburban areas - for 10-15. In many ways, the “life expectancy” of a lawn - roll, parterre, ordinary, Moorish, garden or sports - depends on the climate in which it is used, the type of soil, the quality of the lawn, the preparation of the area for laying, and its care. If you strictly follow the rules for operating the finished lawn and maintaining it, then for long service life of the surface, every year it will be enough to sow a few seeds into the post-winter clearings.

Parterre lawn

This is the highest quality natural lawn and the most expensive. It is usually placed next to the building, in ceremonial places or the most significant ones in the landscape composition. The ground lawn is exclusively decorative; as a rule, it is sown with meadow bluegrass and red fescue, and less often with bentgrass. It can be recognized by its impeccable appearance: the grass stand is uniform, monochromatic, low and dense. The ground lawn is vulnerable to trampling and is unsuitable for active recreation or outdoor games, or for walking dogs. It is permissible to walk on it only to perform maintenance. Only by properly and regularly caring for it can a parterre grass lawn be used for decades. They say that some English lawns of this type have been maintained for three hundred years!

Low-growing lawn grasses

There is a large amount of low-growing lawn grass that does not require mowing. The following types of herbs are considered the most common.

Bentgrass

An ideal option for creating a bright and beautiful lawn in your yard. It is soft and pleasant to the touch, and you can walk on it barefoot. The height of the bushes is 10-20 cm. It easily takes root on different types of soil and grows quickly. Walking on grass not only does not slow down its growth, but also stimulates it. Since the shoots are pressed to the ground, they take root faster.

Ordinary lawn

More often the ordinary lawn is for a country house or homestead. It is decorative in nature, resistant to drought and adverse environmental factors, and can be placed in the shade. This grass lawn is easy to maintain and is invulnerable to walking. It is usually sown with bluegrass, bentgrass, fescue, and raygrass and produces uniform grass for about the third season.

How long does it take for Polevitsa to sprout?

The bentgrass is sprouting

9-14 days after planting the seeds, another month later it begins to bush.

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Legumes

These green manures are the most common and undemanding plants. They come in different types. Russia is represented by beans:

• food;
• feed

Edible beans include:

• peas;
• beans;
• lentils;
• beans.

They tolerate light frosts, and sprout already at +3 degrees C, so they can grow anywhere.

There are also a large number of broad beans:

• alfalfa;
• clover;
• sweet pea;
• acacia.

Important! There is an opinion: sowing a plot of legume green manure three times and digging it up is the same as fertilizing it with manure.

Legumes are planted in early spring. Until frost they will produce green mass. After leguminous plants, the soil is saturated with nitrogen, since their root system contains special bacteria that produce nitrogen. Trees also benefit greatly from them (green manure also feeds them with nitrogen).

Benefits of broad beans

It is advisable to sow such plants on marshy and clayey soil. They are wonderful green manures, as they have a number of useful qualities.

1. Plants have well-developed roots that drain and structure the soil to great depths.
2. Thanks to them, the acidity of the soil decreases, which means the pH is normalized.
3. With their help, phosphorus compounds gain easier access to plants.
4. They tolerate cold and frost well - up to -8 degrees C.
5. Contain a large amount of minerals.

Sweet clover

It is a powerful green manure plant with strong roots located at great depths. It is resistant to frost and drought, and improves the soil structure in salt marshes. Wireworms and some pests are afraid of it. It is planted at the end of summer, leaving it for the winter. By spring the green mass will grow. It is cut before flowering.

Sainfoin

It can be distinguished among green manures by its uniqueness. The plant is very unpretentious. Possessing a strong root that goes to great depths (about 10 meters), it is able to live in poor soils, thanks to which useful substances from the depths come to the surface. In addition, it drains the soil well and successfully tolerates extreme conditions. And he is also an excellent honey plant.

The green mass of this green manure grows in the second year, and for seven years it can serve as a source of green fertilizer. If sainfoin grows on the site, you won’t have to worry about what to sow the ground with for weeds for a long time .

Peas

This bean green manure helps fight weeds well, as it grows quickly, inhibiting their growth. He likes to be located on neutral soil and loves moisture. Peas should be sown when summer is coming to an end, but nevertheless, before the onset of autumn, the necessary green mass is accumulated.

Vika

With the onset of warm weather, it’s a good idea to sow tomato beds with vetch. This is an annual legume green manure. It quickly collects the necessary green mass and structures the soil. Cut 1.5-2 weeks before planting tomatoes.

Lupine

Abandoned areas are sown with lupine. This green manure takes root well on various lands, improving its quality. Lupine is deservedly considered an excellent predecessor of strawberries.

Alfalfa

A perennial green manure that has a great effect on soil fertility. Its greens are rich in various beneficial substances. The plant needs well-moistened (not to be confused with swampy) soils with a neutral pH. Alfalfa should be mowed when its buds form.

Seradella

In one season, green mass can grow twice. The plant loves moisture and, if there is enough of it, will grow on poor soil. Frost resistant.

Preparatory work

Before laying a lawn, it is necessary to carry out a number of preparatory measures: remove garbage from the site, get rid of old turf, remove weeds from the soil and dig up the soil using a walk-behind tractor. If the soil is clayey, you will need to lay a bed of gravel and sand to improve its water-air properties. Next, various soil components must be added to the treated soil to improve its structure, reduce acidity and increase fertility. Mineral fertilizers are applied about a week before laying the lawn. All added components must be thoroughly mixed, and then the area should be leveled with a rake. Finally, it is necessary to roll the area with a lawn roller to level and compact the soil substrate.

Rolled turf cannot be stored for long periods of time, so you need to buy it immediately before laying it and keep it in the shade for no more than 1-2 days.

Cereals

You can qualitatively clear the soil of weeds and fertilize it with the help of cereals. They are excellent green manures.

Cereals include:

• rye;
• oats;
• buckwheat;
• barley.

Rye

Rye is used as a winter crop (after all, it tolerates frost well). Therefore, it is sown at the end of summer, in September or later (it all depends on the climatic conditions of the area). It has a suppressive effect on weeds and pathogenic microflora. Rye crowds out everything, so you shouldn’t place garden plants near it.

Its green mass should be removed at the end of May, before planting vegetables. It is good to sow rye in wetlands so that it displaces water.

Oats

This green manure thrives on acidic soils, and its roots have a positive phytosanitary effect on root rot. The plot is planted with oats at the very beginning of spring (as soon as the frosts end). It is recommended to remove the green mass before flowering begins. Green oat sprouts have a beneficial effect on the human body. After oats, the soil is saturated with potassium, so tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers thrive in this area.

Buckwheat

Buckwheat has the same wonderful properties.

1. It grows quickly, actively developing green mass and roots.
2. After it, the soil is saturated with potassium and phosphorus.
3. Buckwheat has a displacing effect against weeds, especially wheatgrass.
4. It can be used as a winter crop. Often it is planted around the trees in the garden. It is sown in spring in warm soil. The green mass should be mowed before the plant enters the flowering phase.
5. It is highly drought-resistant, but does not take away moisture from neighboring plants.
6. Buckwheat adapts well to various soils.

Barley

In addition to all the beneficial properties inherent in green manure, barley stands out among them for its high drought resistance, thanks to which it is successfully used in arid regions. In addition, it is able to tolerate frosts - down to -5 degrees, quickly increasing its green mass. In view of this, the area is planted with barley in early spring, and after 40-50 days.

Kinds

Today, several types of delicious grass carpets are produced:

• a ground lawn decorates the area in front of the house. The main requirement for it is a presentable appearance, emphasizing the status of the owner.
• an ordinary lawn is intended for landscaping parks, squares, and courtyards. Its main quality is long service life and resistance to trampling. For a more durable coating, manufacturers mix different types of herbs, as a result of which the color is no longer uniform.

• The meadow lawn amazes with the variety of brightly colored flowers and their magical scent.
• special turf is required for football fields and sports fields.

A standard roll is a rolled strip just under one and a half meters wide and 1 m or 2 m long.

Such parameters make it possible to easily cut strips, conveniently roll them, transport them without damage and simply lay them down.

On sports grounds, much larger bays are used: 1 m x 15 m and even 1.2 m x 26 m . The manufacturer, as a rule, does not indicate the exact weight of the product, because it largely depends on soil moisture.

The universal coating consists of 3 layers of different thicknesses:

1. The bottom layer is an interweaving of roots in the soil . With a thickness of no more than one and a half centimeters, the plants quickly take root in a new place.
2. The thin middle layer consists of mesh or burlap . Some manufacturers of lawn greens do not have it at all.
3. The top layer is formed by different types of grasses . According to the standard, plant height does not exceed 7 cm.

The advantages of rolled lawn are obvious:

• Significant time savings. In a few hours, the dull area is covered with a luxurious green carpet.
• The rolled covering can be easily cut with a garden knife. The strip of turf can be given any shape, which is important if there are flower beds, alpine slides, garden paths, gazebos, etc. on the site.
• Turf in rolls is unpretentious. Plants are cold-resistant and shade-tolerant.
• It is possible to repair living carpet. The damaged area can be cut out and replaced with a new one.

• Weeds will not grow on this natural surface, and you will not need to waste time and effort on weeding.
• You can improve the area with fresh and lush greenery from early spring until late autumn.
• After laying the rolled canvas, caring for it comes down to periodic watering and cutting.
• The service life in the city is about 5 years, outside the city - 2-3 times longer.
• The grass cover prevents soil erosion and protects the area from dust.

Among the shortcomings are noted:

• high price. The cost of one square meter of coverage cannot be less than 60 rubles, therefore, to decorate the notorious six hundred square meters with emerald grass, you will need at least 30 thousand rubles. American products have the highest prices; German and Danish products are more affordable. However, the high cost is very relative when you consider the time and effort spent on growing a conventional seeded lawn.
• difficulty in independent transportation and unloading due to the heaviness of the bays.
• a small percentage of cases where the lawn does not take root.

Among the main reasons are violation of shelf life or laying technology, poor quality of the product.

Artificial roll-up lawns also have advantages and disadvantages.

The advantages of this type of coating:

• ease of care. They do not need to be cut or fertilized. However, artificial lawns still need watering and aeration;
• the ability to wash the lawn using detergents;
• the presence of a shock-absorbing layer that makes falls during sports or games less painful and traumatic;

• lack of response to temperature changes;
• maintaining the original appearance;
• high wear resistance and strength.

The disadvantages include:

• heating artificial grass to high temperatures, which makes staying on such a lawn in the heat not very comfortable;
• reproduction of bacteria on a synthetic surface that can cause infections upon contact with scratches, open wounds, etc.

Determining soil acidity by weeds

Well, I promised to tell you how to defeat weeds, but I talked about chemistry. A little patience; gardening also requires a scientific approach. Apply the lessons of botany and chemistry, then weeds will become your garden assistants.

Plants, weeds and cultivated ones, require three conditions for development:

• sunlight;
• water;
• macro and microelements with minerals.

By regulating these three factors, we will control the growth of wild grasses and promote the development of our vegetables.

The digestibility of nutrients directly depends on the acidity of the soil. Soil acidity is not constant even in the same area. As the land is cultivated, the mechanical composition of the soil changes and the dominant weeds change.

Weeds serve as a beacon of the physical and chemical properties of the soil and signal what the soil lacks. We deoxidize acidic soil with wood ash and green manure, and acidify alkaline soil with pine litter.

Table 1. Determination of soil acidity by weeds

Don’t forget that one blade of grass is not an indicator; focus on the predominant type of vegetation for your area.

With minor changes in the acid-base balance, herbs adapt to new conditions. That’s why dandelions and bindweed grow next to the mogur.

Cruciferous

All representatives of this group are unpretentious and resilient. In addition, their secretions from the roots inhibit the action of late blight pathogens and pose a danger to many pests.

White mustard

This is an annual herbaceous plant that resists frost very well. In central Russia it can be sown in early spring.

Mustard has a number of green manure qualities.

1. It suppresses the development of weeds and displaces them. This is especially effective for bindweed.
2. It is an excellent preventative against late blight. Has a detrimental effect against slugs and pea moths.
3. The green mass of white mustard produces excellent humus.
4. Very long mustard roots (about 3 meters) loosen and drain the soil, retaining nitrogen in it.
5. When the first snow falls, all parts of the mustard plant fall to the ground, creating a mulch layer that protects against frost.
6. Mustard is a good predecessor for nightshades. Grapes and beans live comfortably near it.
7. Mustard is an excellent honey plant, so thanks to it, there will always be bees in the garden.

Important! Mustard has the same pests as all cruciferous crops, so you should not plant related crops after it.

Rape

It is frost-resistant and rapidly gains green mass. Within a month, the stems grow up to 30 cm. Its roots extract sulfur and phosphorus compounds from the soil.

Oilseed radish

Of all the cruciferous plants, it is the most unpretentious plant, which is not afraid of either frost or drought. A powerful root system allows it to adapt to difficult living conditions. Inhibits the development of wheatgrass. It gains a large amount of green mass well, even despite late planting.

Surepka

An annual green manure, it loves moisture very much. Provided there is generous watering, rapeseed quickly gains green mass, even when planted in September.

Reviews

In their reviews, owners of rolled lawns note their beauty, practicality, and long service life. By all accounts, the price of the product is quite high, but it is more than compensated by the high quality. Owners of natural soft carpets with a delightful fresh scent of herbs and flowers advise friends and relatives to acquire such a miracle.

According to satisfied clients, consultants help to navigate the variety of grass coverings in accordance with the characteristics of the site and the financial capabilities of the buyers. Delivery is very fast, all that remains is to lay the lawn and enjoy its luxurious silk grass. Some customers prefer to pick up their order themselves at the pick-up point. This method is cheaper.

Watch the following video for a master class on laying rolled lawn.

Killing weeds with herbicides, salt, vinegar

I have experience using general herbicides. In my opinion, on plots of up to 20 acres, herbicides are a waste of money. The grass really turns yellow and dries up. So that in a few weeks the earth will again be covered with a thick green carpet.

It is more effective to mulch a small area once a season than to bother with herbicides all summer.

There are many publications on the Internet where authors suggest dousing weeds with vinegar, battery acid, and salt. The authors call the salted vinegar method folk remedies. True, no one specifies which people exactly.

I think we are talking about the People's Republic of China. Only the Chinese cultivate the land this way not at home, but in Russia, on rented plots.

I suggest that adherents of such barbaric agriculture immediately throw a nuclear landmine into their garden, so that nothing will grow.

Where to go?

The Green Strana company offers its services for installing your lawn. The company's services include analysis of the site and soil, measurements, careful formation of the drainage and fertile layer of the site, transportation and laying of rolls, as well as monitoring the germination of seeds and the survival rate of grass in rolls over several seasons and consultations on lawn care.

The high quality of both rolled lawns and grass mixtures for sowing allows you to achieve high quality grass cover, making your lawn a real decoration of your site.

Decorative

When thinking about how to plant a plot to prevent weeds, do not forget about green manure plants that have decorative properties. These include:

• calendula;
• amaranth;
• phacelia.

Amaranth

The areas freed up after harvesting early vegetables should be planted with amaranth. The green mass should be cut before flowering or before the onset of autumn frosts.

The plant is unpretentious and grows well in acidic and salty soil. Tolerates dry times well. Long (2 m) amaranth roots improve the soil and make it more fertile. The plant resists diseases well and has phytosanitary properties.

Calendula

This plant is simply necessary as green manure for tomatoes, as well as for combined plantings with potatoes and eggplants. Calendula heals the soil. It should be planted at the end of August, and the green mass should be mowed in the fall.

Important! Calendula is also effective in the fight against the Colorado potato beetle.

Phacelia

This is a universal green manure plant.

1. She is able to tolerate frankly low temperatures (-9 degrees C) without harming herself.
2. It develops even on rocky soil, quickly gaining green mass.
3. Phacelia is resistant to dry weather.
4. Plant a plot with it whenever you want - early spring, summer, autumn.
5. The plant has phytosanitary properties that destroy nematodes and other pathogens.
6. Phacelia is an excellent predecessor for any garden crops.
7. Phacelia and legumes enhance each other's effects.

You now know what to sow the plot with. It remains to talk about where to plant these herbs so that there is no inconvenience to garden crops.

Advantages and disadvantages

Like any covering, rolled lawn has both advantages and some disadvantages.

To begin with, it’s worth mentioning the advantages of this type:

• it is easy to achieve uniform sowing, which means the lawn turns out smooth and beautiful;
• it is possible to get a beautiful lawn at minimal cost;
• the turf used has excellent resistance to both drought and waterlogging;
• in order to lay a rolled lawn, you do not have to wait until spring or autumn;
• ease of maintenance means that for 2 years after installation you don’t have to think about weeding;

• has high resistance to trampling;
• easy to maintain as it is not susceptible to cold. It is much easier to clean than grown;
• easy to restore damaged areas;
• helps hide unevenness and is also used on difficult terrain;
• the variety of types allows you to choose the best option with the necessary specific properties;
• long service life. So, in the city, a rolled lawn will last about 5-6 years, while in suburban areas it can last up to 15 years.

Don't forget about the downsides. The main disadvantage is the high cost, but it is worth understanding that these investments are long-term, and they will pay off gradually, as they will save money on further maintenance.

In addition, the following disadvantages are worth mentioning:

• in a darkened area, the grass quickly fades;
• during operation, felt forms under the roll, which harbors harmful bacteria that can negatively affect the appearance of the entire lawn;
• after the purchase, you will have to spend a lot of money, since it will be very difficult to transport, unload and lay the rolled lawn yourself without damaging it;
• if the grass dies in one of the areas, there may be a problem with its restoration.

Even with all the disadvantages, roll coating is better than seed coating due to ease of maintenance and durability. Plus, it comes ready to use, so you can enjoy the finished look.