What fun to play football with the children in the garden. To ensure that the lawn doesn't deteriorate, it should be properly laid out and maintained. We reveal how the plan succeeds in stadium quality.
How do you create and maintain a soccer turf?
In order to create and maintain a durable football turf, the soil should be prepared professionally, the right seeds selected and mowed, fertilized and watered regularly. It is also advisable to scarify, aerate, sand and use lawn lime if necessary.
Preparing the seedbed – how to do it right
So that a football turf can survive counterattacks and bloodshed in one piece, set the course by properly preparing the ground. For the following work, choose a dry day between April and June, as this is the time when the climate conditions are ideal for installing a football turf. This is how you do it in an exemplary manner:
- Removing any remaining lawn with a lawn peeling machine
- Milling the ground or digging 1-2 spades deep
- Weed everything, meticulously remove roots, rhizomes and stones
- First rake the area roughly and then work it into fine crumbs
In order to get the lawn seeds in the mood to germinate, experienced hobby gardeners work mature compost and horn meal into the top layer of soil. Then irrigate the area and let it rest for 14 days.
Sowing football turf – this is how you can do it with skill
After the ground has settled, the clod is ready to receive the tender grass seeds. Now the soil is given its finishing touches by weeding again and creating a crumbly fine subsoil. Use a spreader (€23.00 on Amazon) to distribute the seeds. Then use the rake to lightly incorporate the light germinators and solidify the seedbed with a roller.
The freshly sown football turf must not dry out at any time in order not to endanger the germination of the seeds. Depending on the variety, you can look forward to the first seedlings within 8 to 21 days.
Fitness training for football turf – this care is important
Before you and your children go hunting for goals on your own soccer pitch, the green is put into top shape. Once the stalks have reached a height of 10 centimeters, they receive the first cut. Mow a maximum of a third of the grass tips. The following care measures keep the football turf fit:
- Fertilize the new lawn regularly organically right from the start
- Mow weekly from April to September/October, no shorter than 3-4 centimeters
- Wrinkle thoroughly during summer droughts
- Do not walk on the football pitch before mowing and never water under the blazing sun
At the end of summer and at the beginning of the new outdoor season, a stressed, mossy lawn is cared for with particular care. They breathe new life into the greenery by scarifying, aerating, sanding and fertilizing it. If a pH value test reveals a result below 5.5, you can compensate for the deficiency with lawn lime in no time.
Tips & Tricks
Choosing suitable seeds creates the best conditions for a durable football turf. The Research Society for Landscape Development and Landscape Construction e. V. took a close look and found the ideal mix. Look out for a deal with 60 percent bluegrass (Poa pratensis) and 40 percent perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne).