Framed by a velvety green lawn, the new house comes into its own. These instructions provide practical instructions on how to create a new lawn using sowing or rolling turf. How to master the gardening challenge with flying colors.
How do I create a new lawn?
To create a new lawn, prepare the soil carefully by loosening it and removing weeds. Seeds can be sown in spring or autumn, while turf is laid between March and September. Subsequent care includes balanced watering, fertilizing and regular mowing.
How to clear the ground for sowing lawn seeds
Sensitive lawn seeds are demanding of external conditions. In order to motivate the seeds to germinate, the soil must be carefully prepared. Ideally, you should tackle the necessary work in the fall of the previous year like this:
- Loosen the soil with a tiller or dig with a spade
- After a new building, spread the topsoil from the excavation on the intended lawn area
- Optimize sandy soil with mature compost, leaf mold, granulated cattle dung or horn meal
- Enrich soil with a lot of clay with fine-grained sand and peat
- Finally, smooth the area with the rake and let it rest until spring
The quiet winter months are an ideal time to commission a professional soil analysis. This gives you important information regarding the nutrient levels and pH value in the soil. The soil in particular should not be too acidic. Lawns thrive poorly with a pH value below 5.5. This shortcoming can be ironed out in no time with a dose of garden lime.
Best time for sowing – now it starts
When the temperatures settle at 10 degrees and higher at the end of April/beginning of May, the best time for sowing a new lawn begins. If you have missed the autumn deadline for soil preparation, do the rough subsoil 2-3 weeks before sowing so that the soil can settle. The chosen day itself should have dry, mild weather in order to work in this sequence:
- Meticulously pull weeds and work the surface until it is finely crumbly
- Mix the seeds vigorously and pour them into the spreader (€23.00 on Amazon) or hand spreader
- Spread the seeds lengthwise and crosswise
- Sift thinly with peat, sand or vermiculite, without leaving the light germs completely in the dark
- Roll the seedbed and sprinkle with a fine jet of water
Sufficient moisture is of fundamental importance for germination. Therefore, water the newly laid lawn regularly in the following 3 weeks if the natural rainfall is not sufficient. Careful hobby gardeners cordon off the area so that it is clearly visible so that it is not accidentally entered. You should only place one foot on the seedbed to position the lawn sprinkler.
Second chance – sowing lawns in autumn
A second time window for sowing new lawns opens in September. The seeds will germinate quickly and root quickly in the sun-warmed soil. This time of year is also advantageous for sowing, as the natural rainfall increases and reduces additional irrigation. Sowing should be done by the beginning of October, due to the falling temperatures.
So that the young lawn gets through the winter well, the first dose of fertilizer should focus on the potassium content. This nutrient strengthens the frost resistance of plant cells so that they do not rupture during fluctuations from frost to thaw.
Tip
So that freshly sown lawn seeds are not immediately picked up by hungry birds, choose seeds that are green in color. Birds do not recognize this coloring as prey and ignore the seedbed. To protect against other pests with growling stomachs, protect the seeds with a close-meshed protective net.
Preparing a new building plot for turf – this is how it works
Creating a new lawn with seeds tests the gardener's patience for several weeks. If you want to give your new home a worthy setting in as short a time as possible, choose the rolled turf method. Within a day, a dreary new building plot is transformed into a velvety, green carpet. However, you won't be able to get away without any preparation at all, because the best finished lawn won't grow without a substructure. How to do it right:
- Create the rough subsoil, as for sowing lawn seeds
- Apply a special starter fertilizer for turf and water it
- Then spread out a sturdy mole net and secure it on the sides with ground anchors
Now give the soil 3 weeks to settle. During this phase, the mole net grows so tightly that it offers robust protection against the busy tunnel builders. The lawn edge can later be designed so that the fastening anchors underneath become invisible.
When is the best time to lay turf?
The spring and summer months are the best time to create a new lawn using rolled turf. Choose a dry, overcast day between late March and mid-September. During a summer drought, laying turf is theoretically possible, but requires special precautions for water supply. Under extreme conditions, the turf rolls must be watered during installation.
How to lay turf with skill
On the day of delivery, the turf must be laid completely, as wilting begins with the harvest in the turf nursery. For longer transport routes, the suppliers cool the turf rolls down to 3 degrees Celsius. However, this pre-cool process does not last long enough for finished turf to be storable for a few days. It is therefore an advantage if there are helping hands available on the day of installation. This is how it works step-by-step:
- Lay the first roll of turf along a straight edge
- Lay the following strips end to end and offset, as when building walls
- Avoid gaps and cross joints as well as overlaps
- Do not enter the substructure during the laying work
As the work progresses, lay out wooden slats on the finished lawn. From here, lay the next strips so that there is no point load. In a newly laid lawn, depressions and bumps can no longer be ironed out. If the rolls are too long, cut them off with a sharp knife. These leftover pieces are ideal for shooting small corners and gaps.
Turn care begins on the day it is laid
If all lawn rolls have been laid accurately, the lawn roller is used in the first step of care. In this way you create a good connection to the substructure so that the sod roots quickly. The important watering begins on the evening of installation, without which no finished lawn will take root. That's what matters:
- Sprinkle newly laid turf with 15-20 liters of water per square meter
- Continue like this for 2 weeks at a daily to two-day rhythm, depending on the weather
- Do not water your finished lawn under the blazing midday sun
To determine the amount of irrigation water, simply place a measuring cup in the area of the lawn sprinkler. Alternatively, use a screwdriver or other pointed stick to check whether the turf is moistened to a depth of 7 centimeters.
Care for a newly laid lawn professionally – this is how it works
So that you can enjoy your lawn for many years after it has been newly planted, care focuses on a balanced supply of water and nutrients combined with regular lawn mowing. The central aspects of these three supporting pillars in the cultivation of green spaces are examined in more detail below:
Watering when dry
If the newly laid lawn is well rooted, the natural rainfall will cover the water requirements in autumn and winter. In spring and summer, however, up to 25 liters of water per square meter evaporate under the sun every day. As soon as the lawn leaves no longer stand up after being walked on, the lawn sprinkler is used. If you water your new lawn thoroughly on average twice a week, the lush green will be preserved.
Fertilize in a balanced way
A dense carpet of grass deprives the soil of a we alth of nutrients. This loss is compensated for by regular fertilization during the growing season. Ideally, use an organic or mineral-organic fertilizer applied in March/April and July/August. Intensively used sports turf receives an additional portion in May. In the following days, repeated watering is mandatory until no fertilizer grains are visible
Mow regularly
A newly laid lawn is mowed for the first time when the blade height is 8 centimeters. The noble grass should then be cut by a third every 7 days. It is important to note that lawns should not be mowed when it is wet or in direct sunlight. 4 centimeters has proven to be a he althy cutting height for ornamental and commercial lawns. Shade lawn should be slightly higher at 6-7 centimeters.
Tip
If a new lawn receives the right care, moss and weeds will not be visible. Therefore, do not confront the green unnecessarily with strenuous scarifying and ventilation. If at all, this drastic intervention should only be considered in the third year after sowing seeds or laying turf.
