Adequate moisture, a porous soil, regular mowing, and sufficient nutrient levels are the basic requirements for growing a fine lawn. To ensure great results though, there remain a few things that should be done, and one or two that are not appropriate for lawn care during the summer.
On condition that the grass is growing vitally and looking green and healthy, professional lawn care involves filling out the dips and small depressions in the lawn, with either sand, or a mixture of sand and compost, known as top-dressing. Not only is this an excellent way of straightening out the grass, but the treated spots react very positively to the treatment, and tend to cover with grass in a couple of weeks or so. Please note that the sand must be thoroughly leached of salts. Light, sandy soil, well mixed with compost, can be used as an alternative.
The height at which the top-dressing can be spread differs according to the type of lawn. Grasses that grow from seed, such as the Fescues, should be treated gingerly, with only a thin layer being spread at any time. Some warm-climate perennial grasses, like Buffalo or St. Augustine, should not be smothered either. The tips of the grass blades should be visible through the sand. Therefore, when a relatively deep pit needs straightening, the job has to be carried out in stages, the top-dressing only being repeated, when the grass is clearly growing well through the initial layer.
Other perennial grasses, like Bermuda, Kikuyu and Zoysia varieties, grow by means of underground stems, known as rhizomes, which allow the species to recover from neglect, and also from being covered with a layer of sand, for a brief period of time. In fact, it is possible to spread the top-dressing mixture to a level of up to 10cm, (4in) providing of course that the grass is active and clearly growing strongly. It follows therefore, that this task should not be attempted during the lawn's dormant season, or if it is in poor shape and growing weakly.
In such cases, the lawn needs rejuvenating before the top-dressing treatment is attempted. Other than insufficient moisture, an inadequate mowing regime, and possibly nutrient deficiency in the soil, soil compaction is usually the main reason for a poorly performing lawn. Compaction at the topsoil level can be relieved by a scarifying machine, (the tool with which de-thatching is carried out in the spring) while at deeper soil levels, an aerating instrument may have to be employed. Following these tasks, slow release fertilizer should be applied.
When maintaining a healthy lawn however, it is preferable not to fertilize during the summer, as excessive nitrogen levels encourage fungal infections, and unnecessarily, rampant growth. Feeding is best carried out in the spring and autumn, ideally with either slow release fertilizer, or an organic amendment.
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