The state of a meadow in early spring depends quite a bit on how harshly the winter has treated it. When the days get longer and the temperatures get milder, the grass begins to wake up: it’s time to spend time taking care of it properly and fixing the damaged areas.
With the passage of time and depending on its use, some areas of the meadow may show signs of exhaustion, lack of grass or there are sinkholes or mounds. These flaws can be remedied.
- Repair areas with bald spots. In areas where the lawn is a little poor or where there are many weeds, the topsoil must be removed, the soil dug well, a fertilized substrate added and leveled with the rest of the meadow. Next, it will be necessary to sow seeds of the variety that predominates in the lawn, cover them with the same substrate and water. If the areas to be repaired are extensive, it is more efficient to buy sod grass, which can be installed at any time of the year, with the advantage that the effect is immediate.
In your garden center they will help you to diagnose the problems of your meadow and they will advise you how to solve them.
- Level sinkholes and mounds. If there is a hole, it will be necessary to carefully lift the piece of grass with a spade or similar, fill the hole with composted substrate mixed with river sand, and compact the soil but keeping it level with the rest of the meadow. Next, place the piece of grass, step on it a little and add substrate on the edges so that it adheres before.
Why does a lawn yellow?
A meadow can turn yellow by:
- Lack of water. The grass has a dry and straw-colored appearance. It may be that something is wrong with the irrigation system, the sprinklers do not overlap well or one is clogged.
- Excess of water. If you overwater and the soil drains poorly, the grass roots rot and turn yellow. Solution: improve the structure of the soil with a specific substrate for meadows, and establish a drainage network if it is a very large area. Or aerate it: if the lawn shows symptoms of suffocation due to excess water or poor surface drainage, you have to open small holes in the surface of the soil to get the air to penetrate to the roots of the Lawnmowers in Anderson SC (about ten centimeters), and fill them with sand.
- Compaction. Over time, the lawn generates a large number of dead roots at its base, which end up creating a compact waterproof fabric that prevents proper aeration. It is avoided by scarification, a task that is usually practiced at the end of summer and winter. It consists of a superficial scratching of the ground with a specific tool. It should always be done with the meadow recently mowed and without traces of water logging.
- Fungal diseases. They appear as isolated spots that are increasing. But they are very varied and, therefore, difficult to determine. It is best to consult a specialist at your garden center for the appropriate treatment.
- Nutrient deficiency. So that the lawn does not show an exhausted appearance, it is best to establish a good fertilization schedule and systematic care of the meadow. It is usually fertilized twice a year, although in your garden center you will find specific substrates that can be used when the meadow requires it, because they do not produce heat in the soil and, being of an organic-mineral nature, their excess does not cause burns.
- Excess chemical fertilizer. An overdose or poor distribution of mineral fertilizer with excess nitrogen causes burning and yellowing. If you have overdone the dose, water copiously.
- Inappropriate organic fertilizer. Distribute the fertilizer evenly and try not to use poorly decomposed manure mulch, which burns the meadow and fills the garden with unpleasant odours.
Why doesn’t it spring?
If the grass does not turn out well, it can be due to several factors:
- Poor soil structure, due to a lack of suitable substrate both for preparing the bed and for covering the seeds.
- The seed varieties are not appropriate for the climatic zone and orientation, or are expired.
- It has been planted at great depth.
- It has been planted at an inappropriate time: extreme cold or heat.
- Poorly installed irrigation or incorrect sprinkler distribution.
- Ants and birds carry the seeds.
