Ornamental Horticulture and Nursery Management - Lawn and its Management

1. LAWN AND
ITS
MANAGEMENT
Prepared by: Nischal Sapkota PHOTO 04/2021

2. Preparation and maintenance of Lawn
A lawn is the area where grass is grown as a green carpet for a landscape, maintained at a short
height and used for aesthetic and recreational purposes.
A. Preparation of lawn
i) Selection of grass for lawn

3. Bermuda grass (Cynodon
dactylon)
Korean grass (Zoysia
japonica)
Poa grass (Poa spp.)
Loves the sun and are
drought tolerance. Performs
best in tropical and sub
tropical region.
Smooth growth and adequate
cold tolerance. It is slow
in growth.
Suitable in cool regions.
Fast growing, hardiness,
less water requirement and
response to frequent mowing.
Suitable for sandy soil as
not suitable for poorly
drained soil.
Suitable for acid soils.
Suitable for large areas and
playgrounds as it can
tolerate wear and tear.
Suitable for small areas and
home lawns due to its slow
growth not recommended in
football fields.
Used for lawns, athletic fields, parks
and other high traffic areas.
Has good regeneration habit
but susceptible to frost.
Has high water requirement
and makes cushion like turf.
if watered regularly and fertilized on
occasions, it will stay green from
spring to winter.

4. Salt tolerant and also stands
well in poor soil. Indigenous
to grass species.
It is tough grass and difficult
to mow. Native to island of
Japan, Korea and Philippines.
Many horticulturist claim that
it is native to Europe.

5. ii) Preparation of soil
The soil must be fetile, well drained and
should have adequate amount of organic matter
in order to hold water. The desire pH of the
soil should be 5.5 to 7. The soil is deeply
ploughed upto 45cm so that the clods are
exposed to the sun for killing harmful weeds-
seeds and insects-pests in summer season. Just
before arrival of monsoon, the soil is
pulverized and incorporate with well decomposed
FYM @8-10 metric ton per hectare. During the
rain, various weeds may germinate which should
be removed before sowing the grass.

6. iii) Planting of the grass
The grass can be planted by various methods as described below:
S.N. Methods of
planting
Description
1. Seedling Soil is finely prepared. The required seed rate is 30 kg per hectare. The
seeds are very small in size therefore they are mixed with sand, soil or ash
for even distribution of seeds.
2. Dibbling of
roots
Cheapest and slowest but most commonly practiced method. Grasses with roots
are dibbled at about 15cm apart into the prepared ground. After sowing,
irrigation should be provided into the land.
3. Turfing Turfs are pieces of earth with compact grasses grown on them. Turfs are cut
thin and uniformly, in square blocks. They are spread on the ground side by
side. The entire turf area is placed into the prepared field and then
watered. This is the fastest method of lawn establishment.
4. Bricking This is the method to replace few unhealthy patches in well maintained lawn.
A piece of lawn along with soil is taken out in the shape of bricks, planted
and finally watered immediately. This method is used to rejuvenate the lawn.

7. 5. Planting on
polythene
In this method, lawn is grown on thick polythene. The polythene is cut into
suitable pieces. Then, a fine mixture of media (soil + FYM) and seeds is
sprayed over the polythene sheet up to a thickness of 3-5cm. The grasses
are allowed to grow over that polythene sheet. The advantage of this method
is that it can be rolled and taken to another place to create temporary
effect of lawn.

8. B) Management of Lawn
The management of lawn includes following practices:
(a) Mowing:
 It means to cut/ trim the overgrown grasses.
 It is done in old lawns.
 Interval of mowing depends upon the season and types of grasses used.
 During rainy and winter season, mowing is done at the interval of 7-10 days.
 During spring season, mowing is done at 15 days interval and during summer it is done at monthly interval.
 The general idea is that, height of the grass in the lawn should not exceed more than 5-6cm.
(b) Rolling
 Done to suppress the upright growth and to anchor the growth firmly in the soil.
 It also maintains the level of ground in the lawn.
(c) Irrigation
 Done on the basis of season, i.e. climate.
 Generally flood irrigation is done in the well established lawn but sprinkle irrigation is considered best.
 Irrigation interval decreases during summer season and increases during winter season. During peak rainy season no
irrigation is required.
(d) Weeding
 Hand weeding is done to stop over infestations of weeds.
 Cyperus spp. is one of the most problematic weeds in lawns.
 Weedicides like 2,4-D can be used to control the deep rooted weeds.

9. (e) Fertilization:
 Application of 50-60 g per sq. m. of mixture of 2 parts CAN (Calcium Ammonium Nitrate) : 1 part of SSP : 1 part
of potassium sulphate is done during rainy and spring season to maintain the healthy growth.
 Also spraying of urea @30 g per 10 liter of water is found to be useful.
(f) Scraping
 Done to renovate the old lawn of 3-4 years.
 Lawn is scrapped with the help of hoe (Khurpi) during summer months
 Before the start of monsoon, top dressing is done with the mixture of garden soil, sand and sieved leaf mould in
1:2:1 ratio.
 Bone meal @1kg per 100 sq. m. is also applied before the onset of rain.

10. C) Disease and insects of Lawn
The major diseases and insects of lawn grass along with their control techniques are given below:
(a) Disease, their symptoms and control measures:
(i) Fairy ring: caused by soil borne fungus. It appears as a ring of thin colored or dead grass.
Control measures:
 Can be controlled by drenching soil with Bordeux mixture or by spraying Blixton.
(ii) Pale or yellow lawn: caused due to water logged condition or lack of water. Deficiency of N is also a
possible reason.
Control measures:
 Proper drainage.
 Irrigation at regular interval.
 Supplementing N fertilizers in soil.
 Loosening the soil with the help of hoe.
(b) Insects, their damages and control measures
(i) White ants: forms small mounds around the entrance to their nests.
Control measures:
 Installation of physical barrier or other devices.
 Application of borate chemicals.
 Monitoring and elimination of white ant colony.
 Install chemical soil barrier at the base of various lawn structures.

11. (ii) Cut worms: eat grass stems near the surface of the soil causing
dead spots.
Control measures:
 Hand picking at night. Drop them into soap water after collecting them.
 Sprinkling of used coffee grounds or egg shells around your plants.
 Apply Bacillus thiringiensis (a bacterium) to naturally kill cut worms.
 Apply chemical pesticides in late afternoon to get best result.
 Light trap should be installed to attract and kill adult population.
 Plow or till the garden areas to expose cut worms and destroys their
winter habitat.
(ii) Grub: eat the root of grasses creating brownish dead patches.
Control measures:
 Deep summer ploughing and exposure to sun to kill the larvae.
 Use chemicals like carbaryl or Trichlorofon to control white grubs.
 Natural predators such as parasitic wasps and flies Pelecinus polyturator
(Drury)and the fly Pyrogota undata should be preserved and released.

12. THANK YOU
PHOTO 04/2021