GARDEN TOPICS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 70, Issue 111, 23 February 1950, Page 3

GARDEN TOPICS

Laying Down New Lawns

Written for the “Guardian” by A. F. MORGAN. N.D.H. (N.Z.). F.8.1.H. (N.Z.). March is the best time of the year for sowing down new lawns and preparations for this work could well commence now. Disappointment can be avoided to a large extent by thorough preparation of the ground before sowing, and as the lawn is to be a permanent feature of the garden too much work cannot be put into the presowing cultivation. The popular belief that lawn grass will thrive on any piece of unprepared ground is not correct and is one of the chief causes of disappointment later on. It is customary to grow potatoes in the area intended for a lawn the previous season, and if this has been done the ground should be in order for forking and levelling prior to sowing the seed. Where new ground is being broken in it will be necessary to dig it over thoroughly and then fork • and lioo until all lumps are broken down and a fine surface layer of at least two inches has been obtained. Levelling is best carried out by “heeling” the area, that is going over the ground and tramping hard with the lieels in such a way that every square inch is covered. This ensures that every soft spot is consolidated, and if raking and heeling are repeated a very level surface can be obtained. The roller will not find out those soft spots and should be used for a final levelling prior to sowing the seed. The question of what type of seed to sow; is one which always crops up at this time of the year. For the home garden lawn, only the finer kinds should be used, and mixtures containing ryegrass avoided. Ready mixed samples of lawn grasses can be purchased, but to be perfectly sure of getting the type of fine lawn desired it is a wiser plan to purchase certified ingredients separately and mix in the correct proportions.

The following mixture will give a fine close lawn, easy to cut, and not requiring such frequent cutting as mixtures containing rye: Three parts of crested dogstail, two parts chewing’s fescue, and one part brown top. Crested dogstail is one of the finest grasses to retain good colour under the trying influence , of hot sunshine and prolonged drought. It is naturally a hillside and shallow soil inhabitant and in order to maintain a foothold and obtain an adequate supply of nourishment it spreads 6ut a great mass of roots near the surface, helping to make, a strong turf that ; will endure much treading without ill effects. Chewing’s fescue is well known as one of the finest and hardiest grasses, particularly for light porous soils. Brown top is similarly one of the finest and hardest wearing grasses, quite suitable for most soils and situations. The quantity of seed to sow under different circumstances, liut for the house garden one ounce 'of the mixture per square yard will suffice. It is always a better policy to oversow and thus ensure a quicker cover and eventually a better turf. Bare patches are an open invitation for all kinds of weeds to become established and this invariably happens when the seed has been skimped or sown unevenly. The most satisfactory fertiliser to apply with the seed is blood and bone at the rate of one ounce per square yard, but failing this, superphosphate at the same quantity will give the necessary root stimulant, although not supplying any nitrate. There is perhaps no more disappointing experience in the garden than to have a new lawn into which a lot of work has been put, spoilt by the ravages of grass grubs. This can be prevented by applying at the time of sowing, powdered arsenate of lead. at one ounce per square yard, which will keep the ground free of the pest for several years. Birds are of course always troublesome both because of the seed they steal and the dust holes they make if the ground is dry. However, if the seed is slightly moistened and a small quantity of red lead thoroughly mixed through it before sowing, trouble from birds will be largely eliminated. It is the usual practice to lightly roll the area after the seed has been sown and raked in, but if’ the ground is at all damp this is far better left alone. The roller will be far more effective later in the season when the young grass is an inch or so high, providing* the ground is dry enough not to lift. Any cracking or lifting caused by frosts will be remedied at the same time.

Patches of moss on lawns often give cause for complaint, and the question arises what to do about it. Lime is often recommended as a cure, but on its own is quite useless. Faulty drainage causing lack of air in the soil, or starved soil are the primary causes. Firstly tear up the mossy area with a sharp pointed rake and then aerate the area with a fork or spiked roller. Apply ferrous ammonium sulphate at one ounce per square yard plus a good dressing of sand and the trouble should disappear.

It is not advisable to use hormone weed-killers on very young grass, but once the turf is well established their use will ensure perfectly weed-free lawns. Vegetables and Fruit Garden

Sweet corn is very seldom grown in house gardens, but considering its ease of culture, and the food value of the cobs which are delicious when properly cooked, it is a crop well worth growing. The cobs do not take such a great deal of cooking provided they are picked just when the tanel begins to wither; if left beyond this stage seed naturally begins to ripen and go hard and they are very unsatisfactory for eating.

Early potatoes can be dug 5 if the ground is required for winter greens, or for sowing a green manure crop. Where any area is vacant, lupins, oats, or cape barley (but preferably lupins) should be sown for digging into the ground in early winter. With the excepiton of using compost, green manure crops are the best way of building up soil fertility. Owing to the need for continuous and usually intensive cropping, most home garden soils are lacking in organic matter, and it is therefore most important to dig in any available organic material; all rubbish which is free from diseases should be returned to the soil either via the compost heap or dug directly in. The average home gardener is unlikely to ever be in the happy position of having available more organic material than his garden requires.

. Stone fruits, after harvesting has finished, should be sprayed with lime sulphur at the rate of a tablespoonful to each gallon of water.