Proper winter storage of seeds. How long does lawn grass sprout after sowing How long lawn grass seeds are stored

Recently, lawn grass has begun to enjoy increasing popularity among domestic agronomists. Beginners in this business often wonder how long after planting the grass will germinate. The answer will depend on many factors, which will be discussed in today's article.

How long does it take for lawn grass to sprout after sowing?

How long does it take for lawn grass planted in spring to sprout? How quickly does the lawn sprout after sowing in the summer? The end of spring and the beginning of summer are the most favorable time frames to sow grass mixtures for the lawn. How quickly seedlings will rise depends on several factors. First of all, it is a type of lawn grass.

• Red fescue is the main component of shade-tolerant grass mixtures. Subject to all agrotechnical rules and favorable weather conditions, seedlings should sprout in 7-12 days.
• For growing parterre lawn, several varieties of fescue, bent grass and bluegrass meadow are used. When planting in spring and summer, seedlings should germinate after 9-13 days. If you sow in the fall, then the seedlings will sprout in the spring.
• For the design of the Mauritanian lawn, flowers and cereals are used. Depending on the weather conditions (temperature and air humidity), the quality of the seed and the observance of the rules of care, the duration of seedlings may appear from 9 to 16 days.
• An ordinary lawn is not inferior in its decorative properties to the above, however, there are several varieties of them. Bluegrass will take 10-20 days to germinate, while ryegrass will take at least a week.

Note! It usually takes two weeks for a sports turf to germinate.

How long does it take for lawn grass to sprout after sowing?

Poor seedlings germinate: causes

If the grass mixture was successfully chosen, then soon the agronomist on his site will be able to contemplate an attractive green living carpet. But in some areas, shoots may germinate poorly or unevenly. There may be several reasons:

• Failure to comply with all sowing rules. The optimal depth of immersion of the seed is not more than 2-5 mm. In this case, the seeds are protected from overdrying and pest attacks, they are able to provide themselves with the optimal amount of nutrients from the soil.
• Another equally common problem is an uneven lawn. Most often, seedlings do not appear in the lowlands and on the hills. To achieve the desired result, it is recommended to level the area reserved for the lawn before sowing.

If shoots do not appear at all, then you should familiarize yourself with the following most common reasons:

• Lack of drainage layer, poor drainage.
• Low soil moisture.
• Wrong time for sowing.
• Exceeding or insufficient norm for seeding.
• Nutrient deficiency in the soil.

Seedlings do not germinate well

How long does the lawn grow, what prevents the seeds from germinating? These and many other questions concern beginners in this field. Experts also recommend paying attention to the following points:

• Often the reason for the lack of seedlings is the use of low-quality seed. Before purchasing seeds, you need to pay attention to the expiration date and quality of the seed.
• In order for plants to actively develop, mineral and organic fertilizers must be applied to the soil.

Lawn grass is able to create an attractive picture in each summer cottage, but in order to get the desired result, you need to familiarize yourself with the agrotechnical rules and cultivation features.

31.03.2017

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When buying seeds, pay attention to their expiration date. When reviewing the seeds of your own harvest, determine if they are suitable for planting by comparing with the storage limits given below.

●10-12 years - purslane;
●6-8 years - watermelon, melon, leafy cabbage, cucumber, squash, pumpkin;
●5-7 years - endive, escariole, sweet corn;
●5-6 years - vegetable peas, watercress, beans;
●4-5 years - white cabbage, Brussels sprouts, Chinese, cauliflower and kohlrabi, radish, radish, turnip, table beet, asparagus, tomato, physalis;
●3-5 years - eggplant, okra, hyssop, broccoli, red cabbage, Beijing and Savoy,
● 3-4 years - basil, salad mustard, oregano, chervil, coriander (cilantro), batun and leek, lovage, chard, carrot, borage (borage), pepper, lettuce, salad chicory, spinach;
●2-3 years - anise, katran, catnip, turnip onion, marjoram, lemon balm, peppermint, parsley, rhubarb, cumin, dill, fennel, sorrel, tarragon;
●1-2 years - parsnip, celery, skortsioner, savory.

It must be borne in mind that with an increase in the shelf life of seeds, their germination decreases, the growth force changes slightly, and the number of female flowers in a number of crops increases.

Expired seeds

By the way, even if the seeds have expired, do not rush to throw them away. So, for example, seeds of pumpkin crops (zucchini, squash, cucumbers) do not lose their germination capacity for 6-8 years. And even after the expiration date indicated on the label, they can sprout normally.

Tomato seeds are slightly less viable - 5-6 years old, but almost every summer resident had the opportunity to verify the high germination of older tomato seeds. The margin of safety for seeds of pepper, eggplant, beets, cabbage is 3-5 years.

Well, the seeds of onion, dill, carrots, parsnips, parsley lose their sowing qualities faster than others. Under favorable conditions, seeds can retain their germination much longer, and under unfavorable conditions, they lose it before the term.

There is practically no doubt about the germination of seeds packed in foil bags. Unless the packages have been opened, of course. Old seeds should definitely be checked in advance so that, if they are unsuitable, there is time to buy fresh ones.

First, just inspect the seeds. If they look beautiful, without obvious flaws, feel cool to the touch, a little damp, then there is hope that the seeds and their germination have been preserved. Wrinkled, gray-looking, dry and warm to the touch seeds cannot be awakened to life.

The exception is sugar pea seeds: their wrinkling should not scare you. The germination of dill, carrot, celery, parsley, parsnip, cumin, marjoram seeds can be determined by smell: old seeds lose their inherent aroma and, therefore, germination.

Germination of seeds, terms of germination and ripening of vegetable crops

Very often gardeners ask such questions.
How to check seed germination?
How many days will they come up?
- What is the seeding time?
- When to sow and when to wait for seedlings?
How many days do the seeds of a particular vegetable germinate?

When will the first shoots emerge from the ground?
- How many days to wait for the harvest after germination?
- When can I harvest?

Knowing the timing of the emergence of a particular vegetable crop is very important for calculating the date of sowing vegetables for seedlings.
Remember that all seeds have an expiration date, after which germination can be doubted. For example, the shelf life of seeds of celery, onion, batun, leek, sorrel, rhubarb - 2-3 years, dill, parsley, tomatoes, eggplant, pepper, carrot - 3-4 years, peas, beans, cabbage, radishes, turnips, salad mustard - 4-6 years, watermelon, melon, pumpkin, cucumber, zucchini, squash - from 6 to 8 years.

Beet seeds can be stored for 10 or even 20 years. And the beans do not lose their germination capacity until 700 years (it’s even hard to imagine). These terms cannot be considered strictly established.

If certain conditions are observed (the required humidity, temperature, tightness), then the seeds of many crops can be stored for a longer time. And under poor storage conditions, their germination can drop sharply. A useful procedure in preparing seeds for sowing is calibration.

It allows you to separate high-quality from empty flowers. To reject empty flowers, it is customary to dilute salt in water, throw seeds in there, leave them for a while (from half an hour to 2 hours).

Those that pop up must be thrown away. There is no 100% germination, but you can find out what percentage will rise in advance. Determining the germination of seeds is easy. We need to create favorable conditions for them to grow. We take seeds of any culture and place them between two layers of gauze.

It is not necessary to take a lot to check the germination. Enough 8-10 pieces. From above we cover the moistened seeds in gauze with a film or a saucer and put it where it is warm.

Shelf life of vegetable seeds

Periodically, at least once a day, ventilate so that mold does not appear, check whether they have sprouted. Seeds that have roots or sprouts are considered germinated. Each culture has its own period through which they sprout.

If radish, for example, did not sprout after 7 days, and zucchini after 10 days, then do not even try to sow such seeds. If they didn’t germinate at home, then they definitely won’t germinate in the garden.

It also happens that the test showed good germination, you sowed them in a bowl for seedlings, but they do not sprout. There is a very simple way to prepare seeds - to "make" seedlings appear faster from the ground.

True, it is more suitable for small containers. Place your seed bowl inside a plastic bag and breathe into it. Then quickly tie the bag, put it in its original place.
The carbon dioxide you exhale, its concentration inside the bag will have a beneficial effect on seedlings. Soon you will see the first sprouts. Germination can be increased by heating. To do this, place the seeds in a thermos with water, the temperature of which is 40-50 ° C.

Keep them there for at least 6 hours.
This method is contraindicated for tomato seeds!
It is better to subject them to the hardening procedure. Rinse seeds calibrated in salt water. It is advisable to disinfect them with a solution of manganese or a solution of colloidal silver.

After all this, place the bowl with seeds in a plastic bag and refrigerate where you store vegetables for 10-12 hours. Repeat this procedure daily for a week.

That is, the seeds are at room temperature for 12 hours, and the remaining 12 hours in the refrigerator. Seeds of crops such as carrots, celery, parsley germinate for a very long time, because the essential oils that are present in their shell prevent water from entering the embryo. Therefore, the seeds of these plants must be processed before sowing. The seeds of these crops are placed on a marlechka (one marlechka is one vegetable), placed in a saucer and poured with a thin layer of vodka (40 °).

Leave them there for 15 minutes. During this time, most of the essential oils will dissolve. Then rinse the gauze with seeds in cool water several times.

Dry until flowability. All. You can sow. Thanks to this method of processing, the seeds will sprout much faster.

decorative, created at landscaping objects - in gardens, parks, squares, forest, meadow parks, boulevards, residential and industrial buildings.

Decorative lawns are an important part of landscaping. They place volumetric elements of the composition - trees, shrubs, flower beds, garden furniture, courts and sports grounds, garden sculpture.

Decorative lawns are of several types: parterre, ordinary landscape gardening, meadow or mixed, flowering. Currently, landscape designers use various combinations of lawns.

Parterre lawns. They are created in the foreground of compositions, at the entrances, around fountains, sculptures, decorative ponds. Usually they are round or rectangular, but in a small house, lawns of various shapes are possible.

The following requirements are imposed on parterre lawns:

They must maintain a uniform juicy color throughout the entire growing season;

Have dense, low, evenly closed herbage.

To create parterre lawns, perennial grasses are used, undersized, with a thin structure of stems and leaves, a low-lying tillering bush and a high intensity of its development (meadow grass meadow, red fescue). Parterre lawn is usually created from one or two types of grasses, which form a homogeneous herbage and can be combined with trees and shrubs.

Ordinary landscape gardening lawns. Such lawns are more natural, and their arrangement and maintenance is less labor intensive. They are the main part of the turf cover and consist of local, part of wild herbs. The main requirements for them are based on practical considerations. These are resistance to mechanical damage, durability, decorative effect, shade tolerance. The turf of such a lawn must be tear-resistant and vertical puncture-resistant, resistant to horizontal shifts and damage.

To create an ordinary lawn, cereal grasses with various types of bush tillering are used: rhizome, loose bush and rhizome-loose bush. In this case, mixtures of three to five types of herbs are used, such as meadow bluegrass, red fescue, common bent grass, perennial ryegrass; in the southern regions, hairy bent grass, sheep fescue, wheatgrass, awnless bonfire, two-row paspalum, comb or other similar mixtures can be used.

Meadow lawns. Such lawns are arranged on large areas of parks, forest and meadow parks. They are more natural and environmentally friendly, as they do not disturb the ecosystem, as is the case with classic lawns by removing some types of plants and sowing others.

Such lawns are created, as a rule, by improving existing grass stands of natural origin. The territories allotted for glades and lawns and covered with natural herbage are subjected to partial loosening, coarse weeds are removed from the surface, and then grasses of cultivated species are sown; along with cereals, legumes are sown - clover, alfalfa and some others.

Blooming lawns. These are lawns of flowering plants that are created in the glades and lawns of large parks and forest parks, in residential areas.

Such lawns are annual (from poppy, cornflowers, alyssum, toadflax, iberis, viola, marigold, escholcia, marigold, verbena) and perennial (from clover, poppy, chamomile, yarrow, bluebell). It is allowed to introduce small bulbous plants, such as scylla, muscari, tulips, saplings, hyacinths, daffodils. Grasses in grass mixtures for flowering perennial lawns make up at least 40–50% to preserve the overall green background.

Sports lawns. Particularly stable coverings with low bushy grass, which are created in gardens and parks and are used as courts, playgrounds and playgrounds. A site with natural turf used for such purposes quickly loses its appearance.

Turf on such lawns should have increased strength and be resistant to mechanical damage, and quickly recover.

The strength of the sod depends on the composition of soil mixtures, underlying rock, drainage, as well as on the species composition of herbaceous plants, the content of various types of grasses in grass mixtures.

Lawns of a special type. Designed to improve the space, strengthen the soil, are of great sanitary and hygienic importance. The turf of lawns improves the ecological situation, eliminates the dust content of the air.

The lawn absorbs harmful emissions, dust and gas, and also has noise-absorbing properties. Grasses evaporate water and thereby increase air humidity and regulate the thermal regime of the territory.

The microclimate of the site improves significantly if it has a lawn. This creates not only comfortable living conditions, but also contributes to better fruiting of trees and shrubs, the yield of garden crops.

How to arrange and grow a lawn? Once you have determined the type of lawn that you need, it remains to choose how to create it. You can choose from the following options, each with its own benefits:

Sowing seeds of lawn grasses on a prepared surface;

Hydroseeding - applying seeds to a prepared surface as part of special solutions;

Sodding, or laying out rolled turf on a prepared surface.

Characteristics and seeding rates of seeds of lawn grasses

Lawn grasses are divided into one-, two- and perennial.

By the type of tillering and root formation, as well as by height, they are classified into rhizomatous (undersized and creeping); loose bush (horse); dense bush (not forming turf and having a hummock-shaped dense bush); rhizomatous-loose bush (having a tillering node, like in loose bush herbs, and stems, like in rhizomatous herbs).

When organizing a lawn, it is necessary to take into account that the seeds of lawn grasses have an extended germination period, take root weakly, and poorly withstand the effects of adverse factors during germination and grass stand formation. They are small, have a small supply of nutrients, and have a relatively low germination rate. The larger the seeds, the greater their absolute mass, the higher the germination, economic suitability and germination energy. Low germination and low germination energy have meadow bluegrass seeds, high germination - perennial ryegrass seeds. When arranging lawns, grass seeds of a certain state standard are used. To obtain friendly and full seedlings, seeds of the first and second class are used. By means of experimental field-growing and meadow-growing works, the calculated sowing rates of 1 kg of seeds for a number of types of lawn grasses have been established. At the same time, such characteristics as the size and absolute weight of seeds, their economic suitability, as well as the type of shoot formation, the nature and rate of development of individual grass species in ontogenesis, and the vitality of cenopopulations in cultivated herbaceous cenoses were taken into account (Table 1).

Table 1. The ratio of lawn grasses in grass mixtures when sowing them on various soils

To create lawns, various grass mixtures are used depending on the climatic and soil conditions of the area, taking into account the ecology and biological characteristics of plants. The principle of compiling a grass mixture is to mix grass seeds of various types of tillering, the location and thickness of the root system, and different heights (usually 2–5 types of grasses of predominantly rhizomatous, loose bush types of tillering).

The seeding rate of lawn grass seeds is calculated using a special formula:

where N- norm of grass mixture; n- the calculated seeding rate of seeds in the pure form of this type of grass, kg / ha; R– the percentage of participation of this species in the grass mixture in its pure form, %; D– actual economic suitability of seeds, %. Before starting work on the lawn, grass seeds are prepared in a special way. Thus, the seeds of ryegrass and bluegrass, which have hairs and have poor flowability, are passed through a scarifier 40–50 days before sowing. 10 days before sowing, the seeds are laid out in the sun and heated for a week, as a result of which their germination capacity increases. To increase germination and reduce the germination period, the seeds are soaked in a 0.1% urea solution for 24 hours, and then they are washed and dried. To avoid damage to seedlings by diseases and pests, they are treated with TMDT (400 g/c), 40% phosphamide emulsion concentrate (800 g/c) mixed with granosan (200 g/c). Seed treatment with fungicides and pre-sowing treatment with fertilizers should be carried out simultaneously.

For the arrangement of lawns, seeds of grasses zoned for a given soil-climatic zone should be used.

Preparing the soil for creating a lawn

The surface of the area for the lawn must be flat, planned according to the design marks of the vertical layout of the object.

Before arranging the lawn, a base is prepared - the underlying layer (subsoil) and the root-inhabited soil layer of the fertile land.

If there is a vegetative layer of earth on the site, then it should be loosened, harrowed, cleaned of debris and weeds, fertilized and topped up with fertile soil to the design marks. The thickness of the top fertile soil layer should be at least 12–20 cm.

During the work on vertical planning, the existing vegetation layer is in most cases pre-raked and collected in heaps. Next, the surface is leveled and the underlying layer is loosened to a depth of at least 15–20 cm, followed by disking. Sand should be added to clay soils that are heavy in mechanical composition, and peat and loam should be added to light sandy soils to give cohesion and increase water-holding capacity. The structure of the underlying layer of the base must be porous in order to ensure normal water and air exchange with the plants. When preparing the upper root layer, it should be taken into account that the soil reaction should be slightly acidic (of the order of 5.5–5.6), and in terms of mechanical composition, the soil should be medium, light loamy or sandy loamy and have a crumbly structure (the soil is loosened to particles of 1– 2 cm). When preparing the root layer, mineral fertilizers are applied to the soil.

Approximate doses of fertilizer application (kg/ha):

In the forest zone, on podzols: nitrogen fertilizers - 40–50; phosphorus - 60–90; potassium - 40–60;

In the forest-steppe and steppe zone, on chernozems: nitrogen fertilizers - 20–30; phosphoric - 40–60; potassium - 30–40.

When leveling the vegetable soil, fertilizers are evenly distributed. Harrowing is carried out after a few days. Plowing and loosening, leveling the underlying layer of the base is carried out using mechanisms on wheeled tractors. The plant soil for the top layer of the base is transported by light vehicles. The leveling of the top layer is carried out by microcultivators with appropriate attachments.

Seeding herbs

Before sowing, pre-treatment of the surface of the site is carried out. The top layer is leveled and freed from large stones and other foreign matter.

The structure of the top layer should be finely lumpy, free of debris. For this purpose, the area is plundered with cutting of large lumps, after which the surface is rolled with a roller weighing 75–100 kg with a rough (ribbed or toothed) surface. Thus, the entire area is leveled, large clods of soil are removed, favorable conditions are created for retaining moisture in the capillaries of the soil layer, which will subsequently be used by young seedlings.

On large areas, seeds are sown with the help of fertilizer seeders. They also use special machines that carry out several operations: sowing seeds according to the established norm, applying mineral fertilizers (mixtures) in dry form, planting seeds in the soil to a depth of 0.5–2 cm using special rakes, rolling the site using a lattice roller.

The moisture content of the soil layer over the entire depth of the base should be at least 60% of the total field capacity. In dry weather, before sowing, the soil should be moistened to the entire depth of the base. The best sowing dates are spring and autumn (simultaneously with winter crops); for arid regions - February-March. With sufficient soil moisture, the lawn can be created during the entire growing season.

Small grass seeds (bluegrass, bentgrass) are planted to a depth of 0.5–1 cm, larger ones (ryegrass, fescue) - 2–3 cm. over the entire area. This creates a favorable microclimate for seeds, and seedlings are more friendly and even. Seedling care consists in watering and timely weeding. The first mowing of the herbage should be carried out after the beginning of tillering and when the grass reaches a length of 8–10 cm. For irrigation, it is best to use sprinklers.

Odernovka

Sodding, i.e., laying ready-made turf, is used to strengthen slopes, edges of paths and flower beds, cover small areas, and repair lawns.

Turf is acquired in specialized farms, harvested in natural meadows or grown specially. If you prefer the latter method, then on the “nursery” site, under the layer of nutrient substrate on which the grasses are sown, you should put a film or any other covering that is impermeable to the roots. The substrate for cultivation consists of high and lowland peat mixed with fertile soil in equal parts or peat with composts (4:1). The thickness of the substrate is up to 10 cm.

The substrate must be neutral. If the reaction of the mixture is acidic, lime must be added; the application rate is 2–3 kg CaCO 3 per 1 m 3 of the substrate. The optimal acidity of the substrate is pH 5.6–7.5. Mineral fertilizers are applied to the prepared mixture according to the norm: for potash - 36 kg / ha, phosphorus - 40, nitrogen - 60–90 kg / ha (per 1 m 3 of the mixture: 1.5 kg of superphosphate, 1 kg of potassium nitrate and 0.5 kg of ammonium nitrate).

Lawn grass seeds are sown on the substrate, and the seeding rate is increased by 1.5 times compared to the usual one. Sowing is done in spring, the optimum temperature for grass growth is 15–24°C. Crops are watered regularly, 2 times a day. The amount of water should not be more than 3-5 l / m 2. Then they switch to one-time watering at a rate of 10 l / m 2. Watering can be combined with liquid fertilizing with mineral fertilizers.

After the grass in the sown area grows above 12–15 cm, mowing is carried out, leaving 4–5 cm. The finished turf easily rolls into a roll. It is cut into strips 4–6 m long and 1–1.5 m wide; chopped turf is twisted around a wooden stick in the form of a rolled roll. Such rolled lawns can be purchased at specialized farms. The highest quality and most sustainable lawns are grown on thermo-hydrophilic plates and plastic mesh. This turf is used for laying on sports and playgrounds and is extremely resistant to wear and trampling.

Before laying the turf, the soil is prepared. The site is loosened to a depth of 10-15 cm, moistened and rolled with a lattice roller. Sod rolls are spread over the prepared surface; the edges of the turf tapes are tightly adjusted to each other and temporarily fixed with wooden pins. The seams between the tapes are filled with vegetable soil. Grass seeds are sown in places of seams. The entire area of ​​the new lawn is watered and rolled with a roller weighing up to 0.5 tons in two mutually perpendicular passes.

After 10–12 days, the sod grows to the soil, and after two weeks, the overgrown grass can be mowed. Watering a new lawn should be plentiful, but not more than 60-70% of its full moisture capacity.

When using natural turf, the area from which you intend to remove the turf is cleared of weeds, loosened, mineral fertilizers are applied to it, lawn grasses are sown, surface grounding and watering are carried out. The next year, the turf can be used for its intended purpose. Sod is prepared with special sod cutters, cutting it into strips 25–30 cm wide, 3–4 cm thick and 30–90 cm long, depending on its strength. Then they are stacked in such a way that the pieces of turf are in contact with the roots. Laying sod on the plots is carried out in the same way as laying rolled lawns.

The turfing method is simple and versatile, it can also be used when arranging slopes, natural and artificial elevations, near water bodies, swimming pools, at playgrounds and sports grounds.

The sizes of the harvested turf can be different - from small plates of 30? 30 cm to rolls over 1 m long. Sod can be stored for 5-7 days, while it should be laid out on the surface of the site, shaded in hot weather and watered periodically. Compacted sods are abundantly moistened: five times watering is necessary for their rooting.

For sowing slopes, the following composition of the herbal mixture is used: meadow bluegrass - 30%, meadow fescue - 30, white bent grass - 30, white clover - 10%. With slopes of more than 45 °, instead of fixing by sowing seeds of lawn grasses, sodding in a cage is used, which is carried out by laying sod strips in two mutually perpendicular directions. The distance between the sod ribbons when sowing lawn grass seeds inside the cells is no more than 1.5 m, when planting shrubs and flower plants - no more than 1 m. The cells are filled with vegetable soil, which is compacted flush with the sod ribbons. To fix the side of the subgrade, the edge of the turf tape is deepened into the ground.

With partial turfing, pieces of turf of any configuration are left between the sections.

There are several options for filling such cells. A group of perennial flowering plants, shrubs or lawn grasses that differ from the mixture of grasses of the main background looks very good inside the cells.

Sodding is best done during the most intensive growth of lawn grasses: in spring - from May 15 to June 15; in autumn - from August 15 to September 15 and in summer from July 15 to August 15 (for the northern regions).

Creation of lawns by hydroseeding

This method is used when the lawn is supposed to be laid out on poor soil, difficult areas, for landscaping areas of rocky hills and steep slopes of both natural and artificial origin. During hydroseeding, the surface of the site is sprayed with an aqueous mixture consisting of lawn grass seeds, mineral fertilizers, peat and film-forming agents, which ensure that the seeds are fixed on the soil surface.

When hydroseeding, shrub seeds can be added to the mixture intended for landscaping hills and slopes. Before sowing, the site is mulched; chopped straw, sawdust, peat chips, fertilizers are used as mulch, accelerating the formation of humus. Latex is used to strengthen sandy soils. The latex film is preserved for 25-40 days and protects the seeds, ensuring the rapid emergence of seedlings, the tillering of cereals. Under the protective layer, a microclimate is created with an optimal thermal and water regime, which contributes to the rapid germination of seeds and the development of herbage.

Hydroseeding is carried out using special machines and devices. The working mixture is applied twice to achieve a more even distribution over the surface of the site.

If hydroseeding is done on a flat area with good soil, the base is prepared in the usual way. Before hydroseeding, the surface is leveled and harrowed to give a roughness that promotes better sticking of the mixture. There is no pre-irrigation for hydroseeding.

During the operation of landscaping objects, it is necessary to competently organize their care, taking into account the purpose of the lawn and its use, the species composition of grasses, the content of substances in the soil root layer, and its physical properties.

Lawn care measures should ensure the optimal structure and moisture of the soil, the presence in it of the nutrients necessary for the growth of grasses. These include: watering the herbage, its timely mowing, fertilization, weed control, mechanical processing of turf, earthing, protection against pests and diseases, maintenance and overhaul.

Watering - one of the most important lawn care measures. The vital activity of the herbaceous cover is supported by the optimal water regime both in the soil and inside the plant itself. The water regime has a direct impact on plant nutrition, the intensity of their vegetative renewal, and the general condition of the entire plant community.

The herbage is provided with the necessary supply of moisture for its growth and maintenance of decorativeness. The optimum soil moisture should be 70-75% of the total field capacity of the soil, so it is recommended to water or irrigate the lawn until the soil is moistened to the depth of the root layer (15-20 cm).

Surface irrigation is ineffective. The irrigation rate depends on the soil and climatic conditions of the area, weather factors and the biology of grass development. On heavy and medium loams in the forest zone, the lawn irrigation rate is 15–20 l / m 2; in the steppe zone - 20–30; on light loams and sandy loams - 10–15 and 15–20 l / m 2, respectively. The need for watering is determined by a cut piece of turf 10 cm thick: if the upper part of the turf is 1/3 dry, then the lawn area requires watering.

Lawn watering is carried out with the help of sprinklers in large areas and with hoses with spray nozzles connected to the water supply network in small areas.

Water the lawns immediately after mowing the herbage. The total number of waterings per season can be from 5 to 20 or more, depending on the soil and weather conditions. On sandy soils, watering is carried out more often, on clay soils - less often, after 10–12 days.

grass mowing- a measure necessary to activate the sod-forming process and tillering of grasses, increase the stability of the lawn and its decorative effect. Grass stands should be mowed systematically (Table 2).

table 2 Lawn mowing time

Parterre and ordinary lawns must be mowed at a height of 3-4 cm for small-stemmed grasses and at a height of 4-5 cm for large-stemmed ones. A young lawn is mowed when the shoots reach a height of 15–20 cm.

The multiplicity of mowing parterre and ordinary lawns - once a decade, meadow lawns - much less often with a cut height of 5-6 cm. On average, the herbage is cut 20-30 times per season on a parterre lawn and 5-10 times on an ordinary lawn. Meadow lawns are mowed after the first flowering of meadow grasses. The last time of the season, lawns are mowed about 25-30 days before the onset of frost, so that the grass has time to get stronger and accumulate enough nutrients. The cut grass is removed so that the turf does not ripen under the rollers left after mowing.

Small areas are mowed with manual mowers with a working width of 30 cm, and lawns among plantings of trees, shrubs, flower beds - with hand-operated motor mowers.

On large parterre areas of the lawn, self-propelled mowers with a working width of up to 80 cm are used, and sports lawns are mowed with the help of special self-propelled lawn mowers, the working width of which is 100-120 cm.

Lawns are mowed in parallel stripes. With each subsequent haircut, the direction of the stripes should be different.

To reduce the number of lawn mowing, chemicals are used - growth inhibitors, such as MMC (maleic acid hydrazide), as well as other special preparations.

4–5 days after mowing, the lawn surface is sprayed with 0.1–0.3% inhibitor solutions. The herbage becomes thicker due to the growth of side shoots. The use of growth inhibitors is effective on special lawns, slopes, embankments, slopes.

The edges of the edges of the tracks must be trimmed to prevent overgrowth. The turf is cut from below, turned away and removed from the site.

Application of fertilizers. The lawn needs constant fertilizing. Fertilizers in dry form are scattered over the lawn area; on large areas, seeders can be used for this purpose.

Applying liquid fertilizers is more labor intensive. The solutions are prepared in advance and poured into the tanks of sprayers or watering machines.

In the first year, cereals need nitrogen and phosphorus. A special need for nitrogen occurs in the spring, when the soil is not yet warmed up. After mowing the herbage, the need for all nutrients increases sharply. Nitrogen is needed for growth, potassium - for the formation of new shoots and tillering. At the end of the growing season, the need for phosphorus and potassium increases - elements that increase frost resistance. From organic fertilizers, composts and humus are used, evenly distributing them over the surface of the lawn. Top dressing is carried out observing the optimal ratio between nutrients (Table 3).

Table 3 Norms and terms of application of mineral fertilizers when fertilizing lawns

Organization of flower beds

Flower beds of various forms are created according to the principle of landscape or regular composition. The more interesting the landscape, the more diverse and original flower beds can be.

Landscape flower beds- groups, arrays, mixborders, single plantings, as well as flowering lawns, usually created from perennials of various shapes and sizes.

Flower beds of regular composition- these are parterres, flowerbeds, flower beds, flower groups, stripes, borders, vases and flower beds made of various materials (concrete, ceramics, wood, etc.) (Fig. 13).

Rice. 13. Stationary flower girl

Arrays- large-scale compositions of plants in which the main effect is achieved by color. Create arrays of perennials.

Arrays of peonies, tulips, daffodils, chrysanthemums, phloxes, etc. look good.

No less spectacular are arrays of plants of two colors, which can be decorated in harmonious or contrasting combinations, for example, white and purple lilies, white daffodils and red tulips, tulips of two contrasting colors.

In terms of size, the arrays are arranged both from the same height and from plants of different heights. Sredneroslye with a small difference in height give the effect of volume. The best for arrays are perennials that are well leafy and retain their decorative effect throughout the entire vegetative period.

Effective for planting plants that give secondary flowering (lupine, poppy, delphinium).

Groups - the most common and rather spectacular type of flower arrangement, which looks both well-groomed and natural, especially when the group is located on a green lawn. The area of ​​the groups can be very different, as well as their configuration. Groups may consist of perennials, sometimes combined with biennials or annuals that bloom after flowering bulbous perennials (tulips, crocuses, daffodils). Groups of large plants of the same species look good, for example, from astilba, lupine, lilies. Plants of contrasting forms are also used: hostas and lilies.

Groups are placed closer to the viewer than an array. There are simple and complex groups. Simple groups are created from plants of the same species and are selected in such a way that the plants that make up them bloom at different times of the season.

Complex groups consist of several species of both perennial and annual plants. In this case, the focus is on the placement of plants in height. The arrangement of plants of different heights depends on how the group itself is located. If it is visible from all sides, then tall plants are planted in the center, and low plants are planted along the edges. If the group is adjacent to a wall or fence, tall plants are placed in the background, and low plants are in the foreground. Groups look better when they are not connected by a clear geometric shape.

Mixborders- decorative borders, the characteristic difference of which lies in the variety of flower cultures. Due to the fact that different plants bloom in a certain period, the mixborder changes all the time without losing its decorative effect.

The mixborder is placed near the tracks along an elongated line. Plant compositions are repeated at regular intervals. Groups can be of various shapes, both geometric and more complex.

As additional elements, stones, pebbles, gravel, river sand are introduced into the mixborder, interrupted by paths and steps.

In stepped mixborders, plants are selected by height: tall - in the background, medium-sized - in the middle, low - in the foreground.

In the background, flowering shrubs, delphiniums, lilies, mallows are used. In the middle plan, plants of medium height are located: tulips, daffodils, chrysanthemums, irises, perennial daisies. In the foreground is the place of the most undersized and ground cover plants. A mixborder can consist of both annuals and perennials. In order for the mixborder not to look too colorful, the main plant is selected, which will set the tone during flowering. If you think carefully about the change of the main plants, then you can ensure that the mixborder will always have an elegant and expressive look.

Coniferous and other low-growing shrubs are used to create a mixborder. The bush becomes the center of the group and a composition of plants of different sizes is formed around it.

Partners - a special type of flower beds, which are arranged in the most prominent places in front of the house, in the center of landscape compositions (Fig. 14).

Rice. fourteen. Parterre composition in front of the house

Parterres are created from the most beautifully flowering perennials, biennials or annuals of various types. To create parterres, you can use a variety of combinations of plants or several varieties of the same species. Groups of plants are combined with paths, decorated with decorative vases, sculptures. You can arrange a parterre at the fountain. The contours of flower groups are bordered by a low border or a strip of ground cover plants.

flowerbeds- the most common type of flower beds of regular composition. The shape of the flower beds can be arbitrary, the main thing is the presence of a certain composition. Place flower beds in conspicuous places.

Flowerbed decoration may be seasonal. For example, biennials (daisies, crocuses, violas) bloom early in spring. In summer, seedlings of letniki, deciduous-flowering, carpet forms are planted in various combinations.

It is possible to design different forms of flower beds. Paintings, portraits, sundials, various flower ornaments are laborious in execution and look good only in large flower beds.

One of the complex forms is the creation of three-dimensional compositions (vases, sculptures, animals) from carpet herbaceous plants on a frame.

Rabatki- these are strips of plants from 0.5 to 3 m wide, which are placed along paths, paths and along the edge of the lawn. Stripes are arranged by planting one or more types of plants, mostly annuals.

borders - narrow strips of low and cover plants 0.1–0.5 m wide, used to border the edges of flower beds, borders, passages. Created by dense plantings of annual or perennial flowering plants.

Flower and decorative landscape compositions- alpine slides, rocky gardens - alpinetums and rockeries (Fig. 15.16). They are created in difficult areas, hills and slopes. Places that are not suitable for a vegetable garden and a garden are ideal for such compositions. Dwarf and creeping plants are used, which go well with stone. Species suitable for rocky areas: vervain, weasel, iberis, alpine aster, sedums, speedwells, alyssums, cinquefoil, primroses, scylla, viola, arabis, periwinkles, ground cover plants, mosses, lichens, creeping herbaceous plants and shrubs. You can use low bulbs (crocuses, hyacinths).

Rice. fifteen. Alpine slide

Rice. 16. Rocky hill with a waterfall

Light-loving plants are more suitable for sunny slopes and peak decoration, and shade-loving and moisture-loving plants are more suitable for eastern and northern slopes. When arranging rockeries, it is better to lay stones asymmetrically and naturally. The stone must be taken from the same formation - an embankment or a hill. Plants take root more easily on established rock formations that have already been exposed to the wind, overgrown with moss and lichens. The main requirement for the material used is uniformity, strength and chemical inertness.

Lime rocks (dolomite, travertine, layered limestone) are suitable for rockeries. Limestones are warm, water and air permeable stones. Near them, plants develop better. For planting in stone, porous tuffs are indispensable, into the pores of which plant roots easily penetrate.

A good building material is sandstone, which is dominated by quartz. These are porous breathable rocks. Their only drawback is their fragility. The most valuable are sandstones that contain lime - they are durable and favorable for plants.

Granite boulders are rarely used as a decorative inclusion, because the soil next to them quickly becomes acidic.

To create terraces and strengthen the slopes, volcanic rocks (basalt, diabase, gabbro, volcanic tuff) are used.

With the help of crushed stone and gravel, drainage can be arranged. It is good to mix dolomite and lime-containing gravel into the soil for alkalization. Plants that love acidic soil are more suitable for peat. Pine needles improve the growth and development of heather plants.

The stones are sunk into the previously prepared soil tightly, about 2/3 of the height, so that it naturally comes to the surface.

In watertight areas, drainage is made of sand or gravel with a layer of 15–20 cm. A layer of loose earth is poured onto the drainage and stones are laid. Plants are planted between the stones.

Vertical gardening also belongs to decorative devices from woody and herbaceous plants. Climbing plants are used to decorate the facades of buildings, fences and other objects and are placed on special supports - walls, fences, gratings. With the help of these plants, a solid green mass is created, which gives a dense shadow. Plants with aerial roots do not require supports (ivy, five-leaf grapes). They are used for landscaping non-plastered walls.

Plants clinging to a support with leaf stalks or leaves are placed against smooth walls equipped with supports.

Plants that wrap their stems around the supports and spiral upwards (lemongrass, tarragon, ipomoea) should rest on thin slats so that they do not slide down. On trellises and screens, thick wire is used for them.

When decorating walls and fences, it should be borne in mind that climbing plant species quickly spread along the facade and close windows, so the plants are cut. When designing pergolas, it is necessary to monitor the growth of plants and prevent them from spreading excessively. In addition, pruning forces the plants to branch and makes the vertical carpet dense and uniform throughout its height.

Source: www.redov.ru

Quality seeds right from the start

With the onset of physiological ripeness of seeds, germination and energy reserves are optimal and maximum. This is the time when our farmers start harvesting seeds.
Seeds are dried immediately after harvest in order to achieve a moisture content of 12-13%. Eo allows the seeds to be best preserved. Gentle and gentle control of the seed preparation process also guarantees you a high quality product with a long shelf life. However, the seed is a living organism and seed aging begins immediately after harvest. The purpose of storage is to provide conditions for slowing down the aging process.

Humidity and temperature
Low humidity is much more important than low temperature. You may experience problems if the seeds are exposed to large temperature changes. In this case, air circulation can contribute not only to the transfer of heat, but also moisture from one seed to another. This is possible due to the different temperatures of warm and cold seeds and the condensation of atmospheric moisture on the seeds in the package. High seed moisture activates seed respiration and leads to energy loss.

Effect of storage conditions on shelf life

Temperature and humidity determine how long you can store seeds. Each seed has a built-in “best before date counter” showing how long the seed can be stored.
Graph 1. Deterioration of seed quality over time*

* - on the chart, vertically - seed germination, horizontally - storage time

In graph 1, line A shows the maximum storage period of sowing qualities, while line B shows the effect of poor storage conditions in storage. When storage conditions deteriorate, seed germination deteriorates accordingly. In most cases, germination will remain stable for a long time before it begins to decline.

Optimal seed storage conditions

In general, cold and dry storage conditions make the environment better. The best storage conditions are at a relative humidity of 30% or less and a temperature below 15°C. The purpose of the temperature regime is its stability. It is much more important to maintain the stability of the temperature regime than simply to maintain the level of low temperatures, i.e. storage in the range of 15-17°C is much better than in the range of 8-30°C. Darkness is the third condition for optimal seed storage. Light stimulates and promotes seed germination, and so keeping in the dark helps keep these processes low in seeds.