Today having a beautiful looking lawn is becoming important to more house owners every year. There are two ways in which you can achieve this, you can fit the lawn yourself or you can hire a specialist landscaping company with expertise in lawn installation. Whichever option is best for you it is wise to learn about the process involved.
When deciding on the type of lawn installation to proceed with, there is the choice of using seeds or turf. Turf has become the most popular choice as it will take hold much faster allowing you to use the lawn quicker. The next question involves which type of grass to use. Although the most commonly used varieties are Kentucky grass and Buffalo grass it may be better to choose a local variety where possible. This is because it will be better suited to the climatic conditions in your region.
When creating your landscape plan it helps to minimize the area of lawn so as to improve the overall water efficiency; this is more of a concern today than in the past due to well-known environmental and ecological factors. You need to consider whether it makes sense to have narrow strips of lawn close to paths and fences. Such strips are likely not to be able to hold sufficient water to flourish.
To have a successful lawn installation it is vital to prepare the ground well. The soil has to be treated in a manner to provide the grass with the right conditions for it to flourish and last. Important considerations include having an even layout, good contours, excellent drainage, and healthy topsoil. You should not design the lawn in such a way that it is sloping towards your house if it cannot be helped.
Anybody that has experience with laying a lawn will know that it is best to use a well drained loam as topsoil. Sandy or gravelly options may dry out too fast especially during the summer months. Clay based soils are best avoided as they can contribute to water logging. More often than not, the soil that already is present will be adequate enough.
You can better the quality of your top soil by adding organic matter such as general compost, rotted mushroom manure, peat moss, or even chicken manure mixed with sawdust. If you plan to add such matter then you need to make sure that it is evenly dispersed throughout the lawn area to give a equal growth boost to your new grass.
Most professional lawn installation companies will also add a small amount of lime to the topsoil and then till it all over. For this you could use a roto-till, or a pitch fork if you are fit enough. The ground should be broken up to between depths of four to six inches and then left to stand for a few days. The next stage involves raking the soil over to produce the right levels and then compacting and rolling.
It is well worth taking the time to conduct a decent lawn installation as it will result in a garden area that is hard wearing and will last for many decades.
If you are in the orlando area and are in need of sod installation visit Ground Source Landscaping or call 321-231-5961 Orlando Sod Installation | distributed by Orlando Marketing Firm InBusiness, Inc.
November 13th, 2009
Joe Mouad
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