ORNAMENTAL HORTICULTURE (2+1)

Method of planting

If irrigation facilities exist, a lawn can be laid out any time during the year. Under Indian climatic conditions it is better to sow after one or two monsoon showers, while the grass root is planted at the beginning of the monsoon. The different methods for starting a lawn are by

a) seed sowing
(b) dibbling
(c) turfing and
(d) turf-plastering.


From seed
If grass-cuttings or roots are not easily available, one should go for the seeds. It is important to secure good quality seeds free from weed seeds. Doob grass seed is very light and fine and proper care should be taken during sowing. Prior to sowing, the surface when relatively dried up, is scratched to a depth of 2.5 cm with the help of a garden rake. The total area should then be divided into equal plots of 200 to 300 square meters to ensure even sowing of seeds. The sowing should be preferably undertaken on a windless day. The seed is divided at the rate of 500 g per 200 square meters and mixed with double the quantity of finely sieved soil and broadcast by hand. After sowing is completed the rake is drawn lightly twice in opposite directions to mix up the seed. The ground should then be rolled with a very light roller. It will be advisable to cover the seeds with a thin layer of finely sieved soil. The plot should be watered at regular intervals with a water can having a fine hose.Watering can be done with a hose-pipe with a fine hose. Sometimes, ants carry away the seeds and to prevent this soil should be treated with an acaricide (Lindane, Chlorpyriphos, Heptachlor, etc.). The seed germinate in about 3 to 5 weeks from sowing. When the grass is about 5 cm tall it is clipped with a pair of garden shears. Initially the lawn mower is not used as this will uproot the grass. If the germination is patchy, re-sowing will be needed to cover such areas.

Dibbling
After the land is ready, well-matured both unrooted and rooted doob grass cutting is obtained from a close-cut lawn or nursery or from a lawn-scraping. The roots or grass thus obtained are dibbled (planted) in the ground when it is slightly moist at 7-10 cm apart. The soil is kept moist by frequent watering till the grass sprouts. Roots of doob grass sprout easily and the cuttings or off-shoots root readily under moist condition and within 5-7 weeks the grass will be ready for first cutting. By this method a lawn will be ready in about four months.

Turfing
The quickest method of developing a lawn is by turfing, but the cost is prohibitive. Turf is a piece of earth of about 5 cm thickness with grass thickly grown over it. The pieces may be of small squares or in rolls small width (30 cm or so). The turf must be free from weed and consist of the required lawn grass. These should be laid closely to each other in a bonded alternate pattern, like bricks in a wall, in the already prepared ground. Any unevenness in thickness can be corrected by under packing or removing some of the soil before putting in position. Along the joints sandy soil should be filled as packing. Bone-meal is dusted in the prepared ground a few days prior to turfing. The turf thus laid is made firm by a wooden beater made out of heavy block of wood and fitted with a handle. The grass is immediately watered copiously. By this method a lawn will be ready for use in a very short time.

Turf plastering
A paste is prepared by mixing garden soil, fresh cow dung and water. Bits of chopped-up fresh roots and stem or rhizomes of doob grass are mixed with this paste and the paste is spread evenly on the surface of the prepared ground after moistening the soil. The paste is then covered by spreading 2 cm of dry soil and watered at regular intervals. This method is not very suitable especially in a dry and variable climate.