Grass

Principal species the graminaceous ones used

The principal species the graminaceous ones used for sowings of lawns of gardens or sports grounds are:

the Rye-grass English
the Fescue S reds traçantes, 1/2 traçantes or turfing
the high fescue
the Meadow grass of the meadows
the Bent-grass S

These various species were initially selected on the aptitude to make dense and perennial covers. On the basis of natural qualities of the wild species, these parents were then improved for better resisting trampling, to be less sensitive to the diseases, to form a cover finer, denser or pushing less.

To be complete, it should be said that a grass never remains in the state in which it was sown and it is normal , as all the mediums it evolves/moves, the species the graminaceous ones brought with the grass enter in competition with the local wild species (often qualified bad grasses, in spite of an esthetic, agronomic interest and sometimes medicinal some…).

With the climate change in progress, species specific to the tropical areas come to supplement the lists of the traditional varieties like the grass kikuyu, originating in central Africa, used more and more in the south of France for these quality of adaptation to the dryness.

Maintenance

The cut of the grass is done using a Lawn mower, but its maintenance can require other tools:

the Edge cutter or the Shears, to polish the work of the mower in the difficult places of access or around the plantations,
the roller, mainly during the installation of the lawn and also at the time it sowing for making well adhere seeds on the ground.
the Rake or the Lawn rake, to withdraw the dead sheets for example,
the Scarifier or extractor fan, to air the ground.

In the areas where the rain is not enough, the grass requires some waterings if one wants to maintain it quite green, and imperatively the first year after sowing for a good rooting.

The use of anti-foamers or weeding selective (although not very advisable from an ecological point of view) makes it possible to eliminate for a certain time from the plants considered to be undesirable by certain owners such as the Trèfle, the Pissenlit, the Digitaire, the chicorey, the oxalis, lupulin, ground the ivy, the plantain, the grass has lice, the grass has chip and others Pâquerette S…
Les foams can be treated by a ventilation of the ground and a raking with fine rake.

Environmental impact

The grass is preferred by the ecologist S with the artificial lawns or the naked or waterproofed ground, because it protects the ground and allows the cycle of water. But it can also be artificialisant and generate various negative environmental impacts:

It is in many zones at the origin of an important water consumption of watering, and it is often about drinking water.
On the poor and sandy grounds, it is often enriched in manures, which are washed by the rains and waterings, polluting the Ground water and/or the surface rivers
On a country scale as the USA where turfed surfaces are very wide, a bad management of shearings can be at the origin of considerable methane emissions (cf bad Compostage). Worse, shearings are often thrown with the household refuse where they will finish by méthaniser in a discharge or burned in a Incinérateur by wasting fossil fuels.
the grass is at the origin in certain countries, the USA in particular, of an important pollution of the air, water and grounds by the Pesticide S. Some cities (with the Canada for example) think of prohibiting the “cosmetic” use of the pesticides for the maintenance of the gardens and public spaces, including in the Golf S.
Its maintenance intensive is source of noise, harmful effect whose inhabitants of the cities and suburbs complain.

Sometimes for its reasons, its Empreinte ecological can and paradoxically to be very high.

Ecological management and thus differentiated

This form of management proposes an alternative to the English grass requiring an expensive intensive management and producing a homogeneous and poor grass in cash and in Biodiversité; A more ecological management imposes a management known as differentiated , preserving zone more rarely mowed or mown, possibly moved slightly year on the other, to accommodate a flora and a higher animal biodiversity, and to approach natural ecological balances by copying to some extent the effects of heterogeneous chattering by the herbivores in nature. The spontaneous and indigenous flora is preserved there, while controlling the ligneous family by shearing or the mowing.
Cette management allows a better protection of the ground, even its restoration, as well as the seed rise on part of the grass (favorable to the adaptation of the grass to possible climate changes or local conditions), and the conservation of a greater number of species the herbaceous ones which make it possible for example to better support the very wet dryness or period. Flowerings spread out in time and space offer an aspect more varied. In its pushed version, the grass evolves to the flowered Prairie, while keeping if the owner wishes it an aspect of perfect English grass in the routes, which can then be maintained only by means of one small mechanical mower with hand. The time saved with less mowing can be occupied refining management in question. It takes approximately 5 years to pass from a homogeneous grass to a diversified grass evolving to a flowered meadow. The poorer grounds will be naturally recolonisés by a greater number of species, which will push less quickly (thus requiring less maintenance), this is why this method promotes the abandonment of the utilisaton of manure (except leguminous plants such as clover) and the exportatoin of the products of mowings, at least for part of the ground. It is not rare that orchises and other plants locally become rare or having disappeared since from the decades reappear then spontaneously.
Ce standard of management is often associated with architecture known as HQE

Other types

One also speaks about the flowered grass, alternate ecological which requires less maintenance, less shearing and not of Engrais, for végétaliser of the tramcar lanes downtown.

On the other hand, there exists also synthetic grass, in Plastic (like the Polypropylène), used for certain grounds of Sport.

Other significances

Cinéma' cursed Grass a Film French realized by Josiane Balasko (1995).

See too

Lawn
Lawn mower
Green
enherbée Band

External bonds

Botanical Varieties of grass Description of the most common varieties by the image

More on the lawns, their maintenance and species with grass to be sown most suitable: http://www.pelouses-net.com

List species: http://www.pelouses-net.com/pages/espece1.htm

Quotation

a gardener who massacres a lawn is an assassin bleaches on grass of it (Raymond Devos)

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