Always make sure the grass you choose is suitable for your kind of climate. PHOTO | SALATON NJAU
Ever wondered why some lawns are always lush with green foliage that is attractive to the eye and draws you to take a nap on it?
Planting the right kind of grass is the first step to attaining such an enviable lawn. You need to identify the kind of seed for the intended purpose and ensure that it is compatible with the weather condition and soil type of your area.
Frequent mowing, fertilisation, irrigation and weed control then come in as the routine practices you need to carry out to train the grass to meet your desires.
Below is a brief guide on the types of grasses available in the Kenyan market, from which you can pick one for your garden.
Bermuda, Playmix, Evergreen and Shaddy mix grasses are a number of grass brands of South African origin that are popular in the country.
Bermuda grass is a dark green type of grass that fares well in hot weather and on open grounds. Because it withstands heavy traffic and recovers well from injuries, this type of grass is best for an area that is walked on frequently. As long as it is watered once or twice every week, the lawn will maintain its green colour and beauty.
“Bermuda grass has a spongy feel and forms a beautiful close-knit turf making it best for a golf course,” says Michael Kavia of Mika Landscapers Company.
Bermuda grass thrives well in acidic and infertile soil, a factor that makes frequent use of fretiliser ( topo dressing) unnecessary. You only need to apply fertiliser twice a year.
This grass is aggressive in growth and forms a tough turf making the environment unfriendly for weeds to grow.
Evergreen grass is also loved because of its drought-resistant factor that makes it suitable for dry areas like Athi River and Kitengela while Playmix is a carpet grass best suitable for pitches. The cost of maintaining the two is manageable.
Paspalum grass has a low-maintenance cost too that makes it ideal for gardens without fulltime gardeners. It does well in opens area and has rhizomes that help it spread, creating a tough turf, while at the same time forming a beautiful green lawn. It does favourably in cool environments and is what you are most likely to see in many homes in places like Nairobi and other higher climates.
According to Stephen Kiriku, of Well Cactus Company, Paspalum can be introduced in dry areas but will require frequent watering which may end up being quite costly.
Mud river grass bears blue and green narrow leaves that are also smooth in texture. It forms an attractive lawn especially in open areas but requires a lot of work because of the regular weeding it demands.
Zimbabwe grass grows well in shaded areas, for instance under trees, and requires frequent watering as well but it’s also quite popular among Kenyan gardeners. Although it performs fairly under sunlight, it is not able to achieve the rich green colour it gets under a shade.
Kikuyu grass is a drought-tolerant grass named after the Kikuyu tribe because of its dominance in Central Kenya. Although it is regarded as a weed in some regions, if well taken care of, it can grow into a beautiful lawn.
The grass is also known to prevent growth of any weed by releasing herbicidal toxins and therefore does not require constant weeding, like other grasses.
“Although Kikuyu grass forms beautiful lawns, you should not be fooled. It grow fast but the succulent spiked leaves make it very unfriendly for play. I do not recommend it for home gardens where children are usually playing outdoors,” says Kavia.
The grass also demands high maintenance cost because of the need for frequent mowing.
It takes time and care to get a beautiful lawn and Kavia recommends Bermuda lawn, which takes eight months to adapt to a new environment and grow, as the best lawn grass.
He discourages the use of animal manure without establishing what the soil lacks but advised a soil test before planting or adding any fertiliser.
Instead of using cuttings like the piles we see along Ngong road towards Race course, in setting up lawns, Kavia recommends seeds, noting that this guarantees five to 10 years before the lawn can be revamped.
To ensure that the lawn stays neat, any person keen on landscaping should own a lawnmower to keep the grass short, a string trimmer to cut grass located in places where a mower cannot reach and an edging sheer to keep the edges of the lawn trimmed attractively.
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