Right natural grass your lawn

Grass makes a home look neat and attractive. It also covers the bare ground and prevents soil from being washed away. Before choosing the type of grass for your compound, factors such as; location of your home and the type of soil should be considered.
According to Ivan Nkata, a freelance landscaper, planting grass should be done during the rainy season while the soil is warm and damp. It is risky to do in the dry season as the grass may wither unless you will be watering it all the time.

“Start by thinking about the type of lawn you want and the growing conditions in your area. Will the lawn get full sun or partial? Will it get a lot of foot traffic?”
If you are unsure what type of grass you should grow, check out our Grass Seed Identifier article, which will help you find a grass type that matches your growing conditions. There are several types of grass that are suitable for landscaping and each has a different texture requiring different conditions to flourish.

Paspalum grass
Paspalum is indigenous to tropics around the world. Also known as turf grass, the grass grows to produce bright green to dark green leaves.
The leaves, depending on the variety usually range from a fine to a coarse texture. In Uganda, the grass is mainly used to landscape compounds and sports facilities. The good thing about this type is it is drought resistant and cannot be intimidated by shade.
“Even in the hottest of conditions, Paspalum will thrive. It will grow into a very thick turf even in sandy soils,” notes Ronnie Amooti, a lawn planter at Go Green Uganda.

Paspalum grows best in medium to fine textured clay to clay loamy soils with a pH between 6 and 8. This type of grass produces seeds but they are rarely viable, so the best option for propagation is through using stolon, or rhizomes of already established grass.

The trick in propagating paspalum is to make sure that the location where it is going to be put receives full sun. To plant, clear up the ground meant for planting the grass and even rake it to remove weeds and rocks. Add clay soils for better establishment if the soil in your area tends to be dry and light. Before spreading the planting materials water the ground thorough enough to have the ground moist enough.
Then transplant grass by digging up large, stratified pieces of grass tops, roots, sprigs, stolons or rhizomes. Bury the clumps in well-tilled, moist soil maintaining the soil level from the previous growing site.

Compact the soil gently around the roots without crushing the roots and water the transplant deeply. The rhizomes will establish in 7-14 days but during this period, keep the soil very moist.
Mow your Paspalum to create a neat green lawn carpet. Less attention is needed in disease and pest control as the grass is less susceptible to common grass diseases and pets.

Nkata adds that most landscapers plant Paspalum because it forms a high quality turf even in poor conditions such as water logged areas, swampy areas and shades or areas that receive minimal light and have salty soils. “It is easy to control weeds in Paspalum. When weeds sprout through it, one can easily get rid of them by pouring some salty water. The weeds will die and the grass will survive.” Paspalum low is sold 30,000 per 100kg sack.

Pemba grass
Also known as buffalo grass, this has a rough texture but grows faster than any other types of natural grass. It looks so green and nice. Pemba grass forms a very thick sod. This enables it to completely out-crowd weeds.
Pemba grass has excellent shade tolerance shade tolerance as long as it is growing in a warm climate so it grows well under trees but direct sunrays make it look yellowish.

Amooti says, “This type also spreads and is propagated by stolons so the leaves and roots grow at the nodes of these stolons. It grows very aggressively. It therefore requires frequent mowing to keep it spreading, to control weeds and to keep it looking nice.”
The disadvantage with Pemba grass is that it has poor cold tolerance. Pemba is sold at Shs25,000 per 100kg sack.
Cape royal grass
Also known as Zimbabwe grass, Cape royal has fine, green, soft and gentle texture with a very thin stem which make it delicate to weeds. It needs high maintenance such as high water needs on a daily basis especially in the early stages and has poor shade tolerance and should only be grown in full sun.

“Cape royal is a variety of Bermuda grass with small leaves and stolons. It is a creeping lawn grass that grows by sending stolons sideways and roots develop at each node. Like all tight growing creeping grasses, cape royal out-competes weeds well,” Nkata says.
Cape royal grass has a high heat and drought tolerance. Therefore, you can grow Cape royal in dry and hot areas where water can be scarce. Cape royal can be grown in sports facilities where there is a high traffic and frequent mowing.
Caperoyal is sold 40k per 100kg sack

Carpet grass
It has bigger stem and is very prickly. “It should be planted for lawns which are wet, acidic and less fertile sandy soils where they can easily grow. This type of grass may be attacked by insects.
It does not need a lot of care and maintenance such as a little mow once in a while. Carpet grass is 50k per 100kg sack.

Centipede grass
Centipede can be established from seeds or stems. Synonymous to its name, centipede grass grows slowly. It takes longer to completely cover an area, but can produce a thick and beautiful lawn.
Much as it can grow under shade, it grows best in full sunlight. It produces only surface runners. Most home owners grow it around flower beds and walkways.
You will notice that centipede grass exists in most compounds because it can be grown where soils are less fertile and it has low maintenance requirements.

He says, “If properly managed, there are very few pest problems. It is the ideal grass for a person who wants a fairly attractive lawn that needs little care since it does not require much fertiliser or mowing.”
However, compared to other grasses, centipede grass is generally resistant to most insects and diseases. If managed well, it develops into a very attractive turf. During the first mowing, centipede grass should not be over trimmed before the growing season begins,” advises Amooti.

Amooti says it is attacked by nematodes (microscopic worms). “They can pose a threat on centipede grass. They attack grass roots and cause the grass to thin and die. In order to get rid of nematodes, one needs to apply less nitrogen, provide less frequent but deep watering and add soil fertilisers consisting of potassium and phosphorus.”

Soil preparation
Once you’ve chosen the area for your future lawn, you’ll want to prepare the soil before seeding. First, use a sharp shovel to remove any existing grass, or, if it is a large area, rent a sod cutter to get the job done faster. Then, take a walk around and inspect the area.
Remove large rocks and debris, fill in low spots, and if your soil is compacted, work it over with a tiller. Your goal is to break the soil down to pea- or marble-sized particles, which will serve as a welcome mat for the grass seed.

Prepare the soil by skimming off any old grass, removing large stones and weeds, and then roughly levelling. Fork over the site and rake level the soil to leave a fine finish for your grass.
Once the ground has been levelled, transplant your lawn seedlings in the evening and ensure that you water the grass as often as possible to prevent it from drying up. Aim to keep the top inch of soil consistently moist, but not soggy.
When the lawn reaches about the height of three inches, , reduce watering to about twice per week, soaking the soil more deeply (about 6 to 8 inches) each time to encourage grass roots to grow down deep in the soil.

Aftercare
At the height of three inches, you may want to mow your lawn. Make sure you only remove the top third of the grass blades when you mow. Adjust your mower to a high setting to keep the lawn nice and thick because when you cut it too short, it weakens the grass.
While the grass is still new and developing, avoid as much foot traffic on the lawn as possible. You can keep traffic off the area with a string to prevent people from walking across it.
Carefully weed the area by hand, removing any weeds before they flower. As the grass continues to grow, it will stifle weed growth.

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