Grass Cultivation – Today, grass makes life easier!

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What a pleasure to find, at the awakening of spring, its dense lawn in the garden … Modern grass varieties simplify our life: less weeding, less mowing, fewer holes in the lawn

Grass to avoid weeding

With the ban on the use of synthetic plant protection products from 2019, if you are a gardener you will not be able to treat your lawn or your paths. Although it does not concern the installed lawns, it will remain the earth paths to weeding: how to do? “Rather than weeding mechanically or manually, or allow to develop a wild flora, a good idea is to prairie grass areas where we may be left without the invasion of unwanted grasses, advocates Jean-Marc Lecourt, president from the French Society of Turfgrass. If the soil is well prepared and its surface flat, with varieties having the crucial ability to quickly establish sodding increases the lift of the ground and may be suitable for walkways. He continues. 

It is an effective solution provided that the implantation is successful: prepare the soil well, but especially choose varieties that have been selected for their speed of growth at the start to occupy the soil before the other plants, for their density and density. disease resistance . It exists !

No beautiful lawns without adequate varieties

The varieties in quality turf are all included in the lists of the catalog official of speciesand varieties catalog which guarantees their authenticity. Their different abilities are noted by an independent official body: the Geves (Variety and Seed Study and Control Group ). 

Each registered variety is the culmination of 15 years of research! “Varieties are increasingly selected for specific uses,” explains Jean-Marc Lecourt. We do not expect the same thing from plants in decorative lawns, public recreation fields or sports fields. In the trade you find associations of species studied for infinitely varied uses. “.  There are quality labels corresponding to the various uses.

So many unsuspected differences between varieties

Do you want to sow a lawn where you will play football? “Certain varieties really have the capacity to better resist trampling or tearing, which is a crucial criterion for sports fields,”says Vincent Gensollen, head of the Geves grass variety registration testing network. In the same way, the density of the foliage and the intensity of the grass green vary according to the variety. Another key criterion is the time to regrow. Varieties are indeed selected for their very slow growth. It becomes possible to mow, for example, only 2 to 3 times a year in communal areas such as cemeteries where one seeks precisely to limit maintenance.“For two years, the criterion of grass growth, determining the number of clippings, is noted in the registration tests, says Vincent Gensollen. It was measured that between old and new varieties of English ryegrass and tall fescue, the main species of turf, the volume of mowing was halved! “. 

Even if species associations are sown, all their components must be of quality. “We do not make good mixtures with bad constituents, says our specialist. We therefore study the varieties and not the associations because we can not test the innumerable cases of figure, but our notations inform well on the quality of the components. “.In the face of the disappearance of phytosanitary products, it becomes even more important to choose varieties of high quality turf. Regarding the purchase of seeds , Vincent Gensollen explains: “A low-end turf will be sparse and sensitive to diseases: this is explained by the existence of an antagonism between the development of the vegetative system of the plant and that of the reproductive parts. , the seeds. A variety that is good for the grass is therefore often bad seed, and the price of seed is affected. “ .

Isabelle Ferrière

The inscription of lawn varieties, a lever for quality

There are 222 varieties of 13 species of turf grass on lists of Catalog French official. To be registered, the varieties must bring a more, on precise criteria, compared to the well-known control varieties. Candidate varieties are cultivated and logged for 3 years in the official National Test Network, which is under the Ministry of Agriculture. This network comprises 13 sites in France and in other European countries representative of our different climates.

The criteria relate to agronomic and environmental value. Are noted: the installation, the behavior vis-à-vis the trampling, that vis-à-vis the diseases, the color of the foliage, the density of the grass, the fineness of the foliage, the slow growth, the durability and, finally, the overall aesthetic aspect.

All evaluation results are published on the choisdugazon.org website, to help you choose your varieties or find information about those in your mix.

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