Laying out and maintaining dry lawns correctly - this is how it works

Laying out and maintaining dry lawns correctly - this is how it works

An overview of important site conditions

If lean, sandy conditions prevail in a garden, the area is ideal for creating dry grass. You not only create a decorative appearance, but also a valuable small biotope. In order for a poor lawn to grow well and thrive, the location should be like this:

  • Full sun to sunny location
  • Sandy, well-drained soil
  • With little humus and minimal nutrient content

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South-facing slopes or pronounced limestone soil offer dry lawns excellent growth conditions. In addition, poor grass is very suitable for areas with sandy soil.

Soil preparation and deployment - how to do it right

Where the ideal living conditions for dry lawns are not naturally given, you can help a little with soil preparation. Follow these steps:

  • Dig the intended lawn area 40-50 centimeters deep
  • Fill the small pit with a 35-34 centimeter high layer of gravel and grit (€ 12.80 on Amazon *)
  • Spread a 5-10 centimeter thin layer of sand and topsoil on top
  • Before sowing, work the substrate into fine crumbs and smooth it out with the rake

Distribute the preferred seed mixture evenly with the spreader or hand spreader and work it lightly into the substrate with the rake. Finally, water the seedbed with the lawn sprinkler (€ 27.94 at Amazon *) and the finest water jet.

These plants thrive in dry grass

We recommend sowing regional grasses, herbs and perennials so that a poor lawn is established over many years. The following overview presents some typical candidates for the dry lawn:

  • Grasses: sweet grass, quaking grass, eyrie red fescue, golden oat, meadow foxtail
  • Herbs: yarrow, meadow bellflower, sage, ribwort, rough dandelion
  • Perennials: snow heather, mountain sand bells, heather carnation

This is how you maintain grasslands with expertise

The type of dry grass sown determines in detail what care is important. If you choose a low-growing mixture of herbs and grasses for an alkaline subsurface, the maintenance is different from that of lean lawns for alkaline-stressed soil with a height of 60 to 100 centimeters. The following premises apply to the cultivation of dry lawns in general:

  • Do not fertilize grasslands
  • Only water once a week if there is a summer drought
  • As soon as it rains again, stop irrigation

Tall dry grass is mowed once or twice a season, in July and September. If you create a small, poor lawn, it will be cut four to six times per season. Since a conventional lawnmower is not designed for mowing, experienced gardeners use scythe.

Tips & Tricks

The perfect maintenance of dry lawns is no longer a headache if your garden is suitable for keeping sheep and goats. When these animals graze on a poor lawn, all the requirements for regular mowing and nutrient supply are naturally met.