There are certain gardening practices that are worth doing while others can be a mere waste of time.
For instance, lawn rolling is one of these practices that some people believe to be a waste of time while others think it is the right thing to do.
Some people believe that it is important to roll lawn during springtime. As such, this article critically looks at the question of when to roll your lawn.
Arguments Against Rolling Lawn
Rolling your lawn can compact the ground while 50 % of healthy earth should be empty spaces. These spaces are filled with air and they allow water to seep through during the time you water your lawn or when it rains. When grass grows, its roots fill these spaces and they do not grow into the soil.
Therefore, when you compact the lawn, then it means that the roots will have nowhere to grow. The result is poor healthy lawn and it will struggle to grow particularly in spring when it should experience a booming phase in terms of growth.
The water will simply wash on top of the grass after compacting your lawn. This will also mean that the flowing water will wash away vital nutrients resulting in poor quality grass.
However, rolling out your lawn is not completely bad since there are certain instances when it is required.
You can only do this practice when it is really necessary but there are also certain steps that you should take. The following factors are essential to take when you decide to roll your lawn.
When to Roll Your Lawn?
You can roll your lawn after seeding since this helps the seed to get into close contact with the earth. When you spread the seed on the bare lawn, you need to compact it to enhance germination.
The practice is optional since the germination goal can be achieved through raking. Compacting can be beneficial where the lawn is patchy.
The other scenario when rolling your lawn is recommended is when you lay new sods of grass. This practice will enhance deeper growth of roots when they are compacted such that they can reach greater depths. The new sods of grass should not be left exposed since they may dry up.
Winter season can also bring about changes to the texture of the soil. For instance, winter that is characterized by longer mild periods and cold snaps can lead to soil heaving. Therefore, rolling the lawn is one good way of correcting the problem.
When you compact the law, it is a greater way of filling the void created in the earth during the period when conditions are not stable.
The other period when you can consider rolling your lawn is after notable mole activity. Moles can spend some time burrowing into your lawn and the practice of rolling it can help to level the bumps created during the period.
The technique of rolling your lawn is effective since it helps the earth to fill unnecessarily large gaps created as a result of mole activity.
Apart from these periods, the practice of rolling your lawn may not be necessary since it can only lead to issues with your soil. You should make sure that you role your lawn when there is a real need to do that.
However, there are also certain things that you should consider when rolling your lawn.
Factors to Consider When Rolling Your Lawn
When you decide to roll your lawn, make sure that you do it when the ground is not soaked but just damp. If the ground is soaked, then the practice will encourage soil compaction which is not good for the growth of the grass. The grass needs air to grow so if you compact the soil, circulation of air is suppressed.
The other thing to consider is that you should not use a heavy-duty roller on your lawn. A heavy roller may impact negatively on your lawn since it can compact the soil.
When the soil id heavily compacted, it can affect the growth of the grass since water may not easily penetrate the soil but just runs on top.
The best period for rolling your lawn is spring when the grass is actively growing. The grass will be coming out of dormancy and it will be entering an active growth stage such that it can recover from the stress of rolling.
You should also avoid rolling your lawn in winter when the ground may be frozen. Summer is also not a good season to roll your law since the ground is baked.
The other important aspect to consider is that you should not roll your lawn annually. You may end up damaging the law as a result of compaction of the soil. You should only roll the lawn when it is really necessary.
You must also avoid rolling your lawn on heavy clay soil. It compacts quickly than other types of soil.
