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You here: Landscaping / Lawns Lignohumate in turfgrass cultivation.
1. Making of a lawn 
A land plot allocated for a lawn first should be cleaned from debris, whereupon soil shall be prepared. Most lawn grass species are best grown on medium size (in terms of mechanical composition) fertile soil.
Humus content in soil is an important factor of soil fertility. Use of organic fertilizer (compost) for a lawn is expensive, and, most frequently, not affordable. Fresh dung is never used in lawns because of high content of undesirable plant seeds. Hence, concentrated humic fertilizer Lignohumate may be the most practical solution. Lignohumate (label A) at this stage is recommended to be applied in the amount of 2 kg per one hundred square metres, or ca. 20 g per m2. Humic fertilizers not only enhance soil fertility, but also contribute into maintenance of small-cloddy soil structure (according to specialists, soil clods should not exceed corn in diameter).
Any lawn is intended for long life, therefore, one should take care of plant feeding. Humic fertilizers are inserted during trenching or ploughing, and mixed with upper soil layer.
Preferable are combined fertilizers containing nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, recommended sowing rate being 2 to 3 kg per one hundred square metres, or ca. 20 to 30 g per m2. Humated organic-mineral fertilizers such as humated ammophos GOMU-AL-1.5 or humated azophoska (nitroammophoska) GOMU- AzL-1.5, containing 1 to 3% humic matters, proved to be most efficient materials for this purpose. Due to their unique composition, said fertilizers reduce wash-out of nitrogen from soil and allow to transform phosphorus into a form easier for plants to absorb. These fertilizers' sowing rate is lower by 20-30% compared with standard ones.
2. Turfgrass seeding
Recommended sowing rate is 40-50 g seeds per square meter, or 4-5 kg seeds per one hundred square metres. When preliminary seed treatment is feasible, it is recommended to steep seeds in Lignohumate solution with microelements (label AM) (2 g seeds per 10 l water) for 10-12 hours, then dry them to friable condition. This results in gain in germinating capacity by 5-10%, and quicker vegetation. When preliminary seed treatment is impractical, it is recommended to shower the lawn with Lignohumate (label AM) (5 g Lignohumate per 10 l water).
3. Lawn treatment
Watering and fertilizing. Shoots typically appear in 7 to 21 days since sowing, depending on weather conditions and grass species. At average, two-week period suffice for seed germination. Seed and germs will consume nutrients from the very beginning.
It is recommended to feed younglings with liquid organic-mineral fertilizers containing nitrogen (mandatory), phosphorus and potassium: the best solution for this purpose is Lignohumate label Ä-NPK (4-6 tablespoons per 10 l water). Further, Lignohumate label A should be applied (2 g per 10 l water). Lawn should be treated with Lignohumate once a week. Such treatment results in stronger plant vegetation, quicker growth of root system and bigger leaf area.
Lignohumate label AM is recommended for watering and foliar treatment (showering) at a rate of 1 g per 10 l water, in cases turfgrass is affected by drought, frost or overdose of mineral fertilizers or pesticides.
Plants need nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium for their normal vegetation, as well as calcium, sulphur, manganese, boron and other microelements.
Permanent cereals badly need nitrogen during first year of their life, therefore, treatment with humated organic-mineral nitrogen fertilizers is recommended, the best solution being humated carbamide type GOMU-SL-1,5. During growth period grass should be fed with nitrogen fertilizers at a rate of 45 g per square meter.
Normally it should be done twice a year: in early spring (immediately following snowmelt) and in midsummer. Since the beginning of August treatment with nitrogen fertilizers should be ceased, otherwise plants would have insufficient time to prepare themselves to the rest period, and remain vulnerable to winter cold.
Phosphorus fertilizers promote stronger vegetation and higher drought resistance. Humated superphosphate type GOMU-SL-1,5 is recommended as a phosphorus fertilizer. Apart from phosphorus it contains iron, manganese and molybdenum. This fertilizer should be applied thrice a year: in spring, in summer, and in autumn, at a rate of 16 g per square meter. 
Potassium is necessary for turfgrass throughout the whole vegetation period, to boost spindling. When applied in autumn, it promotes higher frost resistance. It should be inserted in three steps, at a rate of 10 g per square meter. Because of special role of potassium in turfgrass life, only potassium-based concentrated humic fertilizers may be recommended.
Whenever possible, lawn should be given organic fertilizers; as such, humic composts are preferable. They are typically applied after the last grass mowing before winter or in early spring, at a rate of 5 kg per square meter.
4. Root mate cultivation
Normally, root mate cultivation involves turfgrass sowing onto thin (2 cm) soil layer poured on a film. Seedlings are watered on daily basis and covered with a film for a night, in order to maintain optimum humidity. Lignohumate is essential for the technology in question, since daily watering promote better plant vegetation in a thin root-inhabited layer. Lignohumate boosts root system growth, which is important for creation of dense root mate layer. Lignohumate should be used to prior to root mate transportation, in order to mitigate transportation-related plant stress. Before being laid on a new spot root mate should be treated with Lignohumate label AM at a rate of 5 g per 10 l water, so as to stimulate rooting.
Dosing table
| Lignohumate solution concentration, % | Fertilizer sowing rate per 10 l water |
|---|
| Label
À, ÀÌ | Label
Á, ÁÌ | Label
Â, ÂÌ | Label
Â-NPK, BM-NPK |
|---|
| 0,01 | 1 g. | 5 ml. | 10 ml. | 20 ml. |
| 0,02 | 2 g. | 10 ml. | 20 ml. | 40 ml. |
| 0,05 | 5 g. | 25 ml. | 50 ml. | 100 ml. |
| 0,1 | 10 g. | 50 ml. | 100 ml. | 200 ml. |
| 0,5 | 50 g. | 250 ml. | 500 ml. | 1000 ml. |
| 1 | 100 g. | 500 ml. | 1000 ml. | 2000 ml. |
Warning:
Lignohumate solution whose concentration exceeds 1% inhibit plant vegetation.
The following safety provisions apply to handling Lignohumate:
Lignohumate is rated as hazardous matter Class IV; its contacts with eye conjunctiva may cause irritation. Use of goggles and rubber gloves is recommended.
In case of Lignohumate contact with:
- skin – wash affected areas with water;
- conjunctiva, tunica mucosa of mouth, or respiratory tracts – liberally wash affected areas with water or 2% baking soda solution (1 teaspoon per glass of water).
Lignohumate containers shall be stored in a dry room, inaccessible for children and animals, separated from food products, at temperature -10 Ñ to +300 Ñ (liquid forms) or -200 Ñ to +300 Ñ (dry forms). Used packing materials shall be disposed as domestic garbage.
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