Content
- Maintain a meadow
- Meadows must be mowed regularly
- Meadow fertilize - yes or no?
- Lime meadow
- Tips & Tricks
Maintain a meadow
No question: The care of a classic lawn is much more complex and complicated than that of a meadow. Nevertheless, you must not leave a meadow to yourself, because it suffers on the one hand, the biodiversity and on the other hand, the beauty or usability of the same.
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The most important care measure is the mowing. Meadows - no matter what they are - should be mowed at least once a year, better still two or even three times. The mowing is necessary, otherwise the sensitive and less assertive meadow flowers and herbs are replaced by more robust species and disappear quickly. Basically, the mowing is a form of weed removal. Be sure to get the timing right for the mowing. Consider the flowering status of the meadow flowers and herbs that are present: if these have largely faded, you can mow. Leave the crop for a few days to allow ripe seeds to fall to the ground. After that, the crop should be cleared.
Meadow fertilize - yes or no?
Normal flower meadows, which merely stand in the way of a lawn, do not really need fertilizing - quite the contrary, because a fertilization can, depending on the nature of the meadow, cause quite harmful consequences. Before you think about fertilization, you should analyze your lawn carefully and have the fertilizer needs tailored exactly to your needs. For this you can have a soil sample carried out - but also look at the plants there once more closely. Some meadow flowers thrive on rather oily soil and from time to time need a nitrogenous fertilizer (eg meadow daisies, dandelions, daisies), while others prefer lean soil. However, there is always the rule of thumb that the more grasses grow, the richer the soil is - a lowland meadow therefore has the greater variety.
Lime meadow
Above all, you should pay attention to so-called pointer plants: dandelion, stinging nettles, clover, couch grass and Co. stand for a rich soil, which has a Ausmagerung necessary. Plants such as Ackererlörgel, Ackerziest, Wiesensauerampfer, Pansy, dog chamomile or rabbit clover thrive mainly on acidic soil. If you notice such a vegetation, you can counteract with the application of natural lime. The best time to lime is spring, although this can be done in the fall.
Tips & Tricks
If you have created a meadow, you need a little patience. It may well take several years for a robust plant community to develop. Whenever possible, bald spots should be sown so that no unwanted weeds settle and spread.