How to Make a Croquet Lawn
OSGF
In this blog series, Oak Spring’s interns and apprentices share their stories of working and learning in our gardens, fields, forests and farm. This post was written by our 2023 Horticultural Apprentice, Bennett Meeks.
The Croquet Lawn at Oak Spring Garden Foundation in which the Mellons’ used to play.
As the weather is beginning to turn into Spring, the child inside all of us yearns to play outside. Croquet is a game for all ages and can be a great way to connect outdoors. The space needed to play croquet is generally a lawn, sometimes referred to as a pitch, that is reasonably flat. These spaces have historic significance to humans dating back to the first lawns where people would meet at communal grazing areas, resulting in the grass being trimmed where they could meet and discuss business and the like. Bunny Mellon’s garden at Oak Spring has several lawns, one being a croquet lawn where she, friends, and family could enjoy a game.
In order to enjoy this fabulous game, one must first prepare the lawn. Professional (yes I said professional) croquet is played on pitches that are mowed to five millimeters and are perfectly level. It is unreasonable to expect any homeowner to have a reel mower that can cut at that height, so we prepare our lawns for thick, consistent green grass that still allows for great play when cut longer.
To begin, the lawn must be assessed for its content: meaning, where do you build your pitch to play croquet? Does it have a slope? If so, in what direction? Are there any visible dirt patches? What about obvious groupings of weeds? Once you are able to answer these questions, we can dive into the work. This should all be done in either the spring or in late summer to early fall. However, since most weeds germinate during the spring, reseeding during the late summer often fares with better results. However, this does not limit your options during the spring, because the more time you put into it, the more it will show. This same process can be replicated during both seasons.
First, we need to prepare the ground. The main focus for germinating grass seed is soil to seed contact and soil moisture. To do this we need to prepare the ground– first cutting the existing lawn to 1.5 to 2 inches to increase seed to soil contact which promotes germination. Then, if possible, core aerate the soil. Soil core aerators are fairly simple to use, and are often available for rent from local machine rental stores, such as United Tools. They can be very helpful to reduce compaction in the soil, as well as taking away part of the thatch layer which adds air and light to the soil and lawn. Depending on your access, about 3 passes over the lawn from different directions is sufficient.
After about two to three days, rake up the cores and compost or dispose of them accordingly. As a budget friendly option, the soil cores can be crushed and mixed into fresh topsoil in the next step, however, adding a new nutrient rich compost as a replacement will help to amend the soil. Once the dry soil cores are removed, spread top soil, sand, or compost, or a mixture of the three over the lawn. Add a half of an inch coverage up to two inches and then rake the material into the lawn. I prefer the sand because it allows for more air in the soil structure as it works its way into the spaces opened up. This method is called topdressing and it can also be used to raise areas of the lawn that have since sunk or low corners. This is done by adding more material to the area. Putting weight, but not too much, on the material can help to ensure that it stays in place.
Once you have finished topdressing, it’s time to add fertilizer and seed. For fertilizers, it is important to always read the label of whatever product you decide to work with and it helps to talk with a sales associate that can help with your specific circumstances when choosing both fertilizer and seed. For seed, it ultimately comes down to addressing certain factors that are out of your control, unless you decide to completely replace your entire lawn. The decision for seed comes down to what your lawn currently is, the look you are going for, and the environmental factors such as the sun exposure, to name a few. For shady areas, a finer leaf grass, especially a fine leaf fescue mix is recommended, but again, consulting with a knowledgeable turfgrass specialist about your specific needs is best when making these decisions.
After selecting your mixes, it’s time to sow them. For this it’s important to get complete and even coverage. You will need two to four pounds per 1000 square feet to cover an established lawn you would like to reseed and four to eight pounds per 1000 square feet for areas that are bare.
Mowing at varying directions ensures the grass has an even and defined look. Image via Advanced Turf Solutions..
Once you have spread the seed, your job is nearly finished! Your work now is to keep the established grass back from competing with the new seedlings, which can be done by mowing at 1.5 to 2 inches for three weeks following sowing. A tip for mowing a croquet lawn or for any professional sports field is to mow in different directions each time you mow to allow the grass to spend time laying each way evenly. As an example the diagram above shows the weekly cutting directions. For your home you might set the Tee to be the door of your house. An example of this schedule would look like:
Week 1 mowing 12 to 6
Week 2 mowing 3 to 9
Week 3 mowing 4 to 10
Week 4 from 2 to 8
After three weeks, you can extend your lawn mowing regimen to 3 to 3.5 inches, and if desired, two weeks later you can increase it again to 4 inches. During this time, your main focus should be to keep the soil moist for the newly established grass. Perennial and annual ryegrasses can be great in the meantime to help fill a lawn in since they germinate much quicker (two to three days) as opposed to most other grasses which take up to three weeks.
After all of that, congratulations! Now you’ll be Teeing up your own game of croquet, and enjoying a refreshed lawn. Follow this link to learn the rules of croquet befitting your new lifestyle.