N 109     The  Making of a Grass Lawn

I have always liked grass lawns.Compared to other earth coverings grass lawns are always pretty,their green color soothing to the eyes, and they prevent unwanted weeds and bushes from growing out of the earth surface. Moreover they are also eco friendly, because the roots of the grass prevent soil erosion and loss of nutritions.

Many developed countries grow grass lawns extensively, in their parks and playgrounds, hotels and resorts and people also grow them in their compounds.  Places like football grounds, tennis courts, and golf courses cannot do without grass lawns.

Our town Taunggyi is a pretty town and it is also famous for its cleanliness, though it is not perfect in my eyes. People are not that conscious to keep their town clean and green. Public places are also unkempt with trashes and unwanted long grasses and bushes.

If grass is grown in these places they would not be like that. Instead they would be clean and tidy with no unwanted grass and weeds. Parks in big cities are made like this. Grass lawns dotted with a few big trees and some seats to sit on and relax make a perfect park. 

I have a plot in Golden Valley Taunggyi where a few avocado and mango trees are grown, Because the soil is not good they do not grow well, but only unwanted grass thrive. They are rough wild grass that to clear them after the rain we have to use cutting machine or a back hoe.

I planned to start growing a grass lawn in this plot. A friend who lives in Thanlyin had grown some in her compound and so have some experience , offered to help me grow some bae sar grass.It is a kind of local grass, which is strong and suits our soil and climate well.

To grow grass is not as simple as growing other plants. After the land is ploughed and cleared of roots of wild grass  the soil has to be spread evenly and mixture of water sand and burnt paddy husk covered over it. Not a thin layer but a layer of at least four to six inches thick. As Taunggyi has no streams or rivers water sand has to be sent from Mandalay District or Merng Pawn which is thirty miles away.So it is expensive . One Kyin ( 100 cubic feet ) cost 80000 Kyats. But burnt paddy husk is not that much expensive.

After preparation of the land we started to look for the grass. I had thought it was not hard to find bae sar grass around Taunggyi, and so I sent some men with a car to look for it. They went to Nam Kok which is about  thirty miles away, but when they sent back a photo it was not that grass. They could not find the grass I needed. So the first quest to find the right grass failed.

I also asked my nephew in Kunhing to acquire and send me some, which he did . He sent 2 sacks of that grass taken with soil by car and we started to plant them. But the 2 sacks cover only about 9 or 10 square feet of the prepared land.

Meanwhile Ma Wah asked her acquaintance in Thanlyin if it is possible to get the grass there. She replied she will asked her workers to get them and send to Taunggyi by express car. So 13 sacks of grass (without soil ) got to us at the cost of 5000 kyats (bus fare only )for each sack. The taxi fare from Thanlyin to Aung Mingalar and the labour costs for the workers not included yet.

So with the land and grass ready we have only to plant the grass. But before planting the grass have to be prepared in a special way. They have to be gathered by the roots and after we get a handful they are binded by rubber rings and some roots and their tips cut off. After that they were lined in rows in a tub with the roots at the bottom . A little water was put in the tub to let the grass soak in water  for one night.

To plant the grass a few plants were taken from the bunch and plant them in a hole made in the soil. Ma Wah said we have to plant them closely ( 1 or 2 inches apart ) to form a lawn. So it is not easy but labour intensive

To sort and prepare the grass and to plant the grass I had to hire workers.Some day about 10 and on some days more than that.I had expected the grass will be enough for the plot I have prepared (  5o  by 40 feet) But it didn’t became like what I expected. When the planting was finished we saw that it covered only about (20 by 15 ).

And then after planting the grass need watering twice a day . For that I have to hire a girl who lives nearby, paying her 30000 a month. Water has to be bought from a water selling car at the cost of 6000 kyats for one car and this last for only 3or 4 days. A pressure pump and mortar have to be installed to give pressure to the water pipe. Thank goodness that I already have an overhead tank.

To make a lawn is not easy at all. As I am not young I cannot do any manual work . But in the end it was finished(cos no grass left to be planted) at an expense of 1.2 million kyats. I thank Ma Wah and some family members especially my youngest daughter Pan who helped me in making my small wish come true.

But this will not be the end. The best  time to grow grass is the rainy season. So when the right time comes I will continue growing some more grass. Maybe I will hire  people who are doing this business, to do the work for me and maybe the cost may be lower than doing by ourselves.

But for the time being let us hope our grass grows well and reproduce more newgrowth  that we can use them in our lawns to come.