EFFECTS OF SOIL CONDITIONERS ON LAWN GRASS CHARACTERISTICS THROUGHOUT THE GROWING SEASON

Background. The aim of this paper is to investigate the impact of soil conditioners on grass quality, assessed by determining lawn appearance and grass colour. Material and methods. The field experiment was conducted in Poland between 2013 and 2015. The research was carried out in the split plot design with three replications. The following grass species were used in the experiment (factor B): Lolium perenne cv. Stadion, Festuca rubra cv. Corail, and Poa pratensis cv. Ani. The other experimental factors tested in the research were three soil conditioners (factor A): Humus Active Papka (HAP), Eko-Uzyźniacz (EU),  UGmax (UG) and one fertilizer Substral (S). In each year of the experiment, among other things, colour and general appearance of the lawn were assessed with a 9-point scale. This assessment was conducted in three seasons (spring, summer, autumn). Results. The results showed that lawn appearance ratings varied throughout the research, both in terms of the season, species of grass, and soil conditioners. Comparing the effects of soil conditioners, grass treated with UGmax had the best colour, but that treated with Substral had the best appearance. Conclusion. The overall appearance of the lawns and the intensity of greenness were largely dependent on the soil conditioner, the species of grass and the season. The turf of kentucky-bluegrass had the best durability of both general appearance and colour during the experiment although, on average, the highest value of the general appearance was scored by perennial ryegrass and the best colour by red fescue.