STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO ABOUT PUTTING A LAWN ON A TERRACE:

• The first step is to find out the capacity of your terrace, that is consult the architect if it can carry the additional load of soil and water.
• Minimize the weight as far as possible. Baroda rayon has a capacity of taking on approximately 30 kgs per square foot. The weight of all materials, including the truckload of soil, had to be weighed with water.
• Get the floor waterproofed by an expert.
• Drainage systems have to be set up. It is ugly to leave exposed drainage pipes or gutters all around the lawn. One way of concealing this would be by using perforated P.V.C pipes under the soil. As the soil layer is usually 4" high, pipes should be ¾"- 1" in diameter. Most terraces are built with a slight slope at the bottom of which is an outlet for drainage. The perforated pipes should be placed with their outlets near this hole. But if your terrace slopes towards one side, you can have pipes going down and converging into another pipe which runs parallel to the wall and opens out at this main hole. Over the pipes put a 1 ½" layer of hard coke pieces. These can be bought as waste from any foundry and are again used for drainage of water.
• Over this put another layer of ¼" sized charcoal pieces. These tiny pieces serve to fill the gaps in the first layer. The two layers are then made firm by pressing down with a piece of wood.
• Now pour an aggregate of red earth, manure and fine charcoal powder in the ratio 2:2:1 up to a height of 2 ½", bringing the total height up to 4". Brick may be substituted for charcoal, but is heavier.
• Plant the grass. Be careful not to over water till the grass is firmly rooted; this takes about 20 days. In fact, it is advisable to just keep the soil moist and not let the water reach the bottom. This ensures the roots grow and stick to the soil and do not go into the coke area which remains isolated. If this is not done the water, especially during monsoons, will collect and the grass will turn yellow.
• When the grass takes root, the soil subsides a little, so add some more aggregate, during the monsoons. This is called 'dressing'.

If you follow this procedure, step by step, you are guaranteed a good and healthy lawn for a minimum of five years before there be any need for reporting.

SOME TIPS FOR ROCKERIES AND FLOWER BEDS

• Troughs and flowerbeds are best placed only at the sides of the lawn. However, if you want a rockery or fountain to be placed in the center, it is advisable to have these situated near the joints of the beams.
• The base of the rockery should be higher than the lawn. Keep the hard coke layer at least 4" high here, the second layer of aggregate about 1 ½"-2" and the whole should be covered with fine brick powder.
• A small area at the back corner should be reserved for the pump but should be accessible for repairs.
• If you use a PVC pipe for taking the water from the pond to the pump, it should last at least ten years.
• In between rocks leave adequate space for soil. Even better is fitting in a pot as it makes repotting or replacing of damaged plants even easier. It also slows the growth of plants.
• The path of the waterfall has to be cemented or else the water will seep through. A little bit of asbestos should be added to this cement, or else there are chances of cracking during summer.
• Try and finalise on paper the exact layout of your rockery before starting.

VARIOUS STAGES INVOLVED IN MAKING A ROCKERY WITH A WATERFALL

• Check stability of construction and its load bearing capacity.
• Waterproofing: This is very important as in a terrace garden you spread soil over the roof and soil remains moist all the time. Thus there is bound to be some dampness penetrating through the ceiling. Very few materials are entirely non-porous such as slate stone is. Even cement if used alone is porous.
• In water proofing always use nonporous materials such as slate stone, PVC compounds, fibreglass coating or sometimes even epoxy resins and rubberized bitumen compound. Tar or bitumen by itself cracks in very hot sunlight, thus a more elastic material is better. Which of these to use would depend mainly on the load the terrace can take. Abroad people have started using lightweight processed clay, which is as light as a balloon.
• Then do all the masonry work i.e. tiling, paving, and rockery. The rockery has to be at least 4-5 feet high to be effective. This means a lot of additional weight at that point. To overcome this try to make a hollow mass supported with stone slabs. Some rocks may not balance on top of others; in such cases they may be cemented together, whilst others generally fit on top of each other like a pyramid, with hollow spaces in between for soils and plants.
• Next come all the electrical jobs, such as light fixtures, connections for the pump and fitting of the pump.
• Carpentry is next. Especially in a Japanese style garden, a pergola or shelter or some sort is built and trellis work added if required.
• Make the lawn and borders.
• Finally the planning of trees, then bushes, then ground covers in that order.
  
  
  

  MAIN PAGE