MODULE 3

ORNAMENTALS, LAWN MANAGEMENT AND

LANDSCAPING.
ORNAMENTALS

Ornamental plants are grown to improve the beauty of the surroundings. There are three
main types of ornamental plants based on where they are grown or the purpose for which
they are grown.

A. Potting or potted plants

These are plants particularly suited to be grown in a container that is from seedling to
maturity stage. They are used to decorate either indoors or outdoors. Pots are easy to
carry hence allowing movement of plants around the home. Examples include:
 monstera
 rubber plant
 asparagus fern

B. Bedding plants
These are plants which are grown in flower gardens and produce colourful flowers or
leaves. Some are annuals while others are perennials. Examples of bedding plants include:
 marigold
 ice plant
 crown of thorns

C. flowers for cutting

These produce colourful (and some with pleasant smell) flowers which are cut, the stem
cuttings in water and can last for a number of days without wilting. Examples of flowers for
cutting include;
 Chrysanthemum
 Rose
 Carnations
 sunflower

Proper use of pots, seed bed and seed boxes.

Pots can be made of a variety of material such as clay, plastic, metal or even wood. The most
common materials used to make pots are clay and plastic (hard or soft).The right kind and size
of the container should be chosen for the task at hand
 Regardless of the material used to make a pot, pots should have sufficient drainage
holes – 10mm in diameter and about 120mm apart. Effective drainage is vital to potted
plants.
 If the pots/boxes have been used before, then wash, scrub, disinfect and air dry all
used pots pans and boxes.
 Soak new clay pots in water for a few minutes to allow clay to absorb some moisture

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  Treat wooden pots with a preservative (harmless to the roots of growing plants),
several weeks before pots are needed.
 To avoid blockage of drainage holes, fill up to ¼ of their depth with clean stones,
broken clay pots (or crocks) or broken bricks.
 Place clean moss or dried leaves to prevent clogging of the drainage holes
 When filling the pots with propagating medium, leave a space of about 5cm from the
top for irrigation water.
 Use sterile potting medium
 Place pots and seed boxes on concrete benches or supported off the ground to avoid
sunburn and damage by pests.

For seedbed
 The soil should be cultivated to aerate and provide suitable tilth to facilitate root growth
and establishment of seedlings.
 Seedbeds are usually 1m to 1.2m width and of any convenient length. The width allows
for gardeners to carryout agronomic practices easily.
 They are raised and sunken in accordance to the plant requirements and weather
conditions.
 All tools/equipment must be cleaned and disinfected before use to avoid spread of
diseases
 They are properly shaded and sheltered

Importance of cleanliness of equipment

Practicing hygiene is one of the simplest and most basic method of preventing many pests and
diseases. The following hygienic practices should be observed at all times.
 Clean containers or pots before putting in a new plant. Remove old soil and disinfect to
kill any pests and disease causing micro organisms
 Clean tools and dip them in disinfectant after use or before use on new plants to avoid
spreading diseases.
 Clean the work area and remove old plant material, weeds and soil as the attract pests
and diseases
 Use sterilised soil/growing media. Some growing medias are produced in a sterile
manner e.g. vermiculite. The media can be sterilised by heating at 90oC for 30 minutes
to kill all harmful living organisms.

PROPAGATION OF A BEDDING PLANT e.g. marigold

A. Preparation of standard soil mixtures

When plants are grown in trays, there are many soil mixtures or media to choose from. The soil
mixture chosen will depend on the requirements of the plant at its particular stage of development.
The following three mixtures are suggested for marigold:
I. For seed tray – peat based compost is suitable because it is light in weight, sterile
and has a good water holding capacity. It is mixed with compost at a ratio of 3:1 (i.e.
3 parts peat with 1 parts compost). Both the peat and compost should be moist but not
too wet. The mixture is to be pressed firmly to remove air pockets.
II. For the second seed tray (for pricking out) – loam based compost mixture will
provide seedlings with more nutrients than the peat based compost. The ratio in 1:1
i.e. 50% loam to 50% compost
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 III. For the final flower bed – incorporate 2Kg/m2 of compost in to the seedbed
(preferably loam soil) and basal dress with a phosphate fertiliser.

B. Timing of planting
If the seed are sown in August – September (mid to late spring), they will be ready for
transplanting into the final flower bed around November that is, during the rainy season.

C. Sowing
Small seed are mixed with an equal proportion of sand to help spread them evenly and covered
with a lager of soil, about 1 cm deep. The soil should be moist before sowing. After sowing, the
tray is covered with a sheet of glass or clear plastic – in order to reduce evaporation. The tray
should be protected from direct sunlight. After emergence, the glass is removed to enable proper
growth of seedlings.

D. Pricking out
When the seedlings have developed two to three true leaves, they must be transferred to a larger
tray to improve spacing and provide them with a more nutritious soil mixture. This is called
PRICKING OUT.

Steps for pricking out

1. Fill a celled tray with peat based compost and press to remove air pockets.
2. Make a small planting hole using a dibber.
3. Remove a seedling from the seed tray (touching the leaves, not the stem to avoid
damaging the vascular bundles) using a dibber. Care must be exercised to avoid
damaging the roots.
4. Place the seedling in the hole and cover the roots with soil then press to remove
excess air
5. Repeat the procedure placing one seedling per cell (in a celled tray) or spacing at
5cm x 5cm in plain trays
6. Water and place in a warm place shaded from direct sunlight e.g. nursery

E. Hardening off
This is when the environment of plant is gradually changed (over 1- 2 weeks) to enable the plant to
adjust to its new surroundings. Hardening off, for outdoor planting, is done by exposing the
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seedlings to direct sunlight and gradually increasing the duration of the exposure and reducing the
frequency of irrigation until it can remain in outside the nursery for the whole day without
suffering any ill effects. Hardening off ensures that seedlings are hardy and able to withstand
transplanting shock.

F. Transplanting
This is the transferring plants from initial bed to final bed. Transplanting is carried out when plants
are about 15 cm tall or three months old. At this time, they would have started producing flowers
or flower buds. Plants are ready for transplanting after hardening off.
 They should be about to flower
 In the flowerbed, planting holes 10 – 15 cm deep spaced at 15 cm Χ 15cm should be
prepared
 The plant, with soil around the roots, should be placed in the hole and press the soil
around the roots to get rid of air pockets
 Seedlings should not be buried deeper than they were in the seed trays/seedbed/nursery
bed
 It is best to transplant late in the afternoon or on a cloudy day when temperatures are
cool

G. Fertiliser application
 The first fertiliser application, basal dressing, should be done while preparing the
flowerbed – 2-5 kg/m2 of compost and 80g/m2 – 100g/m2 of super phosphate
 About one month after transplanting, top dress with 50g/m2 NPK 2:3:2 (22). The fertiliser
should be worked well in the soil

H. Irrigation
Method:
Watering can be done using a watering can fitted with a rose a hose pipe with a spray nozzle.
Or a sprinkler
Timing:
 Irrigate trays lightly every morning, wetting the whole plant in the process – this helps
to keep the plant clean.
 It is best to water in the early morning (before 10 am) or late in the afternoon but not at
night – if watered at night the water tends to stay on the leaves all night long resulting
in fungal infections.
Frequency
 In the flower bed – in hot weather, plants in direct sun must be irrigated daily but if the
weather is cool or plants are under shade every 4 -5 days should be enough.

Control of common disease of marigold

Damping off – caused by fungi

Common in very young seedlings and also occurs among slightly older seedlings that have
been pricked out. It attacks plants at soil level leading to the collapse and death of seedlings

Prevention and control

- Avoid thick sowing and wet soils both of which encourage the fungus
- The leaves must be allowed to remain dry after watering
- Treat infected soils with fungicides such as PCNB or Quintozene

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 - Dress seeds with fungicides such as Maneb or Metalazyl

Control of common pest of marigold

Red Spider Mite

Attacks mainly plants in poor health and operates on the under-surface of the leaves
The under-surface of attacked leaves seem to have a coating of red brick dust – this is actually
the fine web protecting both mite and eggs

Damage
Heavily infested leaves turn brown and fall
Plants lose vigour and become stunted

Control
- Spray with pesticides such as amitraz and tetradifon alternating them to prevent the
mites from building immunity to any one of the active ingredients.
- Destroy weeds and rubbish because these mites live on many kinds of plants including
weeds.
- Mites dislike humid conditions and frequent irrigation help to prevent serious
infestations

Preparation and Marketing of Marigold

1. clean the container and wash the leaves
2. the plant should be hardened off to reduce flowerbed mortalities
3. remove dead, old or diseased branches
4. the plant should be at the onset of flowering
5. it should be well watered to prevent wilting
6. the container should be labelled to indicate the name of the plant
7. price tags should be clearly visible

Pruning and Topiary of Ornamentals

Pruning: - is the cutting away of unwanted plant parts to encourage the development of the
plant.

Reasons for pruning may include:

 Improve the health of the tree by removing dead, heavily infested or diseased parts
 Safety of the public by removing braches which are likely to break off suddenly
 Remove branches that are rubbing on each other
 Control the size of the tree
 Directing growth of the plant and maintaining a tidy appearance e.g. In hedges.
 Rejuvenation: - done on old shrubs whose vigour is declining in order to stimulate new
growth
 To improve sunlight penetration and air circulation

Guidelines for pruning

 Cut cleanly to avoid damaging the cambium otherwise it would disturb the healing and
development of new shoots
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  Cut just above just a healthy bud or node because cambium and other growth cells are
more concentrated around these areas and the energy of the plants would be diverted to
the bud
 Growth response after pruning is strongest in the terminal and uppermost buds
 The cut should be made facing the direction the shoot is expected to grow
 Unwanted shoots or branches should be removed at the base or at the junction
 Apply wax/grafting seal or sealing compound after pruning to seal the wound to
prevent infection

Pruning methods include

 Heading back – a small section of the plant, especially the tip, is removed
 Thinning out – removal of the whole shoot
Pruning in monocots involves simply removing of old and dead leaves – the growing point
should never be removed.

Topiary – is a special form of pruning which deals with cutting trees and shrubs into
decorative forms or shapes such as statues, animals, cones, cubes, spheres or abstract patterns

Bonsai – training woody plants into miniature tree that typically look very old, usually in
attractive containers

Espalier – training woody plants to grow in one plane, usually against a wall

Pollarding – annual heading back of fast growing trees/shrubs to make grow at one level
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Pleaching – weaving tops of tree together when they are young to from an archway

LAWN MANAGEMENT

Lawn: - is an area of ground covered with short smoothly/uniformly cut grass

Importance of Lawns
i. aesthetic – it is green most of the time thus beautifying an area
ii. provide a suitable ground for recreational activities such as football pitch or playground
iii. provide a pleasing contrast and blend with other design elements
iv. control soil erosion and stabilise the soil
v. extensive evapo-transpiration results in much cooling
vi. eliminate muddy and dusty areas
vii. ideal for paving pathways as they tolerate foot traffic
viii. cleanses the air of toxic substances

Examples of lawn grasses

 Kikuyu (Pennisetum clandestinum)
 Cape royal grass, star, Bermuda, couch, (Cynadon dactylon, C. transvalasis)
 Buffalo grass ( Stenotaphrum secandatum )

Propagation and establishment of Lawn Grasses

1. Land preparation
Land preparation will involve;
- Clearing the area, removing stones, weeds, tree stumps and roots
- Leveling the soil
- Digging the soil to about 30cm with a rotovator or disc plough or a spade
- Breaking big lumps and firming down the soil removing air pockets
- Applying basal dressing, use about 90g/m2 super phosphate or 100g/m2 bone meal
and finally add 50g/m2 of 3:2:1(28) plus 30% lime and rake in to the top layer of
the soil.
- Watering the soil and leave to settle for a few weeks, allowing weeds to grow
- Cultivating to destroy any weeds that have re-grown and produce a fine tilth

2. Fertilizers and manures

Basal dressing
It is done as part of land preparation. Kraal manure is not recommended due to the
presence of weed seeds. Use poultry manure instead.

Top dressing
Done every 6 months in spring and autumn with urea or LAN or NPK 3:2:1 (28) by
broadcasting.

3. Propagation
Seeding – is the establishment of lawn grass through the use of seeds
 take a long time to get established compared to other methods
 soil should be ploughed to a fine tilth and should be well aerated
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 seeds should be broadcasted uniformly and then a mulch should be applied to
protect seeds from birds, preserve moisture and to keep soil temperature even
 the seedbed should be kept moist
 seeds germinate in 1 – 3 weeks and a good stand of grass forms within a year
 good for bunch grasses such as Paspulum

2. Vegetative Propagation – is the use of any plant part, except the seed to propagate
plants
i) Sprigging
 grass is dug up and separated into individual pieces called sprigs
 sprigs consist of a piece of shoot, piece of stolon and preferably a few roots but little or
no soil attached to the roots
 they are planted in 2.5 – 5.0 cm deep furrows and the furrows 30 cm apart
 sprigs are planted 10 – 15 cm apart in furrows and covered with soil
 the soil should be kept evenly moist
 this method can be used to propagate Kikuyu or Cynadon dactylon

ii) Plugging
 plugs (or tufts) consist of 5 – 10 cm square blocks of grass
 plugs have shoots, soil and roots
 they are transplanted into hole 30 -40 cm apart and set firmly in to the holes
 the soil must be constantly moistened until new growth starts
 they take about a year before the lawn is established
 weeding between plugs is necessary within the first year

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 iii) Sodding
 a sod (or turve) is a grass which is mature and ready to be planted
 An area of turf is established elsewhere. It should be of high quality and weed free
 Using machines, the turf is cut under and then cut into strips
 The strips are rectangular blocks of either 30 Χ 60 cm or 60 Χ 200 cm and 2.5 cm thick
 The blocks are rolled up and transported to the area to be established
 They are laid out in their final location
 the area to be laid with grass must be level and smooth
 they are laid next to each other like brick work
 firm by tramping down or rolling evenly after they are in place
 water thoroughly until the grass starts growing

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Management of Lawn

1. Weed control
 Leaving the land fallow for a period of time helps to kill weeds before the lawn is
planted
 A healthy and well maintained lawn usually suppresses the growth of weeds
 Mechanical means such as a hand pulling also helps control weeds
 Hand held weeding tools can also be used to uproot the weed
 Herbicides such as 2, 4 – D and 2, 4, 5 – T (growth regulators) also help in the
control of broad-leafed weeds on lawns. Care must be exercised to avoid drift to
other areas, as the active ingredient would kill other plants.

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2. Mowing :- This is cutting the lawn to a certain height in order to maintain an
attractive look
 No more than 1/3 to ¼ of leaf area of turf should be removed at time of mowing,
otherwise root growth and leaf regeneration will be impaired
 A power driven or manually operated mower can be used to accomplish this task
 Mowers normally have a height adjustment and container for collecting the cut
grass.

3. Edging :- Is the practice of cutting away lawn which has grown beyond the
boundaries of a lawn to make it look tidy
 Edging shears, lawn edger or a spade can be used for edging

4. Spiking: - Is the process of making tiny perforations of the lawn at certain intervals
to improve aeration. Some grasses grown into thick mats that can block air
movements into the soil, so spiking is necessary to let the air enter the roots
 A wheeled Aerator or a digging fork can be used for spiking

5. Scarification

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  This is when all dead undergrowth (thatch) from the lawn is raked up
and removed to improve air movement in the lawn. Scarification is
done once in a year using a metal rake.

6. Irrigation
 Irrigation is done when half the water that could be retained by soil has
gone
 If only enough is given to sprinkle the surface, that water will
evaporate without any benefit to the plants
 Always wet the soil to a depth of at least 15 cm (the root zone)
Sprinkling just to wet the surface encourages shallow root development and roots are scorched
during hot spells

7. Controlling of Pests and Diseases of Lawns

Common Pests of lawns include scale insects, red and white spider mites, webworms,
armyworms, blank ants, fleas and tics.

Red and White Mites – mites are a serious pest of lawn and are difficult to eradicate as
they rapidly develop resistance to many insecticides. Mite attack is indicates when the
grass forms short closely spaced growths, usually with the leaves placed one above the
other.

 They attack young cells and inhibit growth

 Red mite has the worst effect and can kill the grass
 While white mite prevents the grass spreading by forming tufts/buttons at the
growing points

Prevention and Control

 Poor quality lawn usually suffers the most from mite attack so prosper
fertilization of lawn and lawn care goes a long way to prevent this
 Dry conditions in spring often result in mite infestation and lawn watered
throughout the growing season is likely remain mite free
 Application of an effective pesticides is the only remedy e.g. Diazin, Trithion,
Ethion, Sevin or Malathion

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 Other pests of lawn include nematodes (controlled using nematicides), snails and slugs
(controlled with methyaldehyde bait)

Diseases of lawns – pathogens are always present in the soil and vegetation but they
cause an infection only when the environmental conditions are favourable.
Some of the common diseases include:

a. Brown Patch (Pellicularia Rhozoctinia) – a common disease encouraged by hot

and humid weather and preventive fungicides should be applied whenever such
weather prevails. Brown blotches with water soaked appearance are observed.
Apply in fungicides; reduced fertilizing and less watering help combat this
disease.

b. Leaf Spot (helminthosporium) – small perforations which may extend to rotting

of crown and loss and loss of turf especially in spring. Mowing high and keeping
soil nitrogen level low. Apply fungicides such as T.M.T.D or Kromrad.

c. Rust (Puccinia) – shows orange spot covering the blades usually in late summer.
Law fertilization usually stimulates the growth of new uninfected foliage and may
inhibit the fungus. Spray with Zineb

d. Fairy Ring (Marasmius) the fungus grows underground in widening circle,

cementing the soil and withdrawing moisture. The grass turns brown. The
fungus can only be killed by removing all top soil or poisoning the turf. Spiking
the hardened soil, watering generously and fertilizing the whole section will
rescue the attack. Applying mercury or cadmium – containing fungicides will
help to control it.

e. Dollar Spot (Sclerotinia Homoescarpa) - small silvery spots the size of a 50t coin
develop on the lawn. Usually an application of a fertilizer will overcome this
disease within a week.

LANDSCAPING

Landscaping: This is improving the appearance of a piece of ground with decorative or

ornamental plants and or non-plants materials

Use of Plants in Landscaping

a. Functional Uses

 Climate modification – e.g. windbreaks, shade, cooling air due to evapo-transpiration,

channelling cool breeze into outdoor area
 Erosion control – tree canopies reduce impact of rain drops, roots hold soil particle firmly
together, ground covers are excellent in prevention of soil erosion
 Freshening and cleaning the air – purify air by absorbing CO2 and realising O2, dust particles
are trapped by leaves
 Noise reduction – plants along highways reduce noise from traffic
 Management of pedestrian traffic – by directing human traffic by means of hedge or shrub
boarder
 Fencing hedge
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 providing a soft, uniform playing ground

b. Aesthetic Uses
 Framing views, directing movement of the eye, screening objectionable views, softening harsh
corners, providing privacy and integrating the house to the surroundings

Uses of Non-plant Materials

MATERIAL USES
Wood/timber For making benches, raised flower beds, pergolas
(poles in which plants climb), borders and decorative
fences
Bricks For creating boarders, walls, raised flower beds and
paths
Stones For rockeries, walls, paths, raised flower beds
Gravel/crushed stone For paths, cover soil around plants to prevent weed
growth, erosion and evaporation
Cement For making paths

Basic design elements:

a. Choose a style – e.g. formal and geometric or informal/asymmetric and natural
gardens or a combination of the two. Formal do not attempt to disguise the fact
that they have been imposed on the landscape by gardeners while informal gives
an impression that the gardener has worked with nature to develop a natural
landscape.
b. Allotting space – a sketch of how the various components would be placed helps
in allotting space: the approach area: the service area: the private area.
c. Selecting plants – the type of trees, shrubs and other plants, which will enhance
the layout of the garden. Choose plants adapted to the climatic conditions of the
particular landscape.

Formal Landscape
 Do not attempt to disguise the fact that they been imposed on the
landscape by gardeners.
 Characterized by straight lines, regular curves and symmetrical balance
 Many of the plants grown in them are likely to be good hybrid plants
 Artificially shaped plants may form sheared hedges and archways
 Many of the plants in such gardens cannot have grown naturally in the
location they occupy.
 Formal gardens usually consists of masonry (Stonework), seats fountains
and statues
 Neatness and tidiness are essential in formal gardens

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Rockery/Rock gardens
 Natural outcrops of rocks, if used as a basis for rock gardens, can enhance the
landscape.
 Built on naturally uneven or slopping site hence solving the problem of oddly
contoured areas – such rock gardens consists of few trees
 No leveling or excavation is needed and existing features are easily incorporated
into the design.
 If natural rocks are not present, the rocks can be made to blend with the
immediate surrounding – this type of rocks garden has to apply the best growing
conditions for plants and has a background of trees and shrubs
 Skill and a lot of excavation are needed to set rock gardens on level ground so that
they resemble the natural landscape.
 A rock garden incorporating special features, such as a waterfall and pool,
requires more space.
 Avoid rock that are too small or evenly sized otherwise it would be uninteresting

Environmental Impact of Landscape Design

1. Evapo-transpiration from plants grown in the landscape cools the air hence

modify the micro climate

2. Plants, such as lawns and other ground covers (e.g. rocks and paving slabs), cover

the ground hence reducing soil erosion stabilizing the soil. Plants also provide

shade

3. Dead leaves from plants decompose to form humus which improves the soil

structure

4. Landscape designs tend to displace organisms, such as animals, native to the area

hence disturbing the natural ecological balance

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5. Plants grown in the landscape attract disease causing organisms and pests which

could later drift to crop plants

6. Chemicals used to control diseases and pest in ornamental gardens may end up

polluting the surrounding water, air or soil.

7. Replacement of indigenous species of plants with exotic ones make the landscape

appear less natural

8. Adjustments made to the natural terrain during landscaping greatly disturb the

drainage pattern of an area.

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