Turf Care

 

 

 

 

 

Turf Care as Recommended by the American Sod Growers Association.

Seed

Although your newly seeded lawn has been watered in, it’s up to you to keep it moist.  Mist it every morning and in the afternoon if needed, to maintain a moist inch of soil.  Be mindful that it’s to be moist, not wet.   During hot and dry periods, it may require an additional watering.   To determine if it’s moist or dry, randomly insert your fingers into the upper inch of the soil in various locations of your lawn. 

Once the seed starts to germinate (green sprouts) you should continue to water, moistening the upper two inches of soil.  If allowed to dry out during this crucial period, the sprouts will die.  Continue to water daily until the grass reaches a height of 2-1/2 – 3-1/2” then mow, removing only 1/3 of the overall height.

After the initial cut, cut-back the watering to two times per week soaking the soil to a depth of 6-8”. 

Because your seed was installed with a starter fertilizer, there’s no need to fertilize again until 6-8 weeks after initial installation using standard lawn fertilizer.

 

 

 

 

Sod

Water your newly laid sod immediately upon installation and continue to water daily for the next few weeks to ensure its survival and longevity.  The key is uniform watering across the lawn to penetrate the soil beneath, moistening the upper six inches.  

It’s almost impossible to provide uniform coverage by hand with a hose so we recommend the use of an end of hose sprinkler attachment set-up and moved around to cover all the areas or zones in your yard.  The number of zones will vary based on the size of your yard.  After watering one zone, move the hose with attachment to an adjacent zone in a manner that the water reaches the edge of the previously watered zone to ensure solid coverage and nice overlap in between the two areas.  Continue this process until all areas have been saturated and continue daily until the sod takes root, when the sod roots have penetrated the soil below and isn’t easily moved.

Once the sod has rooted into the soil, you’ll want to provide the sod with an inch of soil per week.  An easy way to gage how much you’ve applied is to place an empty can (tuna can or similar) mid-way along the stream of the sprinkler water and allow the sprinkler to run until the water in the can reaches a depth of one inch.  Repeat this process until you’ve watered all the zones that make-up your lawn.

 

 

Established Turf Areas

Mowing Tips

• Keep your blade sharp! A dull blade will cause ragged ends that will weaken grass, promote disease susceptibility and cause brown ends.
• Be sure to keep two blades on hand so that one is always sharp if at all possible, never mow a wet lawn.
• Set your mower height at 2-2 1/2 ” spring and fall, and 3-31\2 ” in summer. This will prevent scalping, which encourages weed growth and disease invasion. Alter the mowing frequency, but not the cutting height.
• Never mow off more than 1\3 of the total leaf blade each time.
• Clippings no longer than 1\2″ should be returned to the lawn for valuable nutrients. Clippings longer than 1\2″ should be removed, as they will not decompose naturally.

Watering tips

• During dry periods, your lawn should receive 1″ of water per week. Place a can within the sprinkling pattern to measure the water.
• Light sprinkling does more harm than good. It encourages shallow root penetration.
• Avoid watering in the late afternoon or evening, as this will promote fungal disease development.

Your sodded lawn is a living, breathing plant, and must be cared for as such. Proper watering, maintenance, professional chemical fertilization and weed control are essential to ensure your lawn’s beauty.

We recommend having professionals perform these services.

Fertilization Schedule

Early Spring:
Balanced fertilizer for an early green color.
Pre-emergent herbicides for annual weeds.
(Do not apply pre-emergents to seeded areas)

Late Spring:
Heavy feeding of balanced granular fertilizer.
post-emergent herbicide for broadleaf weed control.

Early Summer:
Post-emergence crabgrass control is needed.
Special weed control formulation for tough
summer weeds. Fertilizers to help your lawn
through the dry summer months. Season-long
insect control.

Early Fall:
Special fertilizers to help your lawn recover
from summer stress. Concentrated weed
control for any returning weeds.

Late Fall:
Much needed fertilizers to develop deeper roots through the winter.