| You
have a newly seeded lawn, and now that the seed has been placed
and covered with hydromulch, you need to spring into action to
see to it that those seeds have the best chance to germinate and
grow into a thick, lush lawn.
The most
important responsibility you have in this project is to keep
your soil moist. During the first 2 weeks, it must always
be moist. If your seed begins to germinate, then dries out, it
will die. This means you will have to water your lawn 3 times
every day during this time (20-30 minutes per sprinkler
location), and more often if the season is hot (85+
degrees). Your soil must always be moist for those first 2
weeks. We use 3 daily waterings as a guide. More may be needed.
You will have to watch your yard, and if there are spots that
dry out more quickly you’ll need to increase frequency or
duration of watering. You should expect to spend up to 8 hours
per day, every day, watering during those first two weeks.
To achieve the
level of water coverage necessary you may have to purchase
multiple sprinklers and hoses, and still have to move them
around every day to ensure total coverage. After those first two
weeks, switch to watering one time daily, but water more deeply
(40 minutes per sprinkler). Keep this schedule for 2 weeks.
After that, you can cut back your watering to 2-3 times per week
(30-40 minutes per sprinkler). After 1-3 weeks of this, it
should be ready to mow! Keep your lawn trimmed to a
height of 2 ½".
We offer a
service where for a fee (starting at $100) we will provide the
sprinklers, hoses and splitter valves to get you started
watering, along with instructions on where to place sprinklers
and how to adjust them. Once your lawn is off to a good start
(4-6 weeks), we’ll come out and collect our equipment. This
service can save you money, time and headaches. Ask us about it
if you’re interested.
When we seed
your lawn, we also apply a slow-release starter fertilizer, with
a 19-19-19 analysis. You should not apply any other fertilizers
for at least one month after seeding. After that we advise
against a ‘weed and feed’ soon afterwards, as the weed
killer used may cause enough stress to your young grass that it
will also succumb. Fortunately many weeds are annual, and
several mowings or the first frost will wipe them out. So, if
you’re having weed troubles in the early going, just keep your
lawn mowed (2 ½" height). Next year you can initiate a ‘weed
and feed’ regimen.
If you want to
fertilize but only have time to do it once all year, the best
time to do it is in early fall (during September). This gives
your grass the food it needs to make a strong root system
through fall and winter. However, if you can fertilize more
often, follow this schedule:
1st
application – In Spring as the lawn is starting to grow. Use
approx. ½lb N/1000 sq ft. Use a weed and feed at this time.
2nd
application – In mid-Summer, using a slower release, like
Milorganite, approx. 1lb N/1000 sq ft.
3rd
application – In late August to early September, as the
weather get cooler. 1lb N/1000 sq ft.
4th
application – In late Fall, October-November, when the tops
are green but not actively growing. Use as much as 2lb N/1000 sq
ft.
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