One of the most frustrating events in starting a new lawn or caring for our "old" one is finding spots- large or small- that did not take or have been overtaken by weeds. Hoefully this Lawn Care Guide will provide you with some tips on caring for your lawn. If you have any additional questions, The Plant Guy would be glad to answer them for you!

Watering:

The seeded area must be kept evenly damp through the germination period, approximately four (4) weeks. The best time to water is late afternoon or early evening. Avoid traffic on the lawn area during this period.

First Mowing:

The new grass should be cut when it is 2-2½” long. This should be the fourth or fifth week after seeding. Best mowing height for the first cut is 2-2¼”. The weekly cutting height should not be below 2”. For best results, your lawn should be cut every 5 to 7 days. This is especially important for new grass because frequent cutting will encourage a strong root establishment, and a healthier turf.

Second Mowing:

After you have cut the lawn a second time, fertilizer should be applied. The product analysis should be at least 25% organic or water insoluble nitrogen with a 50% organic base being most beneficial.

Summer Watering:

Although established turf will experience summer dormancy, first year lawns will need to be watered when dry. Again, evenings will be the most beneficial time to water, and the ground should be allowed to dry between watering. Mid to late August is the next fertilizer period for new lawns. A product such as 10-6-4 50% organic nitrogen is recommended. Apply at a rate of 50 pounds per 5,000 square feet.

Fall:

Be sure to remove all leaves and autumn debris from the lawn before winter. A fall fertilizer such as a 10-20-10 or 8-16-8 farm grade fertilizer is sufficient. The higher phosphorous analysis will encourage root growth through out winter. During this last application (in October) avoid high organic nitrogen fertilizer, as your lawn will not deplete its nitrogen source during the winter. A farm grade fertilizer will be all chemical in source, and will be utilized more easily by the turf.

A WORD OR TWO ABOUT “LAWN FAILURES”

Seedsmen sometimes receive angry notes from customers to the effect that their good quality seed was “no good”, “hasn’t sprouted” or “contained more weeds than seeds.” They know it can’t be true, since all seed is required by state law to be tested for sproutability every nine months, and weed content is restricted to infinitesimal proportions. Time after time portions returned are re-tested, only to prove viable and virtually weed-free, indicating no damage or contamination while in hands of either retailer or consumer. When actual cases are tracked down, lack of familiarity with seeds and lawning usually proves the cause of misunderstanding. The weed complaint is easily answered: government analysts have checked, and can check again, weed content is  specified on the box. Moreover, the kinds of weeds noticed in the lawn are the most certain not to be mixed with grass seed. Such types seldom flourish in grass harvested for seed, and seed size and shape is so different from quality grass that they remove readily in seed cleaning operations. Various tests have shown almost all soils to be infested with thousands of seeds of many varieties. Scrapings from a shoe or an animal hoof have produced scores of weed seedlings when brought into the greenhouse. If top soil is purchased for use in contracting a new lawn, the proportion of weed seeds that it contains is generally related to the reliability of the supplier. All topsoil will contain some weed seeds, but “bargain” topsoil is more likely to contain a greater amount. A lawn soil can hardly be free of weed seed, although it is readily possible for good grass to suppress weed growth. It is a certainty, however, that no reliable brand of lawn seed will bring a noticeable quantity of weeds to the lawn.        

PLANTING DETERMINES PERFORMANCE

The problem of slow sprouting or seed failure is not so matter-of-fact. In general, the way in which seed is sown or planted determines its performance. In planting, the seed could have been buried too deep (in excess of a few times its length), or so perched on the surface without protective mulch as to have blown or washed away. Deeply planted seed may become exhausted trying to reach the surface; or compacted into the soil it may not get enough air or sprout for some time. Even correctly planted, seed sprout is sometimes slow. High quality perennial types like Kentucky Bluegrass and Red Fescue aren’t quite so quick, and certainly don’t produce so large and obvious a seedling, as the coarse hay grass types. The large seed of ryegrass (there are only one-fourth million to the pound) provides more initial energy for its seedling than does the small bluegrass, (here you get a bargain of over two million to the pound).

PATIENCE PAYS OFF

Under average conditions good Kentucky Bluegrass seed will sprout in about three weeks, ryegrass, chief ingredient of “cheap” mixtures is much faster. The fine-textured bluegrass will not be noticed as soon. But once firmly rooted, each sprout is the makings of a persisting high-quality cluster, spreading and enlarging from underground stems to make a right durable turf. Have patience; this is worth waiting for. In a way, the impatient lawn novice is his own worst enemy. By his demands, he forces seedsmen, who would prefer to provide in a mixture only high-quality perennial seed, to include quick-sprouting “nurse grass” species merely for a quick impression of greenness. With ideal growing conditions, it’s possible for good bluegrass and other slow-germinating turf grasses to sprout in 10 days or two weeks. But not always. Speed of germination depends upon the right combination depends upon the right combination of moisture, temperature and air accessibility. Best temperatures for quick sprouting are around 65 to 70 degrees in the day. Planting in the early spring, as is most desirable for the sake of grass establishment, may slow down the sprouting by days or even weeks if the weather remains unseasonably cold.

NATURAL FACTORS NEED HUMAN HELP

Seed sprouting is probably delayed more from drying than for any other reason. In rainless, sunny, and windy weather it may be advisable to sprinkle the new planting several times daily for moisture enough to break dormancy. Slight burial in the soil (up to  1/8 inch deep) helps hold the moisture about the seed—or better still—one fourth inch of sphagnum moss, clean straw, or similar mulch. In these early stages, don’t water heavily for fear of washing soil and seed. Occasional light sprinklings when the soil surface appears obviously dry should turn the trick. In spring, with the winter reserves of moisture accumulated, the deeper soil is probably amply moist. But it is vital that once germination starts, the seed is never allowed to dry out. However, seeds will not germinate in standing water. Hence, poor drainage can forestall sprouting too. But only infrequently does such exclusion of air limit germination in the average lawn; unless, as previously mentioned, the seed is buried too deep. Certain soils “melt” to a nearly impenetrable crust, or can be compacted when wet by rolling and traffic. Then, it might prove difficult both for air to reach the seed, and for seedlings to push through the hard soil! Pains can be taken to insure proper depth or planting and adequate moisture (if this is limited). Vagaries of weather will control soil temperatures, although black mulches (as horticultural peat), open sun, and south-facing slopes will appreciably raise day-time temperatures in spots But, the main thing is to have patience; give good seed several weeks. Satisfaction in the long run comes with a permanent turf, rather than a quick-sprouting ryegrass cover almost sure to be unsatisfactory or lost within the year.