REMEMBER TO BE PATIENT WITH YOUR NEW LAWN!

The first four to eight week period, of your new lawn been installed, is the most critical time for proper follow-up care. Lawn establishment failures are due to improper follow-up care during this critical time period than those due to improper seed selection, site preparation or seeding techniques. Please follow these simple instructions to achieve a dense, uniform and well-rooted lawn within your property.

Fertilizing

Fertilizer applications are critical for the development of a healthy established lawn. New lawns need ½ lb. of nitrogen per 1,000 sq. ft. every 4 weeks. This nitrogen level can be applied in various forms of fertilizer (19-3-7, 20-2-7, etc) and will result in a much healthier, thicker lawn than a lawn not fertilized. The fertility requirements provide the nutrients for growth and the ability to fight off diseases, weeds and insect infestation. This means, a fertilizing application should be applied to your new lawn at 4 weeks and at 8 weeks after the installation date. Once the lawn has been established, a yearly maintenance program should be set out to maintain your new lawn.

NB.

PLEASE do not apply a weed & feed to your new lawn. The weed & feed combination is too strong and will burn or kill off the new lawn seedlings.

Mowing

The first mowing of a new lawn should begin when the leaves reach a height of 3” to 3½”, removing only ⅓” of the leaf blade. After this initial mowing, your lawn should maintain the overall height of 3” throughout your property. Cutting the grass shorter than 2 ½” to 3” will sacrifice root penetration down into the soil, and weaken your lawn. The root system accommodates the height of the leaf blade so that the higher the cutting height the deeper the roots develop for a thicker, healthier lawn. A longer cutting height also gives the added advantages of conserving soil moisture and less area for weeds to penetrate into the lawn.

NB.

Remember to keep your mower blades sharp at all times. Lawns cut with dull blades loose moisture more rapidly and are subject to disease problems, and become dried out turning pale brown in the summer sun.

Weed Control

The seeding process inevitably exposes existing weed seeds within the soil. These weed seeds will germinate along with your new grass seed. Usually within the first few weeks, a combination of annual grasses and broadleaf weeds will appear. Although these weed type plants are unsightly, they can easily be eliminated in time.

An application of liquid weed control or granular fertilizer (containing weed control) can be applied after your entire lawn has been mowed 8 to 10 times. Annual grass type weeds grow for 1 year, go to seed and die out. If you maintain a good fertilizing program, your lawn should be thick enough the following year to eliminate the reappearance of annual grasses. The longer you can tolerate the weeds the better for the new grass seedlings to become established; unless the weeds are so bad they are squeezing out grass areas throughout your property.