Caring for Your Home

Lawn Seeding

Follow-Up Maintenance For Seed Work

There is not a more important time for the grass plant then when it is trying to get established. There are three main areas when it comes to follow-up maintenance or the actual culture of the grass. These three areas are irrigation, fertilization and the cutting of the grass. Properly performing the cultural practices is very important. Over doing these practices can be equally disastrous.

Irrigation

Irrigation is probably the most critical cultural practice in all your procedures. Irrigation can be broken down into two separate procedures. The first is watering to get the seed to germinate and sprout. The second is to back off the irrigation so the plant will establish itself and develop good root systems. It is the roots that are the most important part of the plant to enhance. Once the roots are well established, the top leaves will be green and healthy. To germinate your seed evenly and as soon as possible, the seed must be kept moist. Remember, moist is not wet. In sandy, well drained soils, irrigation will be required frequently, but in heavy soils, irrigation frequency will be needed in lesser amounts. This is not to say that irrigation is totally necessary. If there is adequate rainfall present, and the temperatures are moderate, the seed will germinate. The only thing that may change is the amount of timerequired for a high percentage of the seed to germinate and give you an even cover. Irrigation also does not have to be permanent. A temporary system could be used to supplement natural rainfall. Most of the grasses used in your area will do well without irrigation, once they are well established. The frequency with which you irrigate will depend completely on how fast the surface you have seeded dries out. Two good ideas to use as a guide is always do an on-site inspection during the day and DO NOT water late in the day so that standing water would be present at night. Standing water can bring on an attack of disease that would kill out the young plants. Perennial Ryegrass germinates very quickly (7-10 days), Turf Type Tall Fescues germinate in 10-14 days, while Kentucky Bluegrass are slow to germinate (14-21 days). This means that your watering program needs to fit the species of grass you are trying tp grow. Once you feel that 75% of the seed has germinated and is growing, it is time to start changing your irrigation program. This should entail less frequency of watering, but watering longer. This water will start to soak down deeper into the soil. What you are after is to dry out the top one inch of your soil, but maintain moisture bleow. This will force the grass plant to push it's roots lower to find the moisture. You will be training the grass to grow deeper roots. Eventually you will need to cut back on watering to once a day, then every other day, then stop all together. This process could take 4-6 weeks depending on weather, soil, and the species you are trying to grow.

Mowing

After you have successfully germinated the seed and the grass plant is growing, you will be thinking or recommending a time to start mowing. This should be done when the majority of the grass is 2-3 inches high. No more than 1/3 of the leaf blade should be removed at any one time. The cutting height should be no shorter than 2 inches. Make sure that your mowers have sharpened blades on them. The young leaf is soft and will tend to rip or even be pulled out of the ground by a dull mower blade. It is also a good idea to let the greaa get a little dry before you mow. This makes for a cleaner job. Do not mow with the dew on the grass. Let it dry off, then mow, then water the grass if necessary.

Fertilization

Fertilization is another cultural method to help thicken-up your turf. After most of the grass is up and just about the time you are thinking of mowing, it would be helpful to fertilize the grass again. After the turfgrass is established, fertilizer may be applied at 1 lb. of nitrogen per 1000 sq. feet 2-4 times per year depending on the turfgrass quality. This addition of nitrogen will help the plant to develope more leaves and tiller to spread and thicken. Avoid fertilization during the heat of the summer, Early Spring (March, April, May) and Fall (September, October, November) are the best months for fertilization. Lawn seeding is the responsibility of homeowner. Please refer to the steps above to assist you in this process.

(Feature Homes seeded by Oliver Homes do not come with a warranty. It is the responsibility of the Homeowner to follow the proper care and maintenance procedures to ensure continued growth)