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Landscape Care
- Sod Maintenance
- Seed Maintenance
- Plant and Tree Maintenance
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New sod looks great as it transforms the dull brown/gray color of the earth into a luscious green carpet of grass. However, this new beauty needs the most care and attention of your landscaping. Below are necessary maintenance habits you must follow to ensure the beauty of you new lawn.
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Water, water, water. Considering the majority of your sod?s roots were cut-off at the sod farm, it needs constant water for vitality and growth! Whether watering with a hose and sprinkler or an irrigation system, each watering cycle should thoroughly saturate the sod, slightly reaching the soil beneath. I recommend watering at 6am, 12pm, and 5pm for these first 7-10days. After this phase, water your lawn twice a day at 6am and 12pm for 2-3 more weeks. By now, your lawn should be established and you can change your schedule to once a day at 10am. If the grass blades start to get thin and discolor (drying out), you need more water. Rain can only be substituted if it saturates the sod.
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Stay off! Considering you are pumping a large volume of water on you lawn, the soil will likely become soft and mushy. Unnecessary walking on the lawn for the first 4-6 weeks may cause soil depressions or gaps to form. Patience is important while your soil settles. Consequently, try not to schedule a barbecue or croquet tournament during this time.
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Seams between the sod rolls will close in approximately 2-4 weeks. If you notice gaps (1+ inches between seams), lightly walk to problem area and adjust sod to fit together.
- Mowing should be held off as long as possible?typically two weeks from installation date. Two weeks allows the sod to anchor some roots in the ground before someone twists and turns a lawn mower that can cause gaps and ruts. Avoid watering your lawn for 8-24 hours before you plan to mow. Cut the grass high, at least 3.5 inches for maximum lawn performance and beauty. Water after you finish. After the initial cut, mow your lawn after it grows 1/3 from its cutting height. This may mean mowing two, possibly three-times per week and remember to keep lawnmower blades sharp!
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Fertilizer should be applied 3-5 times throughout the year. Consider hiring a professional for ?best? results or stick to a proven multi-step do-it-yourself program.
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Weeds. Unfortunately, weed seed can fly into your lawn and some may sprout. Either pull these nuisances out or use Weed-B-Gone to control them.
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Seeding is generally a more economical means of establishing a lawn versus sod, but requires more patience and dedication. It can be a more customized approach if a certain seed blend is desired for customer preference or specific growing conditions. Nevertheless, the maintainer of a ?seed-job? certainly deserves a pat-on-the back for their efforts establishing their new lawn. Below are necessary maintenance habits you must follow to ensure the beauty of your seeded lawn.
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Water, water, water. It is typed three times and should be applied three times a day for the first 4 weeks. Keeping the seeds moist (NOT SOAKED) during this time is essential for proper germination to occur. Different seeds germinate at different times*, so water must be applied evenly throughout the first month with temperatures above 56 degrees. *(Rye is typically 7-10 days, fescue 14-21 days and bluegrass 21-28 days. Please Note: Bluegrass is your most important grass seed because it spreads, so you must keep your lawn moist the entire 28 days to have a lush and full lawn). Water should be applied to lightly saturate the soil to keep it moist until the next watering cycle. Do not over water because the seeds can rot and will not germinate. I recommend watering at 5am, 10pm, and 5pm for these first 4 weeks to keep seeds moist. After this phase, water your lawn twice a day at 7am and 4pm for 2-3 more weeks. By now, your lawn should be semi-established and you can change your schedule to a thorough watering at 10am. If the grass blades start to get thin and discolor (drying out), you need to water more. Rain can be substituted only if it saturates the soil.
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Stay off! Considering you are pumping a large volume of water on you lawn, the soil will likely become soft and mushy. Unnecessary walking on the lawn for the first 4-6 weeks may cause soil depressions or stress to new grass shoots. Patience is important while your soil settles and grass establishes. Consequently, try not to schedule a barbecue or croquet tournament during this time. Picking out weeds or rocks and reseeding is allowable. Bare areas should be reseeded with the same seed blend.
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Mowing should be held off as long as possible?typically 3-4 weeks from the installation date. One month allows your grass to anchor its new roots in the ground before someone twists and turns a lawn-mower that can cause ruts and ripping new grass. Avoid watering your lawn for 8+ hours before you plan to mow to dry the lawn area. Cut the grass high, at least 2.5-3+ inches for maximum lawn performance and beauty although you may not cut all the new blades. Water after you finish. After the initial cut, mow your lawn after it grows 1/3 from its cutting height. This may mean mowing two, possibly three-times per week and remember to keep the mower blades sharp!
- Fertilizing should occur throughout the year. An initial starter fertilizer was applied that will last 4-6 weeks. Considering most of the soil in the Metro area has been stripped of its topsoil, fertilizer is essential for a beautiful green lawn, especially a seeded lawn. You will need many fertilizing applications (5 -8) to establish your lawn. You can find many fertilizing programs at the home centers, or you can hire a professional. Just make sure the lawn receives scheduled fertilizing applications.
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Weeds. Unfortunately, weed seed will fly and is present in your lawn and may germinate. Be patient with these nuisances as it will likely be a yearlong battle. Pulling the weeds is your best bet until the lawn establishes. Weed control herbicide is permitted after 3-4 mowings. Eventually your bluegrass will ?choke-out? weeds.
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PLANT AND TREE MAINTENANCE
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Although you have an assortment of plants and trees to maintain, a broad maintenance strategy will work to ensure their vitality. Below are necessary maintenance habits you must follow to ensure the beauty of your landscape.
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Water is the first and most important nourishment for your plants and trees. Considering your plant and tree roots (their water intake area) are covered with mulch or other bedding, their watering frequency is less than your lawn. Typically, plants require moist soil to survive, NOT saturated. Therefore, it is important for the homeowner to ensure proper watering occurs. Please note, sprinkler systems are not an answer to automatic watering, they only provide a repeated frequency of water. Most times sprinklers water too much, sometimes too little. Therefore, the homeowner must adjust the sprinkler system to accommodate the plants needs. E.g. More frequent and available water for the first 1-2 months after planting, then tapering back to one, possibly two times per week thereafter. After one full year of watering, plants generally do not need to be watered beyond what nature brings them. However, if hot and dry conditions persist in summer, please water plants once a week. NOTE: Evergreens absorb water throughout the year, therefore they should be watered until the ground freezes.
Mulch has been added to your beds for three reasons. First, an aesthetic erosion control. Second, an insulation bedding to hold water in the ground from evaporation. Third, a product to help inhibit weed growth. Additionally, hardwood mulch is beneficial to your plants as it breaks down to release nutrients. Typically, mulch is reapplied every year or every other year with painted mulches.
Fertilizer. Fertilizing should occur only in the plants initial growing cycle?March through July. Fertilizing after a plant or tree has ?hardened off? (completion of the year?s growth stage) can cause unnecessary stress to the plant or tree. Therefore, stick to Miracle-gro and Mir-acid, or other water soluble brands for your plants and trees. Ornamental fertilizers are recommended with proper application. Try to avoid lawn fertilizers as they are generally too high in nitrogen.
Establishment. Considering your new plants and trees were recently dug, and now planted in a new soil, they are likely stressed. Therefore, it generally takes them some time to regrow cut roots and adjust to new soil and watering conditions. Consequently, they make have some die-back and occasionally drop some leaves or discolor. These are all common stress symptoms and should not alarm you. Give them some time, and they should come around. Unfortunately, sometimes they do die. If you think this has occurred, simply take your fingernail and scrape back some bark on an inner branch. If it is brown, it is dead. If it is green, give it some time and it should bounce back. If evergreen needles/leaves turn brown and drop, they are dead.
Pruning. Dead twigs and branches should be pruned when you notice them. However, annual trimming times vary. If your plant or tree flowers before July 4, trim it after it flowers, but before July 4, if it flowers after the fourth, trim it after the blooms perish. Evergreen trees should have half of their candles trimmed in the spring. Evergreen plants can be trimmed until fall.
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