Diamond Enthusiast
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Ah Insta-Lawn. Roll it out, water and enjoy.
Riiiight.
First things first. There are many fertilizers on the market with additives to do many wondrous things like kill weeds and supposedly they also do things like force your lawn to be green when it wants to go dormant and turn brown.
All well and good, if you are into introducing even more chemicals into the local environment which is surely soaked in chemicals. If you are interested in getting your lawn addicted to chemicals and be a slave to perpetual feeding. Lawn fertilizers are really not necessary - or shouldn't be. Unfortunately due to the decades of use, most lawns to day are sickly addicts which now have to be fed or go through a year of with-drawl.
Before you decide to fertilize, check your soil (before rolling out the lawn preferred) find out if it is a well balanced soil. Take samples from all over the area, send them to a lab (most county governments or city governments do testing of water and soil) Find out if your soil needs anything.
If it does, the best time too add is when you are rototilling those top 4 to 6 inches. Try to use organic fertilizers in the bare soil. They are a little more expensive, but since they are natural they last longer and will save you from having to buy fertilizer again and again.
As for the rest of the fertilizers - don't use them. They shouldn't have to be used if your soil is healthy. If your soil is not well, your lawn (not matter how many chemicals you pour on it) will never be healthy.
If you didn't rototill and then rake level, you have compacted soil, If you have a high clay soil, that means water will be trapped at the surface and the roots of the grass will skim along the top. In this case you may have just purchased yourself a losing battle which will end up with a sickly lawn that has to be fed chemicals all the time.
If you are lucky enough to have a sandy loam soil roto-tilling is not as important (but it does improve the chances of deep roots).
Roll out sod is pre-treated with rooting vitamins and fertilizers when it is rolled up. So when it is first rolled out it does not need to be fed.
I would water every day (night) for a half hour to a full hour for the first week. If you water by day, do it in the late afternoon or early morning so as to not to burn the grass.
The second and third week I would water every other day for 1/2 to a full hour. All this watering keeps the 'traumatized' grass from being as traumatized (Trust me, being cut into squares, rolled up, thrown into a back of a truck, then manhandled, rolled out and basically stomped on to be set in place is traumatic) And also soaks the soil deeply.
For the fourth month, and the rest of the watering season, water every third day 20 minutes.
If you water longer and less frequently, say every third day - you are promoting deeper root systems. The upper layer will dry out, the roots will seek water deeper which is there because you water longer.
If your lawn looks like it needs more water, give it water then. Finding the regular ratio for a healthy lawn depends on climate, water table, soil type, season, and finally just how much you pay for water service and if you live in a restricted watering area or not.
Mowing:
Mind the care of the lawn mower is very important for having a nice lawn. Have the blades sharpened and/or replaced regularly. Dull blades leave behind a very ragged cut which turns brown making your lawn look like its dieing. Look at a leaf of grass, if it looks like its been beaten with a very ragged edge, its time to check the blade.
Set the Mower on the highest setting. Leave it there.
Get rid of the bag - it is extra work and steals food from your lawn. If you are planning on getting a new mower, get one with two blades these are called 'mulching' mowers, they are designed to cut the grass up into smaller pieces so it settles at the base of the grass. Most older lawn mowers that come with a bag attachment, can be closed off to 'force' the grass clippings into the lawn. With your higher cut grass, the grass clippings will not be seen.
Mow once a week cut the grass in one direction one week, then cut it in perpendicular (at right angles to) the way you cut it before.
My method is to cut north to south the first week, east to west the next, south to north the next, west to east the next, then repeating the cycle. Mowing tends to cause grass to grow in one direction from the cut. If you look at a fresh cut golf course you will find that they double cut, they cut north to south, then lower the blade one half notch and cut east to west. You do not have to do this to achieve the same healthy lawn.
Thatching. If you follow the watering schedule above, thatching will never need to be done. Thatch build up is NOT dead grass cuttings - it is the root system close to the surface. If you water deeply, the roots will grow down. Grass decomposes rapidly when cut and in contact with wet soil, it is not a contributor to thatch.
Aerating the lawn is good. before you go out and spend a couple hundred dollars for a machine to do this, allow me to introduce to you the best aerating machine on earth - the Earth Worm.
Earth Worms: these little guys eat the dead, half composted grass clippings, pulling the debris down to the roots as they tunnel. Not only that, their tunnels aerate the soil, which means their tunnels put millions of tiny holes in your soil which allows water and air to get down to the roots of the grass. They fertilize, aerate and multiply to do more work as time goes on. They are also good indicators of healthy soil. If you find that earth worms are not on the side walk, or that they are thin, small creatures, that means something is lacking in your soil - like organic material that they eat.
Introduce them by the pound. If you do not like to touch them, then dump a cup every ten feet. They can be purchased at any bait shop.
If your soil is healthy you may already have these guys.
Fertilizing Lawns.
I have never really fertilized my lawn. My lawn is green, thick, plush and weed free. Why? Because I recycle the grass clippings, have earth worms and have three kinds of grass or broad leaf ground cover mixed into the lawn. Plus I know that in fall the grass will turn brown, I also made certain that I have the correct grass in the correct areas, shade loving under the trees, and sun loving in the full sun.
There are only two Fertilizers that I believe are worth the money and time to spread:
Composted Manure: Chicken is better than cow due to the eating behavior and the digestive system of fowl.
Compost (organic leaves, grass, etc).
I apply regular compost late spring to early fall (because the manure stinks in the heat) I apply composted manure in the fall and early spring - When my lawn looks like it need a boost. I do not spread compost every year. Why do it when the lawn doesn't need it?
Weeds: Most weeds when cut will die. Crab grass can take over, it has a paler broader leaf - I have found that pulling these out of a well watered lawn removes the problem fast. If you over seed your sod with a bermuda and a fescue you should be growing a lawn which will be thicker, and have the diversity to discourage weeds growing. The more different varieties of grass you mix into the lawn, the less likely that you will suffer from dead patches and weeds.
Mowing the lawn at the highest setting means that the grass is higher, blocking the light from the surface of the soil, thus killing any possible intruders at germination.
I leave the dandelions. Their yellow colour reminds me of childhood summers - I think a few spots of bright yellow add interest to the lawn.
If you do not like them, then cut off the flower as soon as it appears. If it turns white it has turn to seed and it will spread. Digging up a dandelion is an exercise in futility. They have very long tap roots which grow before they appear at the surface. These tap roots will continue to grow back.
If an herbicide is needed, use it in the location it is needed. No sense in spending money spreading poison all over your lawn when you have a couple of places where weeds have established themselves.
Rest: On the Seven day God rested, Every Seven weeks I let my lawn rest. I do not cut it, I let it grow - yes it does get shaggy, yes it does get long - but rest is a good thing and will give you a healthier lawn in the long run.
Most grasses will try to seed. Every other year I allow my lawn to go to seed. It really doesn't get that high (maybe 6 inches) and it allows the grass to fulfill it's prime directive - be fruitful and multiply. Which also means that you will not have to buy more seed in future to thicken the lawn.
Cheers
David
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