New Lawn

20 years ago

I Just put in a new lawn about 3 weeks ago and installed a sprinkler system. I had to reseed the lawn 3 times because at first i did not put any straw down and we got 2 hard rains the day after I seeded. The final time I put down the seed I put alot of straw down and the lawn looks great. However ?? I have some questions First how long shoud I wait to Put turf builder on my new lawn and rake the straw up that is left over I have raked lightly however there is straw that is packed down a little this was a field before that had beef cattle and was well fertilzed. I put scotts lawn starter on it when I seeded and boy is it ever nice and green. Second question is some spots are really thick and others are not as full. How much will the lawn thicken up over the summer and this fall and should i overseed this fall and if so how do i do that. Can I just water the heck out of it spike it and hand seed it and run the roller over it or what. Will post some photo's next week so you can look at the condition of the yard. Maybe i'am asking to much to soon for a 4 week old lawn it looks good from the road but when you stand on top of it you can see that its a little thin. I just want it to be thick. Don't get me wrong its thick just not thick enough but i don't know how much it will thicken up and how long it takes. I have mowed it 3 times already about every 4 days. Thanks,

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Comments (2)

yarddoctor
20 years ago
Dear LushGreen

Thank you very much for your inquiry. It sounds as though you are well on your way to having a very nice lawn and that your hard work and diligence is paying off. The mowing schedule you have described warrants that you can now begin applying broadleaf herbicides without any worries. You should fertilize this lawn again around July 1. The straw will decompose naturally, but what ever you can rake out will help the turfgrass.

You mentioned areas of thicker grass, and this is not surprising due to the rains and the collecting in the low spots. These areas will thin out naturally over time and the other areas will catch up by September. If they do not, September is the perfect time for additional seeding as the conditions are perfect for establishment, longer nights, cooler days, no annual weed competition, and warm soil conditions. Scratch the soil and drop the seed as you described is a perfectly acceptable method.

One thing to check, as you live in Michigan, and that is the possibility of the European chafer grub invasion. If this has been a problem in your area, you will want to put down either Merit or Grub-Ex insecticide the first 15 days of July. An application of this product at this timing will provide you protection from grubs until this same time next year.

Again, thanks for the question and let me know if you have more. I suspect you will have a great lawn by September at the latest.

Respectfully

Trey Rogers
The Yard Doctor
lodger33
18 years ago
Great info in your post. We also have a new lawn; our small suburban yard was landscaped and irrigation system installed. It was "way past its prime" - after 36 years; EVERYTHING was replaced except for 1 'token' mature magnolia tree. 90% of the turf is new sod; laid 2+ weeks ago; mostly grey clay. First cut yesterday and just starting to take root - looks great. (A small median strip on the side of our corner lot that was re/over-seeded due to damaged areas).
Issue: My landscape guy wants me to hire out the fertilizing etc; but I think that I would like to maintain it myself; primarily because of cost (and I would like to understand what is being done). I have a broadcast spreader and have used 'generic' products - but not 'consistently'. Now I feel 'motivated' to keep it tip-top. I would at least like some criteria for hiring a fertilizer guy if that is recommended.
1) - What should I do right now - and for this first year Â re products and application schedule? Also need a schedule for next year and ongoing. Will it be OK to continue using generic fertilizer, etc?
1. - Will I need grub control soon? (I am sure that grubs were a problem in the old 'really bad' sod which was removed Â I had fought them unsuccessfully).
  3) - What is the criteria for frequency and 'duration' of irrigation, now and in future? (We have had many Âgully-washerÂ rains in the past few weeks Â at least 3 after completion).
  Of course we have lots of shrubs and new trees including 4 fairly large evergreen trees. We are xtrmly pleased with the results. Any help appreciated. Thanx
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New Lawn

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yarddoctor

lodger33

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