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When to mow new grass? Grass is always wet

6 years ago

last modified: 6 years ago

I have put a brand new lawn on an area roughly 0.6 acre (about 1-2 inches of topsoil mixed with compost). Grass is growing fine and I did everything correctly I think up to this point (installed 15 zone underground sprinkler, used the right fertilizer and right seeds i.e fescues for shade and sun shade mix other areas). My grass grows very fast (see germination in as little as 5 days and they are 2" tall by 2 weeks).

The issue I have is the grass is way too wet. I water it twice or three times a day for the first 3 weeks and after that once every 3 days but its always moist and lawn mower and my feet leave marks. I mow it at 3" not shorter because before in my first attempt I mowed it 2" and also never used fertilizer and in 3 months they died.

The other problem is about half of my yard is sloped. Mix that with moist grass, the lawn mower wheels do a lot of damage ripping the soil while turning.

Questions:

1- Should I simply not water for a week for grass the dry?

2- If the grass get 5-6" tall, is that bad for it? I want to avoid stepping on it as long as I can. But I am afraid of killing the grass if I dont mow it.

3. Do i need a zero turn mower? The lawn mower I have is a pretty good one (its honda 4-1 which sells for $800), but because it doesnt have a differential, basic law of physics when it tries to turn the inside wheel spins and destroys the soil.

4. Right now I use a starter fertilizer and follow with the same starter fertilizer in 4 weeks and then 4 weeks aftee that I will use regular fertilizer. Is this OK?

5. The grass seems too fragile and thin, I m guessing with time they will get thicker?

Featured Answer

forsheems

6 years ago

Sounds to me like you've been watering too heavy. When trying to get seed to germinate all you need to do is keep the very top layer of soil moist. At this point I would shut the sprinklers off to allow the soil to dry out a little. I cut my newly renovated lawn with a zero turn at 2 weeks after seeding and had no damage to the grass. It's actually a lot tougher than you might think. Make sure your blade is extra sharp.

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Comments (6)

Matt White
Original Author
6 years ago
Thank you for your comment. I have 15 zones each having 10 gpm rotors (4-5 heads per zone. I have very good pressure arouns 70 psi dynamic) that I run for 15 min every morning followed by 6-7 min in the evening if that day was warmer than 80F. Majority of my yard is slope so due to the run off, I was concerned about this.

the issue I observed only happens on the sloped area. My front lawn which is flat has drastically better resistance.

is there anything I can do about the grass that is now laying flat because of lawn mower tires or me stepping on?
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owlnsr
6 years ago
Cut back on watering. Let it dry out a bit. It will strengthen up after it dries.
dchall_san_antonio
6 years ago
Watering: Deep and infrequent is the mantra for watering. This is for all turf grass all over the place. Deep means 1 inch all at one time. Put some cat food or tuna cans around the yard, and time how long it takes your sprinkler(s) to fill all the cans. Memorize that time. That will be the time you water from now on. My hose, sprinkler and water pressure takes 8 full hours to fill the cans. Your time will likely be less. I like gentle watering. As for watering frequency, that depends on the daytime air temperature. With temps in the 90s, deep water once per week. With temps in the 80s, deep water once every 2 weeks. With temps in the 70s, deep water once every 3 weeks. With temps below 70, deep water once a month. Note that you have to keep up with quickly changing temps in the spring and fall. This deep and infrequent schedule works in Phoenix and in Vermont, so it should work for you. The reason for deep and infrequent is to grow deeper, more drought resistant roots and to allow the soil to dry completely at the surface for several days before watering again. If it rains, reset your calendar to account for the rainfall.
Matt White
Original Author
6 years ago
Thanks. That makes sense but at what point do I do that? I think for new grass (seed plus 3-4 weeks), i need to water frequently because seeds need to be wet all the time? The seed bag says to water twice daily
forsheems
6 years ago
For tall fescue and/or perennial rye if you keep the seed moist everything that's going to germinate has done so by 3 weeks. If there's some KBG in the mix that will take 3 weeks to begin germination so keep up the germination watering regimen for 4 weeks. Once that period is up start cutting back gradually by watering more at one time but less frequently. Weather also plays a factor as lower temps will require less water. It's all about experience and learning how to judge the soil moisture.

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