New Lawn Establishment Tips:

1. Good preparation is critical to having a nice lawn for years to come.  Extra time preparing the soil is time well spent!
   
   
2. We recommend six inches of fertile top soil.  Good topsoil helps provide proper nourishment for the grass and holds moisture longer.
   
   
3. Soil should be spread and leveled with a slight slope away from any buildings.  It may be wise to roll the soil or allow some time for settling and then level it a second time.  NOTE*  The root zone of the sod is about 3/4 inch thick so keep soil about 3/4 of an inch lower than sidewalks and driveways so that when you lay the sod it will be flush.
   
   
4. Fertilize sod after installation with a granular blend of a complete fertilizer supplying nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium such as a 25-10-10 fertilizer. Fertilizer can also be raked into the soil before installing your new turf.
   
   
5. Begin watering sod within 1/2 hour after installation. Apply at least 1 inch of water immediately after installation and then keep watering often enough to keep the soil beneath the sod wet for the first two weeks. After about two weeks the new sod should be firmly rooted into the soil and can be mowed and maintained like a healthy mature lawn.
   
   
6. Enjoy your new lawn!  It is OK to walk on the newly laid sod immediately after installation.  Just be careful to not create any gaps along the seams and edges.

Lawn Care Tips:

     1.   Watering Your Lawn:

• Irrigate enough to replace the water used through transpiration and evaporation. During peak water use in July this will require about 1 to 1.5 inches of water per week.
  
  
• Watering early in the morning before it starts to warm up is the best time to irrigate your lawn.  In the evening when temperatures begin to decline is the next best time.
  
  
• Don’t forget to check your underground sprinklers regularly.  Sprinkler heads can become plugged or may need to be adjusted fairly often.  In the summer heat brown spots can develop very quickly if the sprinkler system is not providing even coverage across your lawn.

     2.   Mowing Your Lawn:

• Mowing frequently to a blade height of 2 to 3 inches is better than mowing lower to the ground.  Slightly taller grass helps to retain moisture in the soil by keeping it shaded from the hot sun.  Another reason to mow a little higher is that the roots of most grasses tend to grow about as deep as the grass is tall.  Taller grass = deeper roots.
  
  
• Do not mow more than 1/3 of the grass blade off in a single mowing.  Mowing more frequently will lead to a healthier lawn.
  
  
• Clippings left on a frequently mowed lawn should not pose a problem and will return nutrients back to your lawn as they decay.
  
  
• Keep your mower blades sharp.  Grass stays greener when it is cut by a mower blade rather than torn.

     3.   Fertilizing your lawn: 

• Fertilizing should be done in the spring or fall in our cool season climate. Never apply more than 1 pound of actual nitrogen per 1000 square feet of lawn in a single application. For turfgrass root health, some phosphorus and potassium should be used in your fertilizer program. Kentucky bluegrass generally requires about 3 pounds of actual nitrogen per 1000 square foot per growing season.
  
  
• Fertilizing during the warm season should be avoided as it will stimulate shoot growth and respiration. This will draw carbohydrates from the root systems resulting in root depletion.
  
  
• Using a “Weed and Feed” type of fertilizer is great to help keep weeds out of the lawn as well.  However, plan to supplement the weed control from time to time since the weed and feed will most likely not be able to remove all of the weeds that begin to grow.