New lawn, what to do to start?

[photon]

I put sod down late last year, it wasn't down long enough to even get one mow in.

So now it's spring, and it's greening up very quickly, not super long yet but getting longer.

So I guess how do I take care of this grass? Do I mow it short? Mow it at the length I want it at? Rake it? Water it (and how often, I've got a sprinkler system)? Any kind of fertilizer?

Would like to keep on top of it so I don't get into weed problems too quickly.

Basically I'm a lawn care n00b.

[BlackArcher101]

You'll might want to cut it short for looks, but keep in mind this will require an increase in watering frequency and when (not if) there is a water shortage this summer, your grass will most likely die sooner.

I would water it frequently this spring (as in a light watering every 2-3 days) because the root base probably isn't fully developed yet due to being installed late last year.

[Locke]

Make sure kids stay off of it!!

[burn_this_city]

Weed and feed and keep it decently short..

[photon]

Good call on the frequent watering. Thanks guys.

Have to go get a mower now

Smallish yard, so I'm thinking about one of the rechargeable ones.

[Buckwheat's barber]

If the sod is well anchored to the soil, there is no longer a need for light and frequent watering (Particularly after the recent snowfall) Try to water once a week and an inch each time. Light, frequent watering to established turf will lead to shallow root growth causing the turf to become more suseptable to drought and foot traffic damage

Cut at no less than 2.5 inches (Three inches is best) and raising the mowing height slightly during the heat of July and August, when the grass grows more upright

Fertilizing: You may want to consider a fertilizer with more emphasis on phosphorus and potassium to further establish the roots (leaf growth of the turf is not as much a pressing issue so the nitrogen content need not be that high)

NO NEED for a pesticide additive (weed and feed - usually 24D, Dicamba and mecoprop) If you have a few weeds (I doubt you have many, if any at all) spot treat them with a liquid pesticide application rather than a granular one. Putting down a fertilizer with a weed killer for just a few weeds is a waste of money, and as well, granular peticides are often unsuccessful
Finally, with regards to fertilizers, avoid liquid applications

Hand raking is fine - NO POWER RAKING

Aerate in the fall

Hope this helps

Cheers

[BlackArcher101]

Excellent post barber, couldn't agree more.

I have 2 female dogs and "Lawn Burn" is a problem. Here are some apporaches to solving:

1. Saturate the urinated spots with water. After the pet urinates, pour several cupfuls of water on the spot to dilute the urine.
2. Feed a high quality dog food that does not exceed the pet's protein requirement. High quality foods have more digestible protein sources that are more completely utilized by the pet and create less nitrogenous waste in the urine.
3. Encouraging your dog to drink more, will help dilute the urine and decrease the risk of lawn burn. Small amounts of non-salted broth in the drinking water may help increase your dog's water intake.
4. Train your dog to urinate in a location that is less visible. This approach is very effective for some owners that do not want to add supplements to their dogs' diet.
5. Replant your yard with more urine-resistant grasses. The most resistant grasses tend to be perennial ryegrasses and fescues. The most sensitive tend to be Kentucky bluegrass and Bermuda.
6. Feed your dog a supplement like Drs. Foster and Smith Lawn Guard, or apply a product to the lawn such as Dogonit Lawn Treatment. These products bind and neutralize the nitrogen in your pet's urine.
7. Reduce the stress on your lawn by not over- or under-fertilizing and by providing frequent watering.
8. If neighbors' dogs are causing the problem, you may advise your neighbors of the leash laws. Using a fence or motion-activated sprinkler may be helpful in keeping these dogs off of your lawn.

[photon]

Awesome! This is perfect.

Now I just have to figure out how my sprinkler system works.

Originally Posted by Buckwheat's barber

If the sod is well anchored to the soil, there is no longer a need for light and frequent watering (Particularly after the recent snowfall) Try to water once a week and an inch each time. Light, frequent watering to established turf will lead to shallow root growth causing the turf to become more suseptable to drought and foot traffic damage

Cut at no less than 2.5 inches (Three inches is best) and raising the mowing height slightly during the heat of July and August, when the grass grows more upright

Fertilizing: You may want to consider a fertilizer with more emphasis on phosphorus and potassium to further establish the roots (leaf growth of the turf is not as much a pressing issue so the nitrogen content need not be that high)

NO NEED for a pesticide additive (weed and feed - usually 24D, Dicamba and mecoprop) If you have a few weeds (I dought you have many, if any at all) spot treat them with a liquid pesticide application rather than a granular one. Putting down a fertizer with a weed killer for just a few weeds is a waste of money, and as well, granular peticides are often unsuccessful
Finally, with regards to fertizers, avoid liquid applications

Hand raking is fine - NO POWER RAKING

Aerate in the fall

Hope this helps

Cheers

[jammies]

Hammock, sunscreen, beer. Occasionally peer down at the weeds and think, "hmm, I should really get on that." Then more sleep.

[Kev]

Originally Posted by jammies

Hammock, sunscreen, beer. Occasionally peer down at the weeds and think, "hmm, I should really get on that." Then more sleep.

Read...Rinse...Repeat

Then play catch with the boys.

[Russic]

as mentioned above, if you're buying weed and feed and you have no actual weeds, you're wasting your money. The weed killer will only work on actively growing weeds, it will not prevent anything. The best prevention of weeds is to have a very healthy lawn that won't allow them to grow.

[return to the red]

I'll add my input on the watering and the sprinkler system. I don't agree with the watering once through the week to get an inch for turf here is the reason.

It is recommended that you put down an inch NET each week on your lawn but think about this...If you have gear drives (the sprinklers that rotate back and forth) they put down a precipitation rate of roughly .4 inches per hour that means you would have to water 3 hours on 1 zone if you factor in the effciency of sprinkler systems is usually around 80-90% if designed correctly. If you happen to have 5 zones you will be watering for 15 hours in 1 day, not really smart plus putting an inch of water down in 1 day won't be beneficial because your soil only has a certain water holding capacity, once you reach that point any excess is runoff and just wasted.

second reason why I don't recommend watering once a week is plant stress. A lot can happen in a week and leaving your lawn a full week before absolutely saturating it can do more harm then good, remember not all of that inch of water is actually going to be taken in from the grass.

I recommend watering 3 times a week approx 20 minutes each time for spray heads and 60 minutes for gear drives. You may have to...check that you WILL have to make adjustments throughout the season but just use your seasonal adjust on your controller to increase or decrease run times based on a percentage. Also I should note the run times i gave you are a base schedule to start with, depending on what nozzling may have been put in, the exposure, outside weather conditions, soil conditions and personal appeal you WILL have to make some adjustments.

Any other questions just ask, I'm a Certified Irrigation Designer

[Buckwheat's barber]

Originally Posted by return to the red

I'll add my input on the watering and the sprinkler system. I don't agree with the watering once through the week to get an inch for turf here is the reason.

It is recommended that you put down an inch NET each week on your lawn but think about this...If you have gear drives (the sprinklers that rotate back and forth) they put down a precipitation rate of roughly .4 inches per hour that means you would have to water 3 hours on 1 zone if you factor in the effciency of sprinkler systems is usually around 80-90% if designed correctly. If you happen to have 5 zones you will be watering for 15 hours in 1 day, not really smart plus putting an inch of water down in 1 day won't be beneficial because your soil only has a certain water holding capacity, once you reach that point any excess is runoff and just wasted.

second reason why I don't recommend watering once a week is plant stress. A lot can happen in a week and leaving your lawn a full week before absolutely saturating it can do more harm then good, remember not all of that inch of water is actually going to be taken in from the grass.

I recommend watering 3 times a week approx 20 minutes each time for spray heads and 60 minutes for gear drives. You may have to...check that you WILL have to make adjustments throughout the season but just use your seasonal adjust on your controller to increase or decrease run times based on a percentage. Also I should note the run times i gave you are a base schedule to start with, depending on what nozzling may have been put in, the exposure, outside weather conditions, soil conditions and personal appeal you WILL have to make some adjustments.

Any other questions just ask, I'm a Certified Irrigation Designer

Some differing points regarding the hi-lited portions of your posting.

To suggest or hint that 1" of water would exceed the holding capacity of the turf and the sub-soil to the point of runoff is stretching not only the probability, but as well as the possibility. Keeping in mind turf has 1/2" of thatch (more in some cases) and is rooted into a minimum 4" of soil, you can see the difficulty in achieving any surface perched water table and/or runoff.

Unless Photon purchased his sod from some back alley sod dealer, I would bet a house and a boat that the blend of Kentucky in the sod is of the higher-end quality. Typically in newer sod, the blends consist of Alpine, Mercury and the ever present standard, Touchdown. These cultivars are all very heat and drought tolerant. I for one would not miss a heart beat or lose any sleep because my grass has not received water or has not been "absolutely saturated" in a weeks time. In fact, marginal drought stress increases and promotes rooting of the turf plant.

p.s. If 1" of water is the saturation point of anyone's turf, they have more issues than deciding what their watering schedule should be

[Dan02]

Related question, the lawn in front of my house is absolutely rock hard and as such grows like crap. ends up being a brown mess of grass and other weeds. The back yard with the exception of the dog spots is a beautiful lush green. What can i do about the front yard to turn it around?

[Buckwheat's barber]

Originally Posted by Dan02

Related question, the lawn in front of my house is absolutely rock hard and as such grows like crap. ends up being a brown mess of grass and other weeds. The back yard with the exception of the dog spots is a beautiful lush green. What can i do about the front yard to turn it around?

Aerate twice, making the second pass 45 degrees to the first

Do this in the spring and again in the fall. If the property can retain any moisture, aerate after a rainfall or watering.

Immediatly after the fall aeration, you might want to consider overseeding to increase the density of the turf. This will aid in retaing moisture and shading of weed seed

Good luck

[return to the red]

Originally Posted by Buckwheat's barber

Some differing points regarding the hi-lited portions of your posting.

To suggest or hint that 1" of water would exceed the holding capacity of the turf and the sub-soil to the point of runoff is stretching not only the probability, but as well as the possibility. Keeping in mind turf has 1/2" of thatch (more in some cases) and is rooted into a minimum 4" of soil, you can see the difficulty in achieving any surface perched water table and/or runoff.

Unless Photon purchased his sod from some back alley sod dealer, I would bet a house and a boat that the blend of Kentucky in the sod is of the higher-end quality. Typically in newer sod, the blends consist of Alpine, Mercury and the ever present standard, Touchdown. These cultivars are all very heat and drought tolerant. I for one would not miss a heart beat or lose any sleep because my grass has not received water or has not been "absolutely saturated" in a weeks time. In fact, marginal drought stress increases and promotes rooting of the turf plant.

p.s. If 1" of water is the saturation point of anyone's turf, they have more issues than deciding what their watering schedule should be

Not saying that you can't put down 1 inch of water in a day, just saying that putting it all down in one watering ie. in a consecutive 2 or 3 hour span may create runoff and be non beneficial. I also said there are many other factors that have to be taken into concideration. Slope, exposure, soil composition (we have a high clay content in the area where I live), precipitation rate, all play a role in creating an irrigation schedule.

I guess we will agree to somewhat disagree as practices in turf care, watering and personal choice are constantly evolving. Might I ask, you obviously have an extensive background relating to turf care, where does it come from?

[MoneyGuy]

Originally Posted by Buckwheat's barber

If the sod is well anchored to the soil, there is no longer a need for light and frequent watering (Particularly after the recent snowfall) Try to water once a week and an inch each time. Light, frequent watering to established turf will lead to shallow root growth causing the turf to become more suseptable to drought and foot traffic damage

Cut at no less than 2.5 inches (Three inches is best) and raising the mowing height slightly during the heat of July and August, when the grass grows more upright

Fertilizing: You may want to consider a fertilizer with more emphasis on phosphorus and potassium to further establish the roots (leaf growth of the turf is not as much a pressing issue so the nitrogen content need not be that high)

NO NEED for a pesticide additive (weed and feed - usually 24D, Dicamba and mecoprop) If you have a few weeds (I doubt you have many, if any at all) spot treat them with a liquid pesticide application rather than a granular one. Putting down a fertilizer with a weed killer for just a few weeds is a waste of money, and as well, granular peticides are often unsuccessful
Finally, with regards to fertilizers, avoid liquid applications

Hand raking is fine - NO POWER RAKING

Aerate in the fall

Hope this helps

Cheers

Good advice, particulaly the part about keeping the lawn longer. Also, don't cut now more than a third of the blade on each cutting. Cutting too much off at once distresses and damages the lawn.

[Buckwheat's barber]

Originally Posted by return to the red

Not saying that you can't put down 1 inch of water in a day, just saying that putting it all down in one watering ie. in a consecutive 2 or 3 hour span may create runoff and be non beneficial. I also said there are many other factors that have to be taken into concideration. Slope, exposure, soil composition (we have a high clay content in the area where I live), precipitation rate, all play a role in creating an irrigation schedule.

I guess we will agree to somewhat disagree as practices in turf care, watering and personal choice are constantly evolving. Might I ask, you obviously have an extensive background relating to turf care, where does it come from?

First, let me apologize for what may have come across as an aggresive, know-it-all post It's never my intention to flick jabs on message boards - again, my apologies.

The Hi-lited part of your post could not be truer, but herein lies the problem with answering a turf question/problem on a message board; Unless you have access to the questionnaire’s property, then the question(s) can only be answered in the most general terms. My only assumption (And that very well might be wrong) was that Photon's turf is generally in good health. I know nothing of the considerations you mention in your post, as it relates to Photon's property. To answer his question in general terms is easy, but to give specific advice without seeing the property,... well, that would be tricky.

As for my background, Golf course superintendent for 9 yrs. Assistant for 3. Education from Fairveiw and Penn State U, Turgrass Management and Turfgrass sciences

Enjoy what should be a very busy summer for you.

p.s. Do you install as well as design? Any GC work?

[burn_baby_burn]

I have also heard that it is more benificial to water at night or very early in the morning. Reason being that the water will not evaporate as fast expecially on a very hot July day. Personally I don't feel like getting up early to water so I put the sprinklers on about half an hour before I head to bed. I also keep my grass long (second highest setting on my lawnmower), keeps the roots from drying out.

For killing weeds, I used to spot spray but it was time consuming and never ending (I like my lawn to be 100% weed free which is almost impossible). I started to use the Killex bottle that comes with the garden hose attachment. You can spray your whole lawn in minutes and it will smoke most broad leaf weeds.