If there is no struggle, there is no progress. – Fredrick Douglass
Establishing A New Lawn
Anew lawn is like a newborn puppy. The four to eight-week period following seeding or sodding requires a lot of care for a lawn's survival and establishment. Follow these tips to ensure your new lawn will grow into a healthy, robust lawn that will look fantastic for years.
- Water two to three times a day for one month to get the seed or sod established.
- Water once per day after establishment.
- Water as needed after that point – one inch per week is the general recommendation.
- Restrict traffic. Seedlings can be easily bruised or uprooted in the early stages of development.
- Fertilize at 30 days.
- Fertilize at 60-70 days.
Tips To Keep Your Lawn Healthy
Once your lawn is established, fertilization and environmentally friendly weed, moss and pest control should be done on a regular basis. If you follow the monthly care cycle below, your lawn will thrive and the chances of developing problem areas will be reduced.
- January – February
- February – March
- April – May
- June – July
- August – September
- October – Early December
- Lime Application / Grub Control
- Fertilize / Iron Application
- Fertilize / Weed Control (if necessary)
- Fertilize
- Fertilize / Weed Control (if necessary)
- Fertilize – This is the most important of the year.
Year-Round Maintenance Tips
Your lawn is a living, growing thing. It needs regular maintenance to keep it looking great. These tips are generalizations but should help you set up a regular maintenance schedule.
- Over-seed your lawn once per year (spring and fall are good times)
- Aerate once per year to breaks up the thatch layer on top of your lawn and help get nutrients to the roots.
- Mow weekly starting in March until November. These are approximate times. Weather will dictates your mowing schedule.
- In general, mow more frequently so you don’t need to gather clipping and mulch the clippings to put nitrogen back into the grass.
- Mow with a sharp blade. This makes for clean cut not a torn blade of grass)
Problems & Solutions
Over the past nearly 4 decades, Reynolds Landscape has installed hundreds of new lawns. That experience has shown that there are a number of common, but correctable problems that develop. If you see these problems happening with your lawn, try these solutions. Addressing issues early is always the best advice we can give.
- Lawn is yellow and seems to have “stalled.”
- Lawn is soggy, even in warm weather.
- Lawn is full of clover and weeds.
- Lawn never really came in.
- Lawn suffered through the winter and looks weak.
- Lawn did not do well in the shade.
- Fertilizer and water may be inadequate.
- Cut back the watering times. This will save water and “force” the roots to grow deeper.
- Fertilize to increase lawn health. Apply weed control.
- Don’t give up on the maintenance!
- We often need to do a follow-up seeding in the spring if within our one year warranty.
- Over-seed these areas with shade – tolerant grass varieties like ryegrass and fine fescue.
If you have any landscaping needs, CLICK HERE to request a consultation.
