Lawn Seeding Tips and Video

This is what we do to get fabulous results in 30 days.

1. Core aerate – this opens the surface of the lawn to better take up water and fertilizer.  It also helps relieve soil compaction, and introduces soil microbes to the organic material such as dead grass, on the lawn surface.  The microbes digest the plant matter, enriching the soil and reducing troublesome thatch build up.  Core aerated lawns often have fewer disease problems because they are more vigorous and have less thatch and may have fewer disease pathogens.
2. Power slit seeding – Power driven, steel blades, 1.5 inches apart slice through live and dead grass, chopping the seed applied into shallow grooves.  This process yields a higher and more uniform germination rate for the new seed.  When renovating a bad lawn, the results are far superior to “dethatching” or core aerating and then broadcasting the seed on top.
3. Fertilization – Like most babies, young grass plants are born hungry.  Applying fertilizer at the time of seeding or within a few days afterwards, ensures plenty of available nutrients.  This enabling the young plants to flourish as long as water is plentiful.

This work was performed by Town Pride in Medford, NJ, early September 2010.  Spring seeding presents an additional challenge.  A special crabgrass control safe for new seedings, must be applied at the time of seeding.  If the special application is not made, your new lawn may be suffocated by crabgrass in the summer.   The seed safe crabgrass control does not last all season.   After the manufacturers recommended safe growing period, usually 3-4 mowings of the new grass, the regular, season long crabgrass needs to be applied.

To succeed with spring seedings, you must have a top notch irrigation system.  The system must supply up to 2″ of  water per week, evenly over the entire area and in the most extreme hot weather with no rainfall.  Town Pride systems can do that effectively and efficiently with our weather based control system.

Check back soon for more information on seeding and see our 1 minute video demonstrating how we get these superior results.

Significant changes to an irrigation system, are often required when a site is reconfigured. In some cases main line, control wire and zone valves may need to be moved. Never allow an improvement or landscape contractor to bury these key components under any kind of structure or paved surface. Never allow a line to be simply capped or plugged where a head is removed at the end of a line. Water may fill that line and with no way to remove it, freeze damage to the pipe may allow water to damage whatever is over top of the capped line. Repairs and changes may be difficult and or expensive as a result.

Always have a properly licensed and insured, experienced irrigation professional work on your system. Too many things can be done wrong with disastrous effect, by allowing just any one to alter a system.

Most of the time, the biggest stress factor for turf is insufficient water.   I have yet to speak to some one who doesn’t say, I am watering or my sprinklers are on.  After nearly 40 years I’ve heard most of the self defenses.   When it gets right down to the facts, they have never watered enough.

irrigated turf in back, non irrigated in front

This photo was taken July 22, 2010.  The lawn has the same fertilization program all over.  No fungus controls have been applied.  Yet the properly irrigated turf shows few signs of disease and is coping with the weather.

Common questions are, where does fungus come from or what causes fungus.  The answer is, Lawn fungus is like bacteria and viruses.  They are simply in the environment and take advantage when conditions are right.

fungus infection up close

This is what infection can look like up close.  These blades where picked from the areas where dead lawn met good lawn.

Myth – Lawns get burned by lawn applicators or watering in the heat of the day.

Fact-Lawns are usually attacked by fungus or insects that damage or kill turf.

What can you do to prevent fungus? Keep your lawn vibrant and healthy by feeding regularly, not feeding too much or too little, feeding the right products and watering enough in dry weather to prevent wilting.

How much water is enough? In June and July we need about 1.5 inches of water per week under normal conditions and up to 2 inches per week when we hit the mid 90s to over 100 degrees.  That is approximately 225 minutes per week, per zone of rotary sprinklers if the system was properly installed.  That can be divided up into 7, once per day applications between midnight and 8am per Rutgers University, or 3.5 waterings per week if you are odd/even restricted.

Don’t believe it? Look at that first picture again and remember adequate water vs no water.

CONTROLLER – Also known as a timer, the part of an automatic sprinkler system that determines when a valve will turn on and how long it will operate. The timer sends a low voltage signal to the valve, which will then open for a predetermined amount of time allowing water to flow to the sprinklers. What size timer to purchase is determined by how many zones are in the sprinkler system.

START TIME – This is the time the entire system, not a single station, is scheduled to start.  The entire system will not come on at once, but station by station in numerical order.  To schedule your system you only need one start time unless you are watering new seed or sod.

STATION RUN TIME – This is  the number of minutes each zone of your system will operate.

DAYS TO WATER – Use this setting to determine on what days watering will occur.

TIPS for digital controllers:

1. Use only the “A” program to schedule your watering unless your system and landscape are exceptionally unusual.
2. When programming your controller, make sure all settings you are making are for that “A” program.
3. Use the first starting time of your “A” program to activate the watering cycle.
4. If other start times exist most digital controllers have an off position that will display between 11:45pm and midnight as you scroll through the available starting times.
5. Do not set station run times for rotating heads the same as spray heads.  Spray heads typically need only 25-33% of the minutes rotary heads require because spray heads apply a relatively larger quantity of water to a much smaller area while they run.

When watering twice per day, be sure to cut your watering time for each zone so over watering does not occur. The best times to water seed is before dawn and again between noon and 2 pm. After 14-21 days, your regular irrigation schedule can be resumed. Never allow new grass to wilt or dry out before beginning to water. Adjust your sprinkler settings a minimum of once per month for lowest watering costs and best lawn growth.

Unfortunately, the tree planting information commonly recommended is old school and unscientific.  In the late 1970s, Oklahoma State University did random, replicated studies to compare how staking, pruning back the tops by 1/3 and using amendments such as compost, peat moss, etc., affected the growth and establishment of newly planted trees.

Research results showed that both pruning and staking impede tree establishment.  The original thought was to prune back the top to match the reduced root system on a ball and burlap tree.   It was found that reduced leaf surface meant reduced food production for the plant.  The leaves actually drive the root growth and tree establishment.

Trunk movement in the unstaked tree stimulates stronger trunk growth.  It is seldom necessary to stake a tree unless it is in a strong, wind swept area.  And in that situation it should be staked loosely to allow some movement, yet be kept upright.  Guying material should be chosen carefully so as not to chafe the tree bark.

It is best to back fill the planting hole with the soil that was removed.  Organic amendments create an artificial environment that can delay establishment or even make for a complication such as root rot.

Tips

1. Select your tree carefully to match it’s new soil and site conditions.   It is futile to try and change the environment to suit the tree.
2. Dig a $100.00 hole for a $50.00 tree, meaning twice the diameter of the root ball.
3. Dig the hole no deeper than the root ball and up to 2 inches less in depth.  A trees planted slightly high is better than a little low.
4. Do not put stone or any other material you think might help drain the tree in the bottom of the hole.  It only creates voids to collect water and cause problems.
5. Tamp the back filled soil firm enough to eliminate air pockets and stabilize the tree in the hole.  Do not compact.
6. Prune the top to remove only dead or broken branches and correct and structural problem such as a narrow v crotch angle.
7. Do not use stone as mulch.  It makes it hotter over the root area.  Limestone rock that is high in calcium may have and adverse effect on soil chemistry over the roots if the calcium leaches from the rocks.
8. Use only natural mulch over the planting area and do not mulch against the trunk.  2-4 inches of mulch is plenty.  The less the better.
9. No need to fertilize the tree unless recommended by a soil test.  Then only apply to the soil surface if it is needed.
10. Keep your trees root area moist but not soggy.    After 3 growing seasons, your new tree can usually survive on what nature provides.

In our area, you may have crabgrass 1/4″ or more in length beginning now, in sunny, warm, thin untreated areas.   What is commonly being seen is annual bluegrass.  This light colored grass develops fuzzy seed heads in April giving the appearance of being a weed.   Annual bluegrass is not a desirable lawn grass.  It commonly grows among thin stands of desirable, perennial grass and small bare spots.  To minimize it presence, seed thin areas of your lawn each fall.  Healthy perennial grass will out compete the annual bluegrass.

There is nothing to be done to stop any grass from it’s natural seeding process.  Even the perennial grasses will soon develop seed heads altering the quality appearance of the lawn for several weeks.    We’ll have more photos of that process when it occurs.  Please check back.

annual bluegrass in bloom

annual bluegrass dominating

seed heads close up

The key to watering both the lawn and shrub beds of any site, is the uniform application of water.   Separating zones for shrubs vs grass is not nearly as important as separating zones for the various micro climates that many sites have.  Micro climate  examples, are areas of shade, sunny south facing slopes and flat north facing areas.  Each of these areas does have it’s own special watering requirement, because the conditions are different enough that temperature, wind and sun exposure make a big difference in how evaporation and plant transpiration occur.  This is where well installed irrigation is superior to nature.

If you are in the market for a new sprinkler system or revamping an existing one, don’t judge the system’s efficiency or effectiveness by whether shrubs and lawn are watered separately.  Focus on zoning the system for major site variations.

An unseen part of quality crabgrass control is the size of the particles spread across your lawn.  With equal weight of product applied, the smaller the particles, the more uniform coverage you get with the control product and the fewer sprigs of crabgrass you will find in your lawn in the late summer.  We use those premium, professional, smaller particles in our program to ensure you get the best results.

The following pictures are 1 teaspoon of our product compared to others product.  The difference is small, yet that small difference can make a big difference in results.  Click on the pictures to enlarge.