Whether you’ve hired a professional service or you’ve decided to take care of it yourself this year, seeding requires some follow-up work to ensure your grass seed germinates and achieves the best results possible. Knowing what to expect and a little insight into what a homeowner can do will have a big impact on the overall success of the lawn.
So, we made it a goal to jot-down a handful of helpful pointers to get you the most out of your grass seed. Let’s get that lawn looking green and get started on these tips!
Looking for Growth
Anticipation always follows seeding and it’s common for people to want to check on the seed to see if anything has happened. Depending on the type of grass seed, expect to wait up to 10 days for any noticeable progress. On the other hand some seed like Perennial Rye grass can show signs of progress in as little as 4 or 5 days.
If you aren’t sure what type of grass seed was applied, check with your lawn care professional or if applied by yourself, take a look at the back of the seed bag to see what you have.
Just Add Water
Water is a major factor and if incorrectly applied the seed will be less apt to successfully root. Most issues in our experience have been caused to lack of watering causing the grass seed to dry out and die. So, how much water will you need a week?
Somewhere around 2” of water a week is ideal, but remember to calculate in the amount of rainfall the lawn receives to avoid over-watering.
Setting the Sprinklers
Keeping the seed moist and preventing it from drying out is important to remember. Try to set your sprinklers to go on 2 or 3 times a day (depending on the heat) for shorter times spans. If this method cannot be used, set your sprinklers for the early morning or early evening.
Stay away from having your lawn watered at noon or too late in the evening. Why? During the hottest part of the day water from your sprinkler system will evaporate and never reach your seed. And if water is applied to late in the evening, you will run the risk of setting up the perfect conditions for lawn fungus.
When To Mow
It’s recommended to wait 2 to 3 weeks before mowing your lawn. Cutting the grass too early could cause issues and decrease desired results. Like-wise cutting too short can also do damage to new grass. Try to keep the height of your mower around 3.5” until the end of the cutting season.
Use your mowing down-time to sharpen your blade(s), so the cut is clean and not tearing the leaves of the grass. This will help the plant conserve energy and heal faster!
Aerating Mess
After having your lawn aerated, it may look like an absolute mess. Small dirt plugs litter the grass and it looks unsightly, so what do you do? Nothing at all! With a good watering schedule the plugs will break-down and go back into the soil. Performing this yearly will have a major impact on your turf.
Resist the urge to remove the plugs- they will actually help cover the grass seed and aid in the overall growing process, while replacing the topsoil taken from the lawn during core aerating.
Have A Question?
Don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions and we will do our best to answer them.
