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I just planted a 40m^2 patch of that 10-day grass. I prepped the ground well, covered it with seeds, raked'em over, gave it another seed coverage, another raking and some more seeds on top of that for good measure. After that came the watering and the fertilizer solution. Therefore the patch is set to grow... My question is:
How often do I need to water it? It's regular spring weather here, sunny, no showers, but not hot yet.
I recommend pouring cement and painting it green. Maintenance only comes around every 5 years or so! :fim:
RT
I wish I could, especially since there are a couple of women-drivers who don't think a double-width driveway, widened by two additional concrete slab parking pads is enough room to turn a car around. However, that much concrete would cost me an arm and a leg. The grass only cost me an afternoon's work and $10 for the seeds/fertilizer. On top of that some of my neighbors have the city hall on speed dial and an encyclopedic knowledge of city bylaws, so they'd report me in for who knows what. If I ever find out who reported me for keeping an unplated car over there (one of the reasons I'm planting grass lol) I'll hire kids to egg their house on a weekly basis. :mad:
If we were close enough, I would do it for free! It's been years!Quote:
Originally Posted by FiReSTaRT
RT
The heat in the soil will help germination of the seeds but water is also required but not so it's drenched. The water will actually help and aid the sun in heating the soil.
The top may look dry but check a few inches down where it counts. Same for when you water, sometimes it looks wet but it's only on the surface..especially after a long hot spell as a "waterproof crust" developes.
Also water is needed for fertilizer, it can be too harsh and will not activate properly without it.
If your lawn goes belly up don't blame me though.. :D
Gary
Don't let the soil dry out for 30 days. Don't drench it, but a light watering a couple times a day is optimal when your trying to get grass seed to take.
Jeff
Thank you gentlemen. I'll give it a quick/light one right now and a slightly more substantial one (*) in late afternoon.
(*) Enough to make the soil nice and moist without turning it into a swamp.
This damage is actually a result of 2 factors:
1) Parking a car there for a couple of months (while waiting to get rid of it) and 2 women turning their cars around. The rest of the back lawn and the front lawns are ok and maintenance free... All I do is mow them with my $20 mower like once a week and leave the clippings there. Been doing that for 8 years now.
P.S. When will the root system stabilize the soil enough for the first mowing of the patch?
I'm thinking you should switch that regime. I've always been taught that you never want to let water sit on your lawn or in your lawn root systems overnight, it can cause fungus to grow in your root system.
Water heavily in the morning so it has time to soak everything up through the day. Give it a light watering in the evening if you have to but don't drench it.
-- Gary F.
I will agree with gfoster on that point. Another option is not watering
at all if its still even slightly damp.
Terry
Quote:
Originally Posted by rtaylor61
That's what we do here in NYC only we don't paint it. :D :D
Saves on the water
Ughhhh it goes against everything I've learned about grass... From what I know you're NOT supposed to water it in the morning b/c that can lead to scorched grass. Does anyone have a take on that?Quote:
Originally Posted by gfoster
The only reason I'm doing this is b/c city bylaws demand a lawn and the patch of bare earth was looking very ugly. I'm not one of those fanatics who declare war on dandelions and install a $5000 sprinkler system. In the 8 years that I've lived in this house, I only watered the lawn twice (when we had a long hot dry spell, which was scorching all of the grass) and never fertilized it. The reason I'm being so absessive now is that I want to have this grass grow properly and not worry about it any more other than spending 45 seconds once a week, mowing it.
Firestart,
It doesn't seem that the scorched grass would be as
big a problem in the spring time. Of course I don't
really know how hot it gets in your neck of the woods
during the spring time. I can't imagine that it would get
any hter there than here where I live in West Virginia.
I would say as long as it is damp, even slightly damp
that it should be OK. And if it's damp then I wouldn't
water, just for the sake of watering.
Terry
Watering in the AM won't scorch anything. Don't make mud, just don't let it get dusty. 30 days will ensure it has plenty of time to establish some roots.
Jeff
Another thing to consider. How often during the Summer
months does it come a really hard rain in the AM and then
the sun comes out. I've seen this happen many many times.
And my grass has never been scorched, not even newly
planted grass. Just relax, the grass will be growing in
no time.
Terry
Thank you gentlemen. I'll try to maintain a comfortable level of dampness and won't mow that part of the lawn until the end of May. Ofcourse it will be kept nice and fertilized during the initial growing period, so it better take and ake well.
When it grows to the point when you think it needs mowing, then go ahead and mow it. If your mower can do it, mulch it rather than blowing it out the side or bagging for the rest of the season. The tiny clippings will help things along, both in seeding it in thicker and in helping the soil to retain moisture.
Jeff
First off, your watering regime for (as yet) ungerminated seed differs from an established lawn. For optimal germination, you want constantly moist, but not wet soil. Don't drench it, but water a couple of times a day until you get pretty good establishment. Then, slowly cut back to about an inch of water a week.
From a maintenance standpoint, your previous approach is about the best. Except in extraordinary circumstances, don't water. I'll go one step further and say that unless you have really poor (very sandy) soil, I'd rarely fertilize (if ever). Plants are a lot like most people...really lazy. If you are constantly watering and fertilizing (surface application), the grass will produce most of its roots at the very surface of the soil. Thus, when a drought hits or if you forget to water for a couple of days, bamm! The grass burns up. Forget to fertilize constantly? Yellow sickly grass. If on the other hand you wean your newly established lawn off of the tender loving care, it will actually grow a good healthy root system---down into the subsoil where it can mine water and nutrients on its own.
Want a weed free lawn, don't scalp it! If you let turf grass stay at a height of 2+inches, it will choke out weeds on its own. I let my lawn grow to 3", cut to 2" and have never had a problem regardless of the region (Chicago, Missouri, and now Alabama).
One last point, especially important for newly established lawns, but useful even later. Keep your mower blades sharp. Look at the newly cut grass. If the top is cleanly cut you're good to go. If, however, the edge is ragged and looks like it's been ripped off rather than cut, sharpen the blade. A dull blade on newly germinated grass is just as likely to rip the new plants out of the soil as to cut them.
Just my 2 cents,
Ed
Thanks Ed. It's always good to hear from a pro. I was just planning on establishing it and then doing zero maintenance other than what I have to according to Toronto municipal bylaws. I'll take your tip for keeping it free of weeds to heart and raise up the mower a bit. As for the blades, I keep them nice and sharp as a part of the regular maintenance schedule. Now I just have to sit back and watch the grass grow lol.