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| COVERAGE |
Seed takes weeks to fill out |
Sod makes an instant carpet of grass |
| APPEARANCE |
Seeded lawns are not uniform at first |
New sod is rarely patchy or uneven in color |
| PLANTING |
Seeds must be planted at the beginning of the growing season |
Planting sod is not as seasonally restricted |
| CUSTOM BLENDS |
Your garden center will carry a variety of seeds that can be blended to suit your environment |
Sod is normally only available from nearby sod farms, whose professionals are experienced at developing the right blend to suit your environment and traffic |
| LABOR |
Planting grass by seed takes fewer tools and less effort |
Planting grass with sod requires more physical activity and heavier tools, which professional landscapers should already have among their equipment |
| WEEDS |
Seeding encourages weed seeds to develop in your ground |
Sod is less susceptible to invasion by weeds |
SOIL
PREPARATION |
Whether you use sod or seed, it is important to prepare your planting area in advance. Following are some simple pre-planting steps that will help you create a beautiful lawn.
* Remove weeds from the planting area
* Till the area to break up dead grass and compacted soil
* Work in any needed lime or organic matter as you till
* Use a steel rake to remove any dead grass or stones from the planting area
* Smooth the planting area so that it is even
* When installing the lawn, use a roller to settle the loosened soil
* After the soil is prepared, plant the seed or sod
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| FERTILIZER |
Turfgrass Producers International (TPI) recommends that you apply "starter fertilizer" that is high in phosphate (P, or the middle number on a bag of fertilizer), at a rate recommended for the particular product. To prevent root injury to newly installed turfgrass sod, this fertilizer should be worked into the top 7 to 10 cm (3-4 inches). |
| SOIL CONDITION |
For optimum growth, the TPI suggests that turfgrass needs just four things (in the proper balance) to grow...sunlight, air, water and nutrients. Reduce any of these, or provide too much of any one, and the grass may die or simply suffer. In the right proportions, the grass will flourish, providing not only beauty to the landscape, but also a clean and safe place to play and many benefits to the environment.
Grass obtains three of these four essential factors (air, water and nutrients) from the soil, but many soils are less than ideal for growing grass. Some soils contain too much clay and may be very compacted... great for roads, bad for grass, because air and water aren't available to the roots and the roots can't grow. Other soils may have too much sand... beautiful on a beach, but difficult to grow grass because water and nutrients won't stay in the root zone long enough for the plant to use. Another frequently observed problem with many soils is that its pH (the degree of acidity or alkalinity) is too high or two low for optimum grass growth.
Quick Fact:What Is The Best Soil For Turfgrass?
Loams, sandy loams and loamy sands, with a pH of 6.0 to 7.0 are the very best soils for producing a beautiful, high-use, low-maintenance lawn. Unfortunately, this idea soil mixture is seldom found on any property after construction.
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WATERING:
WHEN & HOW MUCH |
Newly installed turfgrass sod has very important watering needs. Proper watering immediately after installation will ensure the turf gets established, and it will also have an impact on how well the lawn continues to flourish for years to come.
WHEN To Water New Turfgrass Sod
Begin watering new turfgrass sod within a half hour after it is laid on the soil. Apply at least 2 to 3 cm. (1 inch) of water so that the soil beneath the turf is very wet. Ideally, the soil 7 to 10 cm. (3 to 4 inches) below the surface should be moist.
Watering Tip #1: pull back a corner of the turf and push a screwdriver or other sharp tool into the soil. It should push in easily and have moisture along the first 7 to 10 cm. (3 or 4 inches), or you need to apply more water.
Watering Tip #2: make absolutely certain that water is getting to all areas of your new lawn, regardless of the type of sprinkling system you use. Corners and edges are easily missed by many sprinklers and are particularly vulnerable to drying out faster than the center portion of your lawn. Also, areas near buildings dry-out faster because of reflected heat and may require more water.
Watering Tip #3: runoff may occur on some soils and sloped areas before the soil is adequately moist. To conserve water and ensure adequate soak-in, turn off the water when runoff begins, wait 30-minutes to an hour and restart the watering on the same area, repeating this start and stop process, until proper soil moisture is achieved.
For the next two weeks keep the below-turf soil surface moist with daily (or more frequent) watering. Especially hot, dry or windy periods will necessitate increased watering amounts and frequency.
Watering Tip #4: as the turf starts to knit its new roots into the soil, it will be difficult, impossible and/or harmful to pull back a corner to check beneath the turf (Watering Tip #1), but you can still use a sharp tool to check moisture depth by pushing it through the turf and into the soil.
Watering Tip #5: water as early in the morning as possible to take advantage of the daily start of the grass's normal growing cycle, usually lower wind speeds and considerably less loss of water because of high temperature evaporation.
Watering Tip #6: if the temperature approaches 37 degrees C (100 degrees F), or high winds are constant for more than half of the day, reduce the temperature of the turf surface by lightly sprinkling (syringe) the area. This sprinkling does not replace the need for longer, deeper watering, which will become even more critical to continue during adverse weather conditions.
During the rest of the growing season most lawns will grow very well with a maximum total of one inch of water a week, coming either from rain or applied water. This amount of water, properly applied, is all that is required for the health of the grass, providing it is applied evenly and saturates the underlying soil to a depth of 10 to 15 cm (4 to 6 inches).
Watering Tip #7: Infrequent and deep watering is preferred to frequent and shallow watering because the roots will only grow as deeply as its most frequently available water supply. Deeply rooted grass has a larger "soil-water bank" to draw moisture from and this will help the grass survive drought and hot weather that rapidly dries out the upper soil layer |
| SELECTING SEED VARIETY |
Kentucky Bluegrass Seed Specifications
CHARACTERISTICS:
Cool-season grass - dark green color and dense, beautiful appearance, medium leaf texture with excellent leaf uniformity. Forms a strong sod via rhizomes.
RECOMMENDED USAGE:
Widely adapted basic lawn grass of the cool, humid, semi-arid and temperate regions - recommended for residential and commercial lawns. Also, widely used on sports fields and play areas, parks, cemeteries, commercial lawns and roadsides.
TEMPERATURE TOLERANCE:
Thrives in cool weather and will tolerate very cold winters - undergoes stress during extremely hot weather, but will maintain good color and appearance if properly watered and cared for.
DROUGHT RESISTANCE:
Medium - can go into summer dormancy when irrigation is withheld; upon return of moisture supply, will green up again. Some varieties have better tolerance to heat and drought.
SHADE ADAPTATION:
Fair to poor - thrives in sunny areas - a few varieties are moderately adapted to partial shade.
WEAR RESISTANCE:
Medium - recovers quickly from occasional abuse - will withstand moderate foot traffic usage - rhizomes enhance quick recovery, especially in spring and fall.
Consult the DeBuck Professionals if more information is needed on this or other turfgrass species.
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| WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO PLANT? |
Turfgrass sod can be installed year-round, even on frozen ground, if sod is available; however, sodding during the heat of summer will require more water than during cooler periods. Seeding or sprigging is best attempted in the Fall in most areas, with Spring being the second best time. Winter and Summer planting of seed or sprigs is strongly discouraged |
| DETERMINING FRESHNESS |
Sod is a living plant that should be installed between 24 to 72 hours after it is first harvested from the farm field. The best indication of freshness is soil that is moist (not hard and dry). The grass blades should be dark green and cool to the touch. Strength of sod can be tested by holding a piece by its narrow end and raising it overhead, without it tearing or falling apart. Uniformity of texture, mowing height and overall quality, can best be determined by placing several pieces on the ground and looking for extreme variations or visible weeds. |
| TURFGRASS FACTOIDS |
Above Ground…
* Grass plants are 70 to 80% water
* Grass clippings are 90% water
* Grass clippings contain 4% nitrogen, 2% potassium and 0.5% phosphorus
* A 10,000 square foot lawn will contain:
6 grass plants per square inch
850 plants per square foot
8.5 million plants total
Below Ground…
* 90% of the weight of grass is in its roots
* A single grass plant has 387 miles of root
* There are 329,000 miles of root per square foot
* 3 billion miles of roots in a 10,000 square foot lawn
* Turfgrass sod is a superior form of erosion control, with tests documenting:
* A dense lawn is 6 times more effective than a wheat field and 4 times better than a hayfield at absorbing rainfall.
* Sediment losses from sodded areas will be 8 to 15 times less than for tested man-made erosion control materials and 10 times less than for a straw covered area.
* Runoff from a sodded area will take 28 to 46 times longer than for five popular erosion control materials.
* A 50 by 50 foot lawn (2,500 square feet) releases enough oxygen for a family of four, while absorbing carbon dioxide, hydrogen fluoride and perosyacetyle nitrate. |
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