Prepare Your Yard/Site

NEW LAWN PLANTINGS

 

Measure the area to be planted to determine how much seed you are going to need. Example: Length x Width = Total Square Feet (50 feet long x’s 20 feet wide = 1000 square feet.

Typically, a light raking is all that is needed in sandy soils.  You may need to till clay soil to a few inches.  Soil should be loose and clod free when properly prepared. This step is not necessary if your lawn is already at a level (pH, compaction, fertility) as you would like it.

 

Tilling will promote new weed growth – if you do choose to till, you will need to level the ground, water the soil before planting for a week or two and then spray out any weeds (Round-up recommended—1-3 applications) before we arrive to seed your lawn.

 

Test the soil with a simple pH soil kit to check if you soil is acid or alkaline. If acid (a pH of 6 or less) apply a fast acting dolomite lime at the rate of 50 pounds per 1000 square feet.  If alkaline (a pH of 7 or higher) apply a granular gypsum at the rate of 50 lbs per 1,000 square feet.

 

Level the seed bed to eliminate high or low spots.

 

We recommend that you thoroughly water your lawn the day of your seeding, not more than two hours before our arrival.  This will prepare the seed bed and aid in germination.

 

Water gently with an oscillating type of sprinkler. KEEP SEED MOIST UNTIL GRASS BEGINS TO GROW (see our watering page). Then, decrease water frequency but increase the length of each watering. This helps ensure a deep rooted, vigorous lawn.

 

Do not mow until your lawn is at least 3-6 inches tall.  For most grasses this is about 3 - 6 weeks from time of planting. Be gentle!!  These new plants are very tender – avoid sharp turns with your lawn mower.  Keep your mower blades sharp.  Dull blades tear grass and is especially damaging to seedlings.

 

DO NOT APPLY PRE-EMERGENT OR ANY TYPE OF WEED OR PEST CONTROL UNTIL YOUR LAWN HAS BEEN MOWED FOR AT LEAST TWO MONTHS.  DOING SO COULD KILL UNGERMINATED SEEDLINGS AND YOUNG SPROUTS.

 

After mowing twice, fertilize with a quality lawn food (see fertilization page). Do not apply weed and feed fertilizers or pesticides for at least 10 weeks.

 

OVERSEEDING YOUR LAWN

 

The best way to keep your lawn healthy and vigorous is to over seed it every year or two.

Follow these simple instructions:

 

Mow lawn at 1 to 1 ½ inches – remove clippings.

 

Rake hard (steel rake) enough to loosen the soil and break apart the thatch. Remove debris. You may want to rent a dethatcher from your local rental store to get up all the dead grass and the rake firmly to loosen the top soil.

 

Fertilize with a good starter fertilizer or lawn fertilizer (do not use weed and feed fertilizer).

 

DO NOT APPLY PRE-EMERGENT OR ANY TYPE OF WEED OR PEST CONTROL UNTIL YOUR LAWN HAS BEEN MOWED FOR AT LEAST TWO MONTHS.  DOING SO COULD KILL UNGERMINATED SEEDLINGS AND YOUNG SPROUTS.

 

Water – keep soil moist until the new seed germinates. Decrease watering frequency, but increase duration (instead of watering twice a day for ½ hour, water once or twice a week for one hour). In approximately 5 weeks you will have a thicker, rejuvenated lawn.

 

LAWN RENOVATION

 

When and Why to Renovate?

If your lawn is more than ten years old or more than 50% weeds and wild grasses, it is time to start over.

Follow these easy steps to a beautiful new lawn:

 

Apply a herbicide such as, Round-up® and wait one week for the lawn to die and turn brown.  You may repeat if one or more times if all weeks and grass are not completely dead.  We suggest that you purchase your herbicide in concentrated form.  This will save you as much as 90% if you mix it yourself.  You will also need to purchase a sprayer.  These are inexpensive and available from Wal-Mart for as little as $8.  More expensive, higher capacity sprayers are available from local hardware stores.  One 36 oz concentrated bottle of Round-Up will cover a typical yard.

 

Mow the dead grass as low to the ground as possible, remove the debris.

 

Rent a power rake or take steel rake and remove the remaining debris.

 

Test the soil with a simple pH soil kit to check if you soil is acid or alkaline. If acid (a pH of 6 or less) apply a fast acting dolomite lime at the rate of 50 pounds per 1000 square feet.  If alkaline (a pH of 7 or higher) apply a granular gypsum at the rate of 50 lbs per 1,000 square feet.

 

 

Phone: 850-240-2217

E-mail: sales@americanturfpro.com

To contact us:

Permanent Lawn Installation  & 

Erosion Control

Fort Walton Beach, Florida