5 13 establishing lawns
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Transcript of 5 13 establishing lawns
Establishing Turfgrass
Seeding Lawn
• Establishing Lawn from Seed Video:
Soil Preparation
• Best success when seeding bare ground
• Use a tiller to prepare the seed bed
• Remove sticks, rocks, clumps of old grass
• Test the pH and the soil fertility
• Use a fertilizer with high phosphorus numbers to build root growth
Rototiller
• Front-tine – smaller & lighter, bounce a lot when trying to break new soil – work better for re-tilling existing plots
• Rear-tine – bigger & stronger work best for preparing unused areas
Seeding
• Most economical– Grass seed $15 - 20 for enough for 2,500 sq
feet– Seed specific cultivars or blends– Seeds develop into the area where they will
grow
Seeding RatesSpecies Seeds per
poundPounds/
1000 sq ft
Cost/pound
Kentucky Bluegrass
1-2 million 1 – 3 $3 – 4
Bulk
Tall Fescue 170,000 – 220,000
4 – 8 $1
Bulk
Red Fescue
350,000 – 600,000
3 - 5 $1.75
Bulk
Perennial Ryegrass
250,000 6 - 8 $1.25
Bulk
Seeding and fertilization pattern
• Divide the amount of seed in half and sow half in each direction.
• Remember to close the spreader when changing directions
Lime
• Grass grows best at pH levels of 6.5 to 7• Liming rates for 1000 sq ft
Soil Texture
Sandy Loam Clay
pH 4 90 172 217
pH 5 67 127 150
pH 6 20 35 60
pH 7 None None None
Establishing Turf by Seed
• Germination Rates:– Fast – Perennial Ryegrass– Medium – Fescue– Slow – Bluegrass & Bermuda Grass
• Sow – 15 seeds/sq inch– Use rates recommended on the bag
Water
• Water frequently with small amounts
• Keep the soil surface moist
• Don’t water so much as to create run-off
Seed types
• Turfgrass blends– Different cultivars of the same species
• Turfgrass mixture– Combination of two or more species– Examples:
• Shade mix• High traffic mix
Grass seed label
Seed Labeling
• Have information about the quality of the seed– Seed purity - % of identified species– Seed viability - % of seed that will germinate
• Seeding rates– Different seeds have different weights and
seeding rates– Also information on spreader settings– Want ~15 seeds per sq. inch.
Lawn Renovation
• Kill everything and start-over
• Kill existing grass with glyphosate (Round-up)
• Allow 3 weeks to die completely
• Cut to ½” height
• Dethatch
• Reseed
Overseeding
• Add new seed to existing lawn• Good for bare spots or to improve lawn
traits• Best in September• Cut grass short (1”)• Remove clippings & thatch• Reseed• May need to add compost or topsoil
Bermuda GrassBermuda Grass
Sod
• Sod or turf is grass and the part of the soil beneath it held together by the roots, or a piece of this material.
Installing Sod Movie
Sod Farm
• Grown on specialty farms & harvested by specialty equipment
• Usually has 2-3 day life from harvest - can be longer if protected from heat or drying.
Sod Cost
• Costs about $.20 - .30/sq ft if you are going to do it yourself– Very small lawn - 2000sq ft = $400 - 600
• Contractor will charge $.50/sq foot - not including soil prep
• Sod costs 20X more than seed
• Sod costs 10X more than sprigs
Quiz tomorrow
• Review
• Best grass for shade?
• Best grass for quick greening?
• Best grass for drought tolerance?
• Best looking cool season grass?
• What grass breaking dormancy now?
• What grass are most lawns around here?