FAQ

After your sod has been laid we recommend staying off of it as much as possible for about two weeks. If you must, walk on it after it has dried and try to take a different path each time. New sod needs to be soaked often and walking on it while it is wet will create depressions in the sod as well as leave gaps in the seams.

We recommend you water frequently. New sod should not be allowed to dry out, so please make sure you water your sod at least once a day, preferably in the early morning. The duration of watering time varies with the day time temperature but we recommend you soak the sod thoroughly and make sure the edges are not missed. If your sod is soaked then it is wet enough. After a couple weeks you can start to reduce the watering times.

Fertilizer formulas look like this 16-10-10 the first number refers to nitrogen. Nitrogen makes the grass blades green and  tall. The second number is phosphate, phosphate makes the roots grow deep and strong. The third number is potash, potash makes the grass spread out. We recommend a high nitrogen of 16 or more, a low phosphorus of 6 or less and a fairly high potash of 10 or so. We also encourage our customers to use a slow release fertilizer so the nitrogen will not burn the lawn. Fertilize in spring and again in Fall. Do not fertilize during summer or within 2 months of having new sod laid. We only install sod that has been fertilized well on the field so you do not need to worry about fertilizing until at least two months after installation.

It is best to allow your lawn to grow long and cut it less often. This allows your lawn to take in more sunlight at a time and that helps build stronger roots which will help your sod winter better. Raise up your mower so you are not scalping your lawn in any areas, this can cause long term damage and makes it hard for your lawn to recover.

Mulching is beneficial to your lawn by adding nutrients back into the soil.  We believe that this is most effective when growth subsides mid-summer to fall and recommend bagging clippings up to this time to keep the lawn looking healthy and clean.

Core aeration involves perforating the soil with small holes to allow air, water and nutrients to penetrate the grass roots. This helps the roots grow deeply to produce a stronger, more vigorous lawn that is thicker, healthier, and more drought and weed resistant. Some of the benefits are:

• Breaks through thatch and eliminates layering
• Stimulates the breakdown of thatch
• Helps relieve soil compaction
• Improves air exchange with roots
• Has vertical mowing action which stimulates new growth
• Reduces puddling and allows more efficient use of water
• Improves fertilizer uptake and drought stress tolerance
• Improves turf resiliency and cushioning

Core Aeration can be done at any time in Spring, Summer, or Fall. For example, Golf courses aerate up to 4X/year and have some of the nicest green grass! Generally the average homeowner benefits from 1 aeration in the Spring and one in the Fall season.

*Note that when booking a core aeration service, that aerators can easily damage irrigation heads, so it is important to get irrigation heads marked prior to aerating.