Regardless of whether your lawn is in need of a small patch of grass or a complete overhaul, laying down new sod or planting seeds is a lot of work. In theory it should be pretty easy, right? I mean, grass grows pretty much everywhere except on rocks or sandy beaches, so just how difficult could it be? The truth is that it’s usually easy to make it look alright, but pretty intense to make it look really nice. Since a lush, green lawn is one of the easiest ways to make your home look nice, it really is something you want to do the right way.
With that in mind, here are some tips on how to get the fullest potential out of your new grass.
Too much of a good thing?
One of the trickiest parts of new grass is figuring out just how much water is needed. That is especially true during a hot summer like the one currently scorching Nashville and the rest of mid-Tennessee. The type of soil you are working with is going to affect how much water is needed on an average day. For example, in a place that has a more clay-like soil, like much of the area does, water is slow to be absorbed by the soil, since clay is harder than sandy or more loam-like soil. That being said, clay holds water better than the others, allowing the new grass seedlings to take their time. A good rule of thumb is that an average size lawn needs about an inch of water a week to survive, so if it’s not raining regularly (which tends to happen in this area) you need to set up a watering schedule. Remember that the hotter the weather, the more water will be lost to evaporation, so water early in the morning or later at night and avoid watering during the middle of the day. Having too much water will also damage the grass seedlings, as it can lead to washing away the seeds or flooding them, not giving them a chance to grow.
When to cut
After your new grass has started to sprout, you might be wondering how long you need to wait before you start mowing that area. Again, this is a tricky balance to find. Mow too soon, and the individual plants don’t have enough time to take root and grow strong, and most likely will be torn from the soil. Wait too long, however, and you end up with a shabby looking lawn, something that we here at the Parke Company try our best to avoid. With most new seeding efforts, wait about a month before mowing for the first time. Another thing to keep in mind when mowing is to allow the new grass to dry before mowing, as doing it while the grass is still damp or wet can lead to complications.
Growing new grass is not something a lot of people have experience with, as it is usually a once-every-decade-or-so experience, not something you do every season like with certain flowers and other plants. We at the Parke Company understand this; after all, maintaining lawns is one of the the things we excel at. Why not put our years of expertise and knowledge to use by letting us help you plant the lawn of your dreams?