After Care

To care for a newly seeded or sodded lawn

Best time to seed is right before the longest period of optimum weather conditions.

This is usually during the late summer or early spring. Mulching with straw or laying down burlap will help to establish seed contact with soil, ensuring germination.

Irrigation is extremely important to sustain a healthy lawn. For newly sodded lawns watering once a day for at least two weeks is essential for grass to be established. It is preferable to water in early morning or late evening to ensure the maximum moisture retention. Keeping the soil saturated for newly seeded and sodded lawns will ensure turf growth.

Limit or eliminate all traffic on your new lawn. Uneven pressure can cause damage to the establishing turf.

Fertilization of turf grass for the Northern New Jersey area should be applied 3 times a year. One application of fertilizer in spring (May) to ensure better quality turf, a low nitrogen fertilizer is recommended for this application. Another application of fertilizer in late summer (September) is the most important. A final application in fall (November) when the rate of shoot growth has slowed significantly but is still green, will promote root growth and early spring green-up. For a low maintenance lawn only one application is necessary in late summer.

Mowing heights of turf grass should be between 1.5 inches and 3 inches, depending on the use of the turf area. The taller the grass the more moisture it can retain, giving you a greener lawn and less frequent irrigation.

Mowing frequency will increase in the spring while the weather conditions are favorable and may decrease in the warm weather months when weather is unfavorable.