Finish the Look of Your New Twin Cities Area Home with the Perfect Lawn and Landscaping Design

On the day of the installation of your lawn, set the irrigation system to water your lawn heavily for the first two weeks, while watering two times a day for the first 10 days. This heavy watering will make the lawn very mushy and you should try to avoid any activity on the lawn during this time.

After 10 days of watering two times a day, change the controller to water once a day in the morning for a week. Watering in the early morning hours allows the water to soak into the ground prior to the sun being at its hottest points, which will prevent water evaporation and let more usable water go directly into the root system of the turf.

After one-and-a-half weeks, we suggest doing the “tug test” on the turf, throughout the lawn, to assure that it is starting to root into the soil. After you have tested the turf and it is adhering itself to the ground, you can begin mowing your turf.

To prevent difficult mowing the first couple of times, we suggest you shut down the irrigation system one day prior to mowing. This will give the lawn a chance to dry a little bit and make it a little easier to mow. We suggest that your first mowing is done on the high setting and bagged to prevent leaving the clippings on top of your new turf.

A good guideline for mowing height would be to maintain a level of 3″ during the summer and a height of 2 1/2″ during the spring and fall.

Once you have the lawn to a height of 3″ and are mowing regularly, we suggest you mulch your clippings rather than bag them. The mulch that you leave behind will act as an insulator from the sun and heat, and will protect the roots of your turf.

Mowing on a weekly basis is suggested to maintain your turf. Allowing the lawn to grow to a long length will cause the clippings to pile up throughout the yard and choke the grass by not allowing the sun to hit the grass. By mowing on a weekly basis you prevent the overgrowth of grass and promote healthy turf.

Once you are on a normal mowing cycle we suggest that the irrigation system be changed to watering on an odd/even-day cycle.

To continue maintaining a lush green lawn you will need to provide your lawn with regular fertilizer feeding. Wagner Sod Company suggests an annual 4-Step Fertilizer Program. Proper fertilization is just as important to a healthy yard as watering can be.

It is important to use slow release nitrogen in your fertilizer, and follow the manufacturer’s application guidelines, so you get even feeding throughout the season, rather than a quick burst that greens up fast and then deteriorates fast leaving the lawn starving for food.

The first application on an established lawn needs a crabgrass preventing agent. Apply when soil temperatures are below 50 degrees.

The second application should be in June.

The third application in July/August.

The fourth application around September/October.

To control weeds it is recommended to have an herbicide spray done in spring and a second application in fall (if needed) on mature yards.

If you have any questions regarding the care of your lawn, Wagner Sod Company is here to assist you with any lawn care or irrigation questions or needs. Please feel free to contact us at 651-457-6037.

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