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Installing Turfgrass
Turf installation is easy to do and by far the quickest way to have a healthy, beautiful lawn. Installation is relatively simple and will provide you with an invigorating work out and a very satisfying reward...an instant lawn! These step by step guidelines will lead you through the process of having an instantly beautiful, mature lawn providing you with years of comfortable and aesthetic enjoyment.
Not enough can be said about the importance of proper soil preparation for the success of your lawn. Money spent at this time will yield years of trouble-free low-cost maintenance. The goal is to provide a base in which grass roots can vigorously establish and grow.
- Remove rocks or other debris, control weeds and establish a rough grade.
- Ideally a soil sample should be taken if time permits. The county extension service can help you with this or you can order a soil testing kit from Texas Plant and Soil Lab, Inc. This will let you learn about the features of your soil and how to best provide for the plant in the future.
- Install sprinklers – we highly recommend automatic sprinklers, they save not only time, but water. Complete any other site modifications such as sidewalks or flower beds.
- Incorporate 1-3 inches of compost or peat moss if possible. This will reduce compaction, improve water and nutrient retention and penetration, providing you with a water efficient lawn.
- It would be of great benefit to the health of your lawn to apply amendments. Incorporate a high phosphorous fertilizer at a rate of 2 lbs actual phosphorous per 1000 square feet. This will help to stimulate root development. At the same time apply and incorporate gypsum at a rate of 50 lbs per 1000 square feet. This will help with PH levels and allow nutrients to be more available to your grass.
- Rototill to a depth of 4 to 6 inches.
- Rake and smooth soil. Keep finished grade 1" below sidewalks or sprinkler heads.
Turf should be installed as soon as possible after delivery or pick up – within 12 hours. Turf is a living plant and is very perishable. Protect unlaid turf from the heat and wind by covering with moist burlap (not plastic) or sprinkling the edges with water.
Turf Tip - if installing turf in the summer heat be sure to cool your grade with a light sprinkling of water. Do not make it so wet you can’t walk on the grade but it must be cool to your touch.
- Begin installing turf along the longest straight line, such as a driveway. Push edges and ends tightly against each other without stretching. Stagger joints in each row, in a brick like pattern. Avoid gaps and overlapping. Turf may be cut with a knife to conform to curved boundaries.
- Never let installed turf lay for more than 30 minutes without watering. If you have a large area that takes several hours to install, continue to water installed areas as you continue to lay grass.
- After installation, water turfgrass thoroughly. When you pick up a piece of newly laid turf it should be wet underneath to a depth of 6 inches.
- One of the most important things that needs to happen in a turf installation is that the soil on the turf needs to bond with the soil on the ground. Depending on the smoothness of your grade and after initial watering, you may need to roll your lawn to eliminate any air pockets and insure good soil contact. Rental companies offer these rollers for an hourly or daily fee.
- Continue to water your new lawn daily applying enough moisture to soak through the turf and keep the soil below it wet to a minimum depth of 2 inches. You may need to water several times each day if wind and heat conditions are extreme.
- When it becomes difficult to pick up a piece of turf (2 - 3 weeks) you can reduce watering frequency but may want to soak your soil more thoroughly to encourage deep rooting. There is no substitute for common sense and environmental conditions and soil type will dictate how much water will be necessary to establish a good root system for your new lawn. As a rule of thumb, turf in full sun can use up to .4 inches of water per day in warm dry conditions.
Turf Tip - fall and winter turfgrass installations require less water than the recommendations stated above. The turfgrass will generally require ½ as much water and transplant as quickly.
Care should be given to insure your new turf roots well in the new environment in which it has been installed. Strong root development will provide a long lasting, healthy, and beautiful lawn for years to come.
Watering
After the turf has rooted, (you can no longer pick up a piece of turf) water every third day to a depth of 8 inches. The best time to water is in the early morning when evaporation is the lowest. Deep watering will allow the roots to penetrate farther which provides more nutrients and makes a more water efficient lawn that is stress tolerant. Use a long screwdriver to check for water penetration. If you can insert it 8 – 10 inches easily, you have adequate water depth in the soil.
Mowing
The first mowing should occur within 2 weeks of installation. Be sure to set the mower at the proper height for the particular lawn variety you have installed. Thereafter, cut only the top third of the grass blade at any mowing. Keep mower blades sharp so that you are cutting the grass, not tearing it.
Foot Traffic
The turfgrass is ready for foot traffic as soon as it's installed. However, because the soil under the grass has been watered, it tends to be "soft" and vulnerable to foot prints and indentations. Protect the grade and allow the turfgrass to root properly by keeping foot traffic to a minimum for the first two weeks.
Fertilizer
If you did not incorporate a high phosphorous, Starter Fertilizer before installation, do so NOW. Ideally a balanced fertilizer should be applied 1 to 3 months after installation depending on the variety of turfgrass chosen and the time of year installation occurred. Frequent watering that is necessary to establish your new turfgrass, often moves some of the nutrients away from the root zone. For warm season Hybrid Bermudagrass apply a balanced fertilizer after installation and at one month intervals during the growing season, May through September.
For cool season turfgrass, Frontier Fescue or Triple Crown Bluegrass, apply a balanced fertilizer one month after installation but do not apply fertilizer during the months of June, July or August.