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INSTALLING AND CARING FOR YOUR TURF

SOIL PREPARATION  If possible, have soil tested for nutrients and pH.  Test kits are available from your local Extension Office.  Till the soil to a depth of 6 inches and rake the area smooth.  Water the area to allow for settling and re-rake uneven areas.  Spread and rake in amount of fertilizer recommended by your soil test.  If you didn’t get a soil test, rake in 20 lbs. of 5-10-10 and 50 lbs. of lime per 1,000 square feet.
 

TURF INSTALLATION  Begin sodding immediately.  This is especially important in warm weather!  The soil should be moist when the sod is installed.  While you work store excess sod in the shade or other cool area.  Begin by laying the pieces along the longest straight edge available.  Butt and push edges and ends against each other snugly.  Stagger the joints in a brick-like fashion.  Do not stretch the sod to fit in a space.  Roll the sod lightly to ensure good soil contact with the roots.
 

WATERING  Begin watering the sod within 30 minutes of installation.  Give the sod 1 inch of water immediately after installation.  Use a rain gauge or coffee can to measure the 1 inch of water.  Water at least once per day in the morning if there is no natural rainfall.  If daytime temperatures exceed 90 degrees, water twice per day.  Avoid late afternoon or night watering.  After 2 weeks, water less frequently.  Sandy soils will need more water than clay soils.  After 6 weeks the sod should receive at least 1 inch of water per week at one time.  Light frequent watering will cause shallow rooting and leaf diseases.  If the sod is installed in June or July it is very important to water correctly.  While the sod needs adequate moisture at this time of year, slight overwatering will cause Brown Patch, an especially ugly fungus disease.

 
MOWING  Sharpen mower blades before the first mowing.  Mow at a height of 2 ½ to 3 ½ inches.  Mowing too closely will injure the turf!  Do not run your mower over bare ground or gravel.  Remove only 1/3 of the leaf surface at one time.
 

FERTILIZING FESCUE OR BLUEGRASS  Apply 30 lbs. of 10-10-10 per 1,000 square feet in October or November.  In March apply 10lbs. of 10-10-10 per 1,000 square feet.  Do not fertilize in the summer!  Turf in shaded areas will need less fertilizer.  Have your soil tested for pH or apply 50 lbs. of lime per 1,000 square feet every 3 years.
 

FERTILIZING BERMUDA OR ZOYSIA  Since Bermuda and Zoysia are dormant in the winter, a different fertilization program is required.  We recommend that you apply 10 lbs. of 10-10-10 per 1,000 square feet, per month, from mid-April until mid-August.  This would be a total of 50 lbs. per 1,000 square feet for the entire summer.  Do not apply nitrogen fertilizer after September 1st.

BERMUDAGRASS SPRIGS  If you have a large area, such as an athletic field, that you wish to have covered with bermudagrass, it may be more economical to install and grow bermuda from sprigs.  This is an entirely different procedure from sodding and is not instantaneous.  Planting of sprigs must be done in spring or early summer, and requires 3 to 4 months of grow-in time before the area is ready for use.  If you follow our program as outlined below, you will have a healthy, long lasting bermudagrass turf for a very low cost!

1. Get a soil test!  The pH should be 6.0 to 6.5.  Apply phosphorus according to the soil test results; potash should be kept in the medium to high range.

2. Area to be sprigged should be tilled and graded.  Sprigs will be planted at a rate appropriate to the use of the area, generally 500 bu/acre for golf, 750 to 1,000 bu/acre for athletic fields.

3. Irrigation should begin immediately after planting.  The initial application of water should saturate the soil.  Planted areas should be kept continuously moist for a period of 2 to 3 weeks.  Watering should be accomplished by light, frequent applications (2 to 3 times per day) rather than soaking the soil when it becomes dry.  The amount and frequency of watering will vary somewhat with the soil texture.  After 3 weeks, water each area once per day or 3 to 4 times per week until the grass completely covers the area.

4. One week after planting fertilize with ammonium nitrate at a rate of 125 lbs. per acre.  DO NOT USE 30% LIQUID NITROGEN!  Repeat every 7 to 10 days.

5. Weed control is very important during the grow-in phase, and herbicides should be applied as needed.  The application of MSMA or Daconate 6 at label rates can begin as early as 3 weeks after planting.  Application should be timed so that weeds are treated in the seedling stage.  Within 3 or 4 weeks a combination of MSMA and 2,4-D can be used if additional broadleaf control is needed.  However MSMA alone controls many broadleaf weeds.  MSMA is slow to act, and results will not be evident for about a week.  It will also cause the bermuda to go slightly off color and show a yellow tinge for a few days.  Do not use pre-emergence crabgrass herbicides until the bermuda has recovered from dormancy the following spring.

6. It is important that weeds not be allowed to shade the bermuda, and the entire area should be kept mowed to a height of 1 inch.