While most homes have lawns, not all homeowners know how to care for new grass. If you want a beautiful and healthy lawn, it’s crucial to water and mow your new grass properly.
Compared to established lawns, you’ll need to give your new grass extra TLC for it to grow strong and lush. You must use the right fertilizer and prevent weeds from invading your new lawn.
Best practices for growing new grass
Planting grass seeds is just the first step to getting a lush, green lawn. You have to nurture your new lawn, spending more time and effort on it once the new grass starts growing.
So, if you don’t know how to care for new grass, this guide will be a great help to you. Follow these best practices to ensure your grass establishes a strong root system and stays healthy and vibrant for years.
Water your new grass properly
The practice of watering infrequently but deeply doesn’t apply to new grass. Instead, you must follow these tips:
- Don’t overwater your new lawn. Most homeowners overestimate the water requirements of their newly planted seeds and end up drowning them.
- To keep the top inch of the soil consistently moist but not saturated, mist it with water once per day. If the weather is hot and dry or your soil is sandy, you may have to do it more than once a day.
- Continue with this watering technique until your grass grows to around 2 to 3 inches tall, or to the recommended mowing height for your grass type.
- After mowing your new grass for the first time, cut down on watering frequency from daily to twice every week. The goal is to encourage the root system to grow deeper, so aim for 1 to 1.5 inches of water a week. You should now soak the soil so water can penetrate 6 inches below the ground.
- Once your lawn gets established, follow a proper watering approach and avoid watering late in the day or early evening. You should water your lawn between 4 a.m. and 10 a.m. to avoid having it evaporate in the heat of the sun or leaving the leaf blades wet overnight, which could lead to diseases.
Mow your new lawn the right way
Don’t be too excited to mow your new grass once it reaches the recommended mowing height. To help you avoid mowing mistakes, the following tips can point you in the right direction:
- Wait until the grass is one-third taller than the recommended mowing height for your grass type. For instance, if the recommendation is 3 inches, you’ll have to wait until it reaches 4 inches before the first mow.
- Additionally, avoid mowing your lawn when the soil is soaking wet. Otherwise, the wheels of your lawn mower can leave ruts in its trail.
- For a clean cut, don’t forget to sharpen your mower blades. You also should have regular lawn mower service and tune-ups to ensure it works properly.
- If you planted the new grass through overseeding, you must wait at least two to four weeks before mowing your existing lawn. This way, you can minimize foot traffic on the young grass and let it establish deeper roots.
- Avoid mowing wet grass, as it can cause the grass clippings to clump together. These clumps can attract disease and even bog down your lawnmower’s engine.
Do you find these tips hard to follow, let alone remember? Why not take the easier route and hire a pro instead? On average, professional lawn mowing costs around $35 to $100 per session, depending on the size of the lawn.
Use the right fertilizer for your new grass
Resist the urge to feed your new turf with loads of organic and inorganic fertilizers in one go, as caring for your lawn is not a set-and-forget kind of thing. You’ll need to apply fertilizers a few times a year – at the right time.
It may be common knowledge that nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) are the most essential macronutrients for lawns. But if you’re fertilizing new grass, you must still test your soil to determine the right N-P-K ratio to use.
For example, an inorganic fertilizer with an N-P-K ratio of 20-0-0 (20% nitrogen, 0% phosphorus, and 0% potassium) may be used for a new lawn with nitrogen deficiency. Also, note that regardless of the nutrients needed by your lawn, your soil’s pH must be within the acceptable range of 6 to 6.5 for the fertilizer to be effective.
If you’ve applied fertilizer during seeding, you must wait six to eight weeks before adding more. But if you missed feeding the grass seedlings, you can use a good starter fertilizer to compensate.
Even if you have a regular fertilizer to spare, it’s always best to use starter fertilizers for these new sprouts. Similar to quick-release fertilizers, starter fertilizers can deliver nutrients quickly without stressing your new grass. They usually contain a healthy dose of phosphorus and quick-release nitrogen essential for grass growth.
When in doubt, you can always hire a local lawn care pro to take care of all your fertilization needs. Professional lawn fertilization costs anywhere from $0.02 to $0.07 per square foot. But if you’d still rather do it yourself, read up on everything you can about fertilizing your lawn to avoid any mishaps. These guides can help you get started:
- 5 Ways to Apply Fertilizer
- Benefits of Lawn Fertilization
- Pet-Friendly Lawn Fertilizer: What to Look For
- Can You Combine Organic and Inorganic Fertilizer?
- Late-Summer Lawn Fertilizer: How It Helps Your Lawn
- Why Do We Have to Be Responsible in Our Use of Fertilizer?
- Slow-Release vs. Quick-Release Fertilizer
Prevent weeds from invading your new lawn
It’s not uncommon for weeds like chamberbitter to outcompete your new grass, but you need to hold off controlling them at this stage. You may be tempted to use herbicides or homemade weed killers, especially if the weeds are crowding your green babies. However, doing so could kill your new grass.
You’re not at fault if one or more of the most common weeds appear on your lawn. It may sound scary and unbelievable, but dormant weeds are always present in the soil.
According to Debra Ricigliano, a certified professional horticulturist at the University of Maryland Extension Home and Garden Information Center, these dormant weeds get activated and start to grow when they’re exposed to water and sunlight during the tilling of the seedbed.
Here are some tips for handling lawn weeds:
- Use a weed killer at least one month after the first mow. If you’re mowing your lawn on a weekly basis, you should wait until you have mowed four times before applying an herbicide or homemade weed killer.
- For persistent weeds, you can opt for hand weeding instead. But remember to plan your approach since you must minimize foot traffic as much as possible to avoid stressing and harming the young seedlings.
FAQ about caring for new grass
How long will grass take to grow?
Grass seedlings usually emerge within 7 to 21 days, but it could take six to nine weeks to have a full lawn. However, other factors may slow down the grass growth, such as temperature and the type of grass seed. So, follow the tips above if you want your grass to grow fast.
Can I over-fertilize my new grass?
Yes, even new grass can be susceptible to over-fertilization. Since the young grass is still very vulnerable, excess fertilizer can kill it before or during germination.
What happens if I miss a day of watering my new grass?
If you miss a day of watering and the soil dries out, it could negatively impact growth or even kill the young seedlings. Remember that water is crucial for your new grass, especially during the germination phase.
Let the experts handle your new lawn from day one
Caring for new grass is rewarding but involves numerous tasks to ensure healthy growth. Mistakes can mess up your lawn and lead you back to square one. That’s why it’s best to hire a lawn care pro from day one, so you can have the lush lawn you want without stressing you out.
Main Photo Credit: Mikhailov Studio | Adobe Stock Free | License
