"I am the owner of All 4 Kids Daycare and Preschool, and in the spring of 2008 we completely re-vamped our playgrounds and brought in Moster Turf to work up our soil and re-sod all play areas. I can honestly say that Gene Moster's crew did a fabulous job, and not only were they very polite and pleasant to be around, but they were exceedingly willing to work around obstacles that our playgrounds presented. Then again, just last week (April 2009), we were able to work with Gene's crew to re-sod our facility's front and side yards.... WOW! What a difference the new yards made to our overall appearance. I thank Gene and Sara for fitting us in among their many jobs, and I thank them for completing all the jobs in a timely manner. Job well done!!"
Michelle Roberts-Schneider, Brookville, IN
Watering Tips:
This is the most important, and often, most confusing part of your new lawn. Watering immediately after installation is critical to getting the sod off and growing. The following are tips we came up with to help. Time of year and temperature, rainfall, and other factors all effect, but these are good general rules. Call for any further details.
Click HERE for our watering guide.
Mowing:
You will be able to mow your new lawn after 14 days. Mow at your highest setting the first time. Make sure you hold off watering 24 hours before mowing not to make tracks on your new lawn. Watering can resume after mowing if needed.
Our sod does best when maintained at 2.5 to 3 inches and you should not remove more than 1/3 of the blade at a time. Make sure blades are kept sharp, and for best results, leave clippings on the yard as long as you mow at proper heights and frequency. If you have to mow taller grass, then remove clippings to keep from smothering your grass, but do not make this a normal practice.
Fertilizing:
To maintain your lawn a good fertility program is recommended. We advise a minimum of three times a year, one in May, September, and November. Use a slow-release Nitrogen source in May and September, and a quick-release in November. We can do this for you or help answer any questions on fertilizing.
Click HERE to go to our Monthly Tips
Weed Control:
Sod is virtually weed free, but it is not uncommon to have weeds appear between the seams or sometimes grow in the sod. A weed control treatment in the fall is good, provided the sod is well established. If sod is installed in the fall then waiting till the following spring is best.
Click HERE to go to our Monthly Tips
This should answer the most asked questions, but if you have any other questions please don’t hesitate to call Moster Turf.
Turf Care Tips
Watering New Turf grass Sod
Water is essential to new lawns whether sodded or seeded. Proper watering will save on water and give you the best results. Remember, too much water is as unhealthy as not enough water! Water makes up 70% to 80% of the weight of our lawn grasses and the clippings alone are nearly 90% water. While most people are concerned about not watering their lawns enough, the fact is that more lawns are damaged or destroyed by over-watering.
Newly installed turf grass sod has very important watering needs. Proper watering immediately after installation will ensure the turf gets established, and it will also have an impact on how well the lawn continues to flourish for years to come.
WHEN To Water New Turf Grass Sod
Water as soon as possible after the sod is installed. Apply at least 1 inch of water so that the soil beneath the turf is very wet.
Watering Tip #1:
Lift a corner of the turf and make sure the ground is wet. A screwdriver should easily go in 3 to 4 inches for adequate watering.
Watering Tip #2:
Make certain that water is getting to all areas of your new lawn. Most sprinklers do not apply water evenly so edges and corners will dry out rapidly, pay close attention to these areas especially in hot weather. Areas near buildings and along sidewalks, streets and driveways dry-out faster because of heat build-up these areas, and may require more watering.
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Watering Tip #3:
On slopes or hard ground surfaces, runoff may occur before soil can soak up enough irrigation for the turf to survive. To water these areas adequately, turn off the water when runoff begins, wait 30-minutes to an hour and restart the watering on the same area, repeating this start and stop process, until proper soil moisture is achieved. Increase the watering in these areas during drought, hot, and windy conditions.
The first two weeks are the most critical to the grow in period. Keep the below-turf soil surface moist with daily watering. In hot, dry, and windy periods it might be necessary to increase watering amounts and frequency to maintain sod.
Watering Tip #4:
The turf will start to knit its new roots into the soil making it difficult and/or harmful to pull back a corner to check beneath the turf. Check for the appearance of the grass blades for a uniform healthy green color. If the appearance has a grayish/green color the sod is in need of water.
Watering Tip #5:
Water as early in the morning as possible to take advantage of the grass's normal growing cycle. At this time of the day, there are usually low wind speeds and considerably less loss of water because of high temperature evaporation. This is also the best time to reduce disease pressures and fungus.
The next two weeks, keep the soil under the sod wet, start reducing the water frequency to get the roots to grow deeper. Remember, deep watering less often. Water every other day, then every third day. Finally once a week if weather is not over 80 degrees. Watch for any change in appearance to grass, if it starts to turn a gray/green color – water immediately!
Watering Tip #6:
If the temperature approaches 95 degrees, reduce the temperature of the turf surface by lightly sprinkling (syringe) the area. This sprinkling does not replace the need for longer, deeper watering, which will become even more critical to continue during adverse weather conditions. This should be completed at least 2 hours before sun down so grass leaves have a chance to dry.
During the rest of the growing season most lawns will grow very well with a maximum total of one inch of water a week, either from rain or through irrigation. This amount of water, properly applied, is all that is required for the health of the grass, providing it is applied evenly and saturates the underlying soil to a depth of 4 to 6 inches. During long periods of temperatures above 90 degrees and dry weather watering two times a week may be needed.
Watering Tip #7:
Infrequent and deep watering is preferred to get the roots to grow as deep as possible. Deeply rooted grass has a larger water source to draw moisture from – this will help the grass survive drought and hot weather that rapidly dries out the upper soil layer.
