Seeding and Lawn Aeration Instructions
To achieve the best results from your seeding and aeration we suggest that you follow these guidelines:
1. Begin watering immediately and continue to water. method for seedlings. Virginia Green recommends watering to the point of light puddling, twice a day. Water more than once, every day, until most of the seed has germinated. Areas that usually need more water are: bare areas near driveways and streets, slopes, areas underneath large trees, and areas exposed to full sun.
2. Leave clumps alone. Aeration and seeding will leave clumps of dirt on the lawn. It is best to leave them in place. The clump of dirt and the holes in the soil are seed beds and they will dissolve and disappear with time.
3. Be patient! Germination can take as long as 21 days or longer. Do not stop watering during this period. Seedlings are very susceptible to drying out and dying because they have not rooted into the soil.
4. Remove fallen leaves as soon as possible. If leaves remain on the new turf for more than three days the turf will perish. Using a leaf blower is the best method of removing leaves, however if you use a rake be careful not to pull up grass seedlings.
5. Cut watering back after new seedlings have reached a height of two inches. After approximately 28 days, the new seedlings should be at least two inches tall and watering can be cut back to once a day. Please continue to water!
6. Do not cut your lawn. Your existing lawn will look very tall but this is OK. Once your lawn has reached a height of 4.5 inches, you may cut it back to 3.5 inches. Never cut fescue grass lower than 3 inches. Maintaining this height will help drive the root system deeper and help the turf establish more quickly.
7. Weeds germinate as well. It is more important to establish the grass than to kill the weeds at this time. Winter annual weed germination, such as henbit, chickweed, wild garlic/ onion and bittercress, is normal. Weed control herbicides cannot be applied to new turf. New turf must have been mowed at least 3 to 4 times before we can apply such applications, or after 60 days. We will treat weeds with the last application in the program and again throughout the spring.
8. Do not apply any additional seed for at least 3 weeks. Remember that seedlings are just one shoot (leaf blade) until the plants begin to tiller, sometime after 30 to 45 days. We plant 1,575,000 seeds per thousand sq. ft. This is more than enough seed to establish a healthy, thick lawn.
9. Five-Pound Seed Bags. Please utilize the five pound seed bags to fix thin areas, traffic spots or other thin areas after 21 days. Please keep in mind, 5 lbs. will seed 1,000 sq. ft. (an area 20x50 sq. ft.). Use a garden rake to gently break the soil, without pulling up existing turf, then lightly seed. Continue to water as directed. REMEMBER , seed has to stay moist for germination.
Virginia Green is here to help you with your lawn. Please be patient in this process. We are supplying necessary fertilizers through our normal applications for proper germination.
