How to Care for a New Lawn
Having brand new turf laid is a huge investment. It creates a more attractive space to spend time and can really add extra value to your home if you’re trying to sell.
Adding a new lawn can also be the fresh start that your garden needs if you’ve experienced damaging weather including flooding or an extreme summer.
Lawn Care Tips
But laying the grass and hoping for the best just won’t be enough. So, it’s important to do your research and understand how exactly to care for your new lawn to keep it looking its best.
Water Regularly
Grass is around 80% water. This means that the moisture needs to be constantly replenished, especially during the summer months. The grass draws water from the soil using its roots. Without the moisture there, the roots that begin to sprout will die and the grass will begin to wilt.
As you’re embedding your new lawn, the turf needs to be regularly saturated to encourage the roots to grow deeper. This will help your grass to grow and will help the topsoil to adhere to the turf.
Keep Off the Grass
One of the biggest killers of newly laid turf is walking on it. Although it’s very tempting to enjoy your new lawn right away, it’s a good idea to keep your feet off it as much as possible for the first month as the roots settle.
Breaking the top layer of grass may prevent it from getting the sunlight that it needs to grow new shoots, meaning that your lawn will be patchy.
It’s a good idea to use wooden boards to walk across the grass if you’re watering it, just to balance your weight a little and not put too much pressure on small areas.
Mowing
You should never attempt to mow the grass straight away. You need to let the roots dive in deeper and ensure the grass is fully established before you mow it, even if you think it’s getting too long.
If the grass isn’t settled properly, you risk pulling up the soil when you mow, leaving your new lawn looking patchy.
To test if it’s ready, simply tug on a few pieces of grass across the whole area. IF they come loose easily, then the grass is ready to mow. If you feel the soil raise with the grass, then you should leave it a while longer.
Once your lawn is established, it’s important to keep on top of mowing. This helps to cut off dead ends and encourage regrowth. It also removes any other plants that begin to grow in your grass.
Feeding
Before laying your new lawn, you should pre-feed the soil. There are lots of phosphate and potassium heavy lawn feeds which help the soil to establish root growth when your turf is laid. You should then rake over the soil before laying the grass.
If you’re still concerned about growth, you can apply a feed after the new lawn is down. Make sure you water after the feed to ensure the roots get the most help possible.
There are many different types of grass growth formula and each works differently depending on the types of soil in your area. They help to boost the right nutrients to make the soil the right environment for seeding and regrowth.
Hassett Plant Can Help You
Here at Hassett Plant Centre, we supply a range of different types of grass feed and the reliable and affordable equipment to allow you to treat your grass without trampling down the new growth.
If you’re about to lay a new lawn, contact Hassett Plant Centre today to find all of the equipment, high quality turfs and advice that you need to create a healthy, long-lasting lawn.