Lawn Construction and Maintenance
Before putting in a lawn decide where the grass,
ground covers, shrubbery, and trees are to be
located. Making the right decisions at this time can
avoid the problems that are caused by trying to
correct mistakes later.
Although turfgrass will grow in a wide variety
of soil types, a sandy loam or a fine sandy loam,
six to 12 inches deep, is preferred. Soils much
different in texture may result in problems.
Have a mechanical analysis made when
considering a purchase of soil. Keep in mind that
the term "top soil" is any material that is on the soil
surface. There is no legal definition of top soil. In
many cases the soil that is hauled in, usually at
great expense, will not be any better than the soil
already on the site. Of course, if depressions are to
be filled in and no soil is available, it must be
purchased.
For a mechanical analysis or determination of
organic matter, send a soil sample to the Soil
Nutrient Analysis Laboratory, 6 Sherman Place, U5102, Storrs, CT 06269-5102. The mechanical
analysis report will show the exact percentage of
sand, silt and clay, and the soil can be placed in a
specific textural class. Contact the Soil Testing Lab
for pricing of these tests.
Drainage
Most ornamental plants and turfgrasses will not
tolerate poor soil drainage. If the site is wet, an
underground tile system may be necessary to drain
excess soil moisture. Contact a qualified individual
for help in designing a drainage system. In addition
to subsoil drainage, grading must be designed to
prevent surface water from collecting in low spots.
It must also be sloped to keep water from gathering
around the foundation of the house.
Soil Preparation
Submit a comprehensive soil sample to the soil
testing laboratory as early as possible. Specific
recommendations must be obtained before ordering
and applying materials. A soil test is the only
accurate means of determining limestone and
fertilizer needs.
The lawn area should be cleared of all
construction debris, such as stumps, branches,
lumber and stones larger than one inch in diameter.
Poor soil preparation will contribute to future
problems such as dry spots and/or depressions
where organic material below the surface rots and
the soil settles.
After the initial grading, apply the recommended
amounts of limestone and fertilizer so they can be
worked into the soil during final grading. The final
grade is important because it will influence the
final appearance of the lawn. After the initial
grading, roll the lawn with a light roller and check
for high or low spots. Remove the high spots to
make a smooth grade. Recheck after re-rolling.
Make sure that the grade will provide surface
drainage. If in doubt, use a line level.
Fertilizer
The soil test report will recommend the amount
of limestone and fertilizer for optimum plant
nutrient levels. These materials should be
incorporated into the upper four to six inches of
soil by tilling or harrowing. Once the turfgrass has
become established, follow a fertilizer program as
outlined on the soil test report to maintain good
plant growth.
Seed
The turfgrass seed industry has introduced
improved varieties (see next page) of all the
primary turf grasses--Kentucky bluegrass, fineleafed fescue, perennial ryegrass and the turf-type
tall fescue. The seed purchased should include
these improved, named varieties. If the seed label
does not include named varieties, it is an indication
of a poor mixture and may produce a substandard
turf.
The improved varieties show better color,
greater vigor, tolerance to shade and/or drought,
disease and insect resistance, winter hardiness,
and/or more desirable growth habits. Some of the
varieties, especially the fine-leafed and turf-type
tall fescues, also have a reduced fertilizer
requirement; however they can still provide a
good, attractive, competitive lawn.
It is recommended that two or more varieties or
species be blended in order to take advantage of
combined strengths. Thus, if variety X and Y are
blended and X is susceptible to a certain disease
and Y is resistant, the Y variety will survive and
maintain a cover. The entire lawn will not be lost
when attacked by disease.
Where only one species is desired, e.g.
Kentucky bluegrass, a blend of at least three
varieties should result in a superior lawn.
A good seed mix for most home lawns should
consist of improved varieties of Kentucky
bluegrass, fine-leaf fescue and improved perennial
ryegrass. A mix of 30% to 45% fine leaf-fescue
and 30% to 40% Kentucky bluegrass with not over
20% perennial ryegrass, will provide an excellent
lawn for most Connecticut conditions.
Improved Kentucky bluegrass* varieties include:
America, Banff, Benson (Warren's 34),
Blackburg, Crest, Eclipse, Indigo and Merit.
Improved fine-leaf fescue* varieties include:
Hard-fescue: Biljart, Reliant, Scaldis, Spartan
and Tournament.
Creeping Red: Ensylva, Jasper, Longfellow and
Pennlawn.
Chewings: Banner, Jamestown, SR5000 and
Victory.
Sheep: Azay and Covar.
Improved perennial ryegrass* varieties include:
All*Star, Jazz, Palmer SR4000 and SR4100.
Recent introductions to the turf market are the turftype tall fescues. The generic tall fescues are a very
coarse grass not suited for a good lawn. The turftype varieties will blend well with the other turftype grasses and can be planted as a blend of
several varieties.
Turf-type tall fescue varieties* include: Avid,
Crossfire, Houdog, Mustang, Olympic II, Rebel
II, Shortstop and Titan.
Avoid the coarse-leaf tall fescue such as Kentucky
31, which is usually considered a weed grass in a
well-maintained lawn.
Preferred seeding time is late August to early
September. During this time, the air temperature is
cooling and the soil is warm, favoring root growth.
Rainfall, usually dependable at this time, will keep
the soil moist, which is essential for germination.
The grass seeds germinate without competition
from spring or early summer weeds, and the annual
weeds that do germinate will be killed by the frost.
The new lawn is able to develop into an established
turf with reduced competition from weeds during
the fall and early spring months. Once established,
a vigorous lawn will resist invasion from weeds
and crabgrass, if certain maintenance practices are
followed during the year.
The second best time to seed is mid-to late
spring. As the season progresses, weed and
crabgrass competition will increase. When the new
grass is 2 to 2 ½ inches high, mow to 1 ½ inches.
Mowing encourages the growth of new shoots,
called tillers. This will cause the sod to be denser.
Sodding
Laying down sod will give an instant lawn. This
is the only shortcut in establishing a new lawn. Soil
preparation, liming and fertilizing are as important
with sod as they are with seeding. Since the cost of
sod is much higher than seed, it does not make
sense to give insufficient attention to site
preparation. A sod lawn may be installed almost
any time during the growing season except July
and August, when water requirements may be
restrictive. Sod establishment requires careful
watering during the first few weeks. If the site does
not have the irrigation capacity to maintain an
adequate soil moisture level, seeding is wiser, since
a sodding failure is more costly.
Sod should be laid over moist soil. Butt the
edges tightly, staggering the joints as in laying
bricks. As soon as possible, lightly roll the sod to
get rid of any air pockets between the sod layer and
the soil below; then water. Water daily for several
days, increasing the interval between waterings
through the first few weeks as the sod roots (knits)
to the soil. The sod and soil must be kept moist.
Loss of sod is often due to insufficient water.
As in a seeded lawn, mowing should take place
when the grass is two inches high. Remove no
more than one-third of the growth at each cutting.
Lawn Maintenance
Maintaining a healthy green lawn through
several growing seasons with minimal weed,
crabgrass, insect and disease problems is
demanding. The lawn requires continual attention
and care. Good lawn maintenance should integrate
several basic practices. Neglecting one practice
may begin the decline of the lawn.
Soil Testing
The soil should be tested whenever there is any
doubt about the general fertility of the soil or
health of the lawn. Testing every two or three years
is usually sufficient.
Fertilizing
The average lawn can be kept vigorous and
competitive with one to two applications per year
of lawn fertilizer at the recommended rate. One
pound of actual nitrogen per 1000 square feet is a
standard rate for most brands of fertilizers.
Fertilizers vary in the availability of nutrients.
Some of the materials that make up the fertilizer
are water soluble readily available. These give a
quick "green up" response but will not supply
nutrients over an extended period. Therefore, they
might better be applied at half the suggested rate
but more frequently. Organic sources of nutrients
take longer to show an effect, but extend their
availability over a longer period of time. They do
not usually "burn" the grass. Synthetic sources of
nutrients and water insoluble fertilizers have
extended the period of nutrient availability but are
usually slower to show results. Most fertilizers
contain various mixtures of two or more sources of
nutrients.
Fall fertilizing will provide greater benefit to
turfgrass development than traditional spring
feeding. In the fall, the grass plants store
carbohydrates and develop tillers, roots and
rhizomes, thereby thickening the turf. This
provides strong competition against weeds and
crabgrass the following spring. Apply fall fertilizer
between September 15 and October 15. Delay the
traditional spring fertilizing until mid- to late May.
Liming
Ground or agricultural limestone is required on
most Connecticut soils to maintain a pH of about
6.5. The soil's pH (the measure of soil
acidity/alkalinity) can be determined by a soil test.
If the pH is too low (too acid), some essential plant
nutrients may remain in a form unavailable to the
plant roots. At the target level of pH 6.5, most
nutrients are at an optimum level of availability to
grass roots.
The application of limestone will not show
immediate, dramatic results since limestone is
relatively insoluble. The finer the limestone
particles are, the quicker they will raise the pH. It
takes a few months for an application of limestone
to alter the pH in the top one inch of soil.
Limestone may be applied at any time the soil is
not frozen. A finely-ground limestone applied to a
warm, moist soil will react faster than a coarselyground limestone to a dry and/or cold soil.
Most of the limestone used in Connecticut is
dolomite or dolomitic limestone. This means the
liming material is a mixture of calcium and
magnesium carbonates. Calcite limestone contains
only calcium carbonate. Because most of the soil in
Connecticut is low in magnesium, the dolomite or
dolomitic form is preferred. The use of hydrated
lime or quicklime is discouraged.
Mowing
Probably the most inexpensive lawn
maintenance practice is mowing. Keep the mower
blades sharp. Dull blades do not cut the grass but
tear it off. This results in the flailed grass turning
brown, giving a dull yellow-brown appearance to
the lawn, and also makes the grass blades more
susceptible to disease. Furthermore, dull mower
blades increase gasoline consumption by as much
as 25 percent.
Set the mower so that it is cutting at a height of
not less than 1 ½ inches. The higher the plant is
allowed to grow, the deeper the root system. With
a deep root system, the plant has a greater reserve
of soil moisture and nutrients to draw upon. This is
particularly important during the summer months
when moisture may be deficient. Grass that is
allowed to reach a reasonable height will tolerate
stress conditions better than a lawn that is cut
shorter than 1 ½ inches.
Ideally, when a lawn is mowed, no more than
one-third of the total height of the plant is cut off.
Thus, if the mowing height is two inches, the lawn
should be mowed when it is three inches high.
Removing more leaf surface than this upsets the
plant balance, resulting in stress. A healthy,
vigorous lawn that is not mowed until it reaches
two or more inches will provide effective
competition against weeds and crabgrass. These
weed plants will not grow well in shade. The shade
from a dense turf is often sufficient to inhibit the
germination of weed seeds.
Whether or not to collect lawn clippings is a
perennial question. Lawn clippings do not
contribute to the problem of thatch even though
they may be present. In fact, clippings recycle
plant nutrients, the equivalent of one normal
fertilizer application during one growing season.
Lawn clippings may present a problem if the grass
is allowed to grow too long and a thick carpet of
clippings is left. If it is not possible to see the
underlying grass once the clippings are dried,
remove the clippings.
Weed Control
A dense, vigorously-growing lawn is the best
defense against broadleaf weeds and crabgrass.
Where crabgrass is a problem, the application of
any of several pre-emergent herbicides should
provide excellent control. All herbicides must be
applied at the right time and at the recommended
rate. All pre-emergent herbicides should be applied
before crabgrass seed germinates. For a rule of
thumb, materials may be applied during the latter
stages of forsythia bloom but before lilac bloom.
More specific information will be stated on the
label. Following an herbicide application, avoid
raking, aerating or slicing which will disturb the
protective chemical barrier. If perennial weeds
become a problem, it may be necessary to use an
herbicide.
*New varieties of all species will continue to be introduced and should receive consideration.
**Mention of a varietal name does not constitute endorsement of these seeds by the Extension System.
For herbicide recommendation, call UConn Home and Garden Education Center at 877-486-6271
Written by Edmond L. Marrotte, Consumer Horticulturist,
Reviewed by UConn Home and Garden Education Center, 2005.
The information in this material is for educational purposes. The recommendations contained are based on the best available knowledge at the time of printing. Any reference
to commercial products, trade or brand names is for information only, and no endorsement or approval is intended. The Cooperative Extension system does not guarantee or
warrant the standard of any product referenced or imply approval of the product to the exclusion of others which also may be available. All agrochemicals/pesticides listed are
registered for suggested uses in accordance with federal and Connecticut state laws and regulations as of the date of printing. If the information does not agree with current
labeling, follow the label instructions. The label is the law. Warning! Agrochemicals/pesticides are dangerous. Read and follow all instructions and safety precautions on
labels. Carefully handle and store agrochemicals/pesticides in originally labeled containers immediately in a safe manner and place. Contact the Connecticut Department of
Environmental Protection for current regulations. The user of this information assumes all risks for personal injury or property damage. Issued in furtherance of Cooperative
Extension work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Kirklyn M. Kerr, Director, Cooperative Extension System, The
University of Connecticut, Storrs. The Connecticut Cooperative Extension System offers its programs to persons regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability
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