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slingblade1177

Rolling new sod and fertilizer question

slingblade1177
11 years ago

Ok guys I finally got my new St. Augustine sod down early last week. I have been watering and it is looking good. My dad says that I need to rent a roller and roll the sod. Is this necessary? I also want to know whether I should use any fertilizer and if so, what kind. Thanks for any info.

I live in the Dallas Texas area for those who forgot.

Comments (8)

  • grasshole
    11 years ago

    A week after the fact, I'd skip the roller if you aren't having any sod to soil contact issues. Issues would show up as browning out of the new sod. Particularly at the edges.

    If you are having no issues, and the sod is making good contact with the soil, rolling now won't be necessary.

  • slingblade1177
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    dchall and grasshole,

    As always thanks for the info. I will definitely not roll it now. There is only one corner that is not really growing. I still have to lay a thin strip of sod on my back alley so I will just redo it when I get to that portion.

    One or two more questions. How do I know when the lawn is established and to stop watering? I have been watering once a day for the past week and a half. At what point can I cut down the watering or simply stop?

    Also, several people in my neighborhood use those trugreen type services. Do you guys recommend that? I don't mind paying for the services if it will prevent weeds and give me a healthy lawn. However, I know nothing about pre-emergents and whatever else there is out there. I also don't know if it is good for a new lawn.

    Thanks again for any info.

  • slingblade1177
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    bump

  • grasshole
    11 years ago

    Sorry, its been a few days, and I didn't notice the bump. I apologize.

    "How do I know when the lawn is established and to stop watering?" About 2 weeks old, right? Are the sod pieces rooted down and don't come up anymore if you tried to pick them up?

    I would stop watering every day now. The weather is cooling, and grass can go a little longer between waterings now. Watch the grass for drought stress. Know what that looks like? Those St. Augustine leaves will start to fold up lengthwise, like a straw. That is the grass saying it needs water. You want to give it a drink soon when you see this happening. More established grass can stress a little longer, but don't push it with your new sod.

    The idea is to gradually lengthen the time in between waterings and start applying more water each watering.

    Try putting out a 1/2" of water for your next irrigation. See how many days that carries you before the grass asks for a drink. If you see ANY drought stress, give it another 1/2".

    With the weather getting a little cooler in your area, that 1/2" may carry you a week or more.

    In the end, after the grass is totally established, your watering is going to depend on your soil and how well it holds water.

    For a mature lawn, water when the grass ask for it, and apply enough water to wet the soil down into the root zone about 6" or so. You'll have to figure out how much water and how often that needs to be applied for YOUR soil.

    As for hiring out care of your lawn, it can be done cheaper DIY. Put if you aren't comfortable with it, you aren't comfortable with it.

    Most of the battle with lawn care is won with proper watering, mowing, and fertilizing. And a pre emergent program can add to that alot, IMO.

    I'm a bermuda guy, so I won't get into St. Augustine specifics, but I bet someone will be glad to assist you in proper care!

  • slingblade1177
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks grasshole. My only other question is, if I decide to go ahead with the hiring out of a company for weed control and fertilization, is it ok with my new sod? Most of these companies like trugreen offer an 8 step program. Also to answer your earlier question about it being established, it does seem to have roots in the soil. It is hard to pull up the sod now. Thanks again for everything.

  • grasshole
    11 years ago

    I would try to find a company other than Trugreen if you want to hire out.

    Thumb through the yellow pages and try to find an individual, locally owned lawn care service.

    Trugreen is notorious for taking your money and not doing squat. And 1/2 the time if they DO actually do something, they don't do it right, or are just reading off a cue card with no actual knowledge.

    A smaller, local company has a face. They rely on doing good work and word of mouth advertising. This is where you need to start your search. Ask for references or to show you their work. A good one will gladly prove it.

    I wouldn't do anything to your new sod this year. You can start a pre emergent program next spring.

    Now don't be shy about trying this yourself. Everybody here will be glad to help you get the hang of things. Pre emergents come in easily applied granular forms. Their are new herbicides on the market that with care, can be used in st. Augustine. You could feed the grass with organic fertilizer. Organic feeding is damn near impossible to mess up. This is totally doable DIY.

    You've got all winter to think it over and ask questions.

  • dchall_san_antonio
    11 years ago

    While Trugreen has a 6-step program, we have a basic 3-step program to which you can add a few things only if you need it. They will apply all 6 regardless of whether you need them and regardless of when you need them. The three steps only apply to chemical fertilizers and are as follows: fertilize on Memorial Day, Labor Day, and Thanksgiving. Another problem with Trugreen is they use spray fertilizers. Those are only good for 2 weeks, so unless they come back every 2 weeks, they run out fast. You need pounds of nitrogen on the ground, not fractions of an ounce. When you apply chemicals be sure to read the entire bag first. Use the right setting and apply when the climate is with you. Don't apply in advance of a rainstorm. Apply after the rain storm.

    If you have weeds in the spring, and I suspect you will (see my previous reply), then do what I said in my previous reply. That would be a step in the early spring. Do not fertilize with chemicals in the early spring no matter how much pressure you get from your partner, neighbors, advertising, etc.

    If you really want to make this easy, you can go with an organic program. With organics you can throw out all the rules. You don't have to worry about when you apply or how much or whether you applied too much or applied before a storm. There is almost no way to go wrong. In fact as I sit here thinking, I can't think of a way to go wrong...unless you use compost or manure. Otherwise just using organic fertilizer is what I call, "no hassle" lawn care. If you are interested in this low cost, low hassle approach, find the Organic Lawn Care FAQ over in the GW Organic Gardening forum. Come back here and ask your questions after you've read it. Before I went organic I used to fret over my lawn all year every year. Since 2002, life is good.

    No matter which approach you take, you should water deeply and infrequently. Deeply means start with an inch of water (measured with tuna or cat food cans). Infrequently means you wait until the grass looks thirsty. In the winter it won't ever look thirsty but water monthly anyway just to keep the microbes in the soil moist. In the spring you will be watering monthly for awhile and gradually work your way up to watering every 7 days in the hottest heat of summer. Then as the temps back off you will be watering less and less often. I was watering every 10 days all summer until we had rain about 2 weeks ago. It has cooled off and I have not watered since. We're back into the 90s now so I'm watching it again for signs of drying out. Watering is something Trugreen will not help you with. If you do this wrong, it won't matter who is taking care of your lawn.