How to handle a newly hydroseeded lawn

DA Quality Lawn & YS · Feb 26, 2009

Guys..

Looking good for me to pick up a local grocery store for fert/squirt this season.
Not alot of turf area, 1/4 acre at most. I will measure it as soon as the snow gets off the turf.

At any rate, the lawn was hydroseeded late last summer as a brand new stand. My question: if I should win this contract, is there anything special I should keep in mind when fert/squirting a newly hydroseeded lawn? I have no clue if fert was spread last fall - no way for me to find that out really. I just want to be sure that I am approaching this new lawn in the right way with the right ferts.

Thanks

EA Quinn · Feb 26, 2009

Well if nothing was done on the lawn in the fall, they probably missed the boat on getting the lawn to come in nice and thick. Usually when we hydroseed a new lawn, I hit it 2-3 times with some starter quick release fertilizer and then I hit it with a shot of poly-on. When in the fall was it hydroseeded and what does it look like now? Has there been any germination. We would need to know to see whether you can put a pre-emergent on it first thing this spring, or you may need to wait if the lawn hasn't really germinated.

ICT Bill · Feb 26, 2009

Expect to have to do a lot of minor reseeding, there are always area that don't come in as well. You may have to do a little raking too if they used straw, there are always areas that are too thick for the new grass to get through

just be up front with the customer that you cannot be held accountable for the other guys work but you will get it in good shape in no time, just some extra money. Not a lot

mngrassguy · Feb 26, 2009

Starter fert or pre, either way they will need treatments and should be priced the same. Generally, if it's coming in good and it got mowed 3-4 times, I would hit it with pre-emergent. Maybe hit it with starter fert early and pre on round 2.

Since you don't have a skid sprayer for a blanket app, watch out for weeds on this one. 2 pre's would be best in that case.

Do they water?

Can you find out who did it? Call the hydro co. and find out when it was done after you get the job. Do they guarantee it? What do they recommend?

tombo82685 · Feb 26, 2009

I imagine their was some germination of grass last summer when you did it? What i would do is give it a shot of nitrogen and see what comes to life and what doesn't. In the areas that need attention seed it, and apply some mulch or penn mmulch over the seed, and water accordingly. In the fall time I would aerate it then do a heavier seeding. I believe I read something that Minn. fertilizers don't sell fertilizer with phosphorus. In most cases you don't need starter fert because their is plenty of phosphorus in the ground already.

mngrassguy · Feb 26, 2009

Tombo
P is legal here when seeding or sodding.

What is penn mmulch? BTW, DA never said he did the seeding.

DA
You getting snow down there already. I see schools are closed today.

tombo82685 · Feb 26, 2009

I figured it was legal, but do they sell it in their ferts? penn mulch looks like rabbit food, sorry for the poor analogy but it gives that appearence. It retains moisture and provides it to the seed. Here is a good write up about it
http://www.lebturf.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.TechnologyDetail&id=98&typeid=7

here is where i read about the phosphorus
http://www.mda.state.mn.us/protecting/waterprotection/phoslaw.htm

RigglePLC · Feb 26, 2009

Tombo is right. Was it mature enough to mow last year? If you have snow in your area(LOL), you may have had some snowmold damage. We have a few spots already. Just be sure that you don't accept any responsibility for whatever the hydroseeder did or didn't do. Charge for whatever you do. Fert with crab control is the best bet. Follow up with weed control in late spring. Use plenty of fert until it is 100 percent covering the soil with grass. If you have to seed--try to find out what seed was used originally as you don't want to use a dark green premium type to fix spots if the seeder used a cheap yellowish type originally.

mngrassguy · Feb 26, 2009

tombo82685 said:
I figured it was legal, but do they sell it in their ferts?

Regular ferts no. Starter ferts yes.

Big snow melt down last week. No signs of molds.... yet. Under big banks might reveal molds later though.

tombo82685 · Feb 26, 2009

mngrassguy said:
Regular ferts no. Starter ferts yes.

Big snow melt down last week. No signs of molds.... yet. Under big banks might reveal molds later though.

I imagine up their you have a big problem with grey snow mold do to the amount of time snow is on the ground up their. Around here its pink snow mold we have to worry about it.

mngrassguy · Feb 26, 2009

We get them both BIG TIME some years. Jan or Feb thaws help a lot. Biggest problem I see is with newly seeded lawns is rust. Rochester has gotten more snow this year then we have.

DA Quality Lawn & YS · Feb 26, 2009

I do know that the lawn was seeded far enough in advance of hard freeze that there was significant emergence of the grass. How significant, I don't know - but I doubt it is thick and lush. So, if the lawn is not very dense, then I probably want to hold off on the pre and seed in with a round of starter fert? OR could I count on the lawn to dense-up if I just did a round of starter fert OR fert with Dimension without the seeding?

Lets assume that the seeding was done on the cheap side. And, I really don't know how I would track down the guy that did the seeding, no one in the store knows (nor probably cares).

(MNgrassguy - it is sleeting down here now, looks like that might be what we get outta this storm. I see you guys are getting pummeled with heavy snow)

mngrassguy · Feb 26, 2009

Knowing you don't have the ability to blanket treat with weed control, I think I would hit it hard with pre. right from the start. Unless, of course, you can still see a lot of seed on the ground or if you don't think it was mowed a least twice last year.

It just started snowing here and it's come down HARD. I couldn't believe they called off schools down there before it even started snowing today. When I went to grade school in Caledonia, I had to walk 3 miles, up hill both ways, in raging snow storms. They NEVER called off school. Well, maybe once.

How to handle a newly hydroseeded lawn

DA Quality Lawn & YS

EA Quinn

ICT Bill

mngrassguy

tombo82685

mngrassguy

tombo82685

RigglePLC

mngrassguy

tombo82685

mngrassguy

DA Quality Lawn & YS

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