fertalizing new sod

[jsteveharris]

I have a customer that I laid centipede sod for in October, In the spring he wants it to really take off. What would be the best thing to put on it andwhen would be a good time. I am in eastern NC and the winters here are not very long.

 

[HOMER]

I'm farther south than you but down here in tha sticks we use lots o that 15-0-15 on our cennipeeeeeede. We ushally upply it in late feb or early march whenever thar ain'ta gonna be no more frostes. worter tha hekk outof it an itll grw like crazy gets good n thick. speshally if'n its sodd.

 

[Cannonturf]

The rule of thumb I have is dont fertilize new sod the first year.Might sound wierd but here in minnesota our growing season isnt as long as some of you.So the sod farmers here fertilize the hell out of it to get to grow fast and thick.As so they can cut and sell.<br>The problem with this is by doing that they create a thick thatch layer which does two things. 1)holds the nutrients so no ferting is needed 2)The thatch will not allow water to drain through which in return will cause a fungus to develop(nectrotic ring spot,brown patch ect.)So additional N will add fuel to the fire.<br>Most lawns here will develop a diease problem within the first season.So you people with aerators head north.<br>Again things may be very different where you are.

 

[SLSNursery]

If you don't have any snow cover, and you want to provide some fertilizer try something organic like Dry Roots, or Espoma Organic. Don't put down anything that is all chemical (straight fertilizer) during the winter, because the nutrients will more than likely run-off before being absorbed. You can use something like this later, in early spring, by itself, or with a pre-emergent if crabgrass is a problem. The organic sources of nutrients (including NPK and micro-nutrients) are, in my opinion better now because they will stick around longer in preparation for the spring. We put down the dry roots before rolling out sod here in Connecticut. Sometimes we use a 12-22-18 Starter w/iron and micronutrients that I have custom blended. Hope this helps.<br> <p>----------<br>Phil Grande - Soundview Landscape Supply - http://members.aol.com/slsnursery<br>Ivy League Landscaping - http://members.aol.com/scagrider