CARING FOR YOUR NEW LAWN

Now that your new lawn has been installed, the most important thing is to water it thoroughly for at least 20 minutes per day, for at least the first month, until the lawn has settled and starts to knit together.  Make sure that the water seeps right through the newly installed sods, to the soil at the bottom.  The lawn takes at least 4 weeks to establish.

Certain times of the year, especially in Summer, the lawn tends to lose condition after it has been installed, due to the heat and wind, but with sufficient watering it recovers quite quickly.

If you make use of a sprinkler system, please make sure that all areas get sufficient water.  It is advisable that you extend your irrigation time.  When watering by hand please do the same.

After 2 – 3 weeks one can top the lawn slightly with a weed eater or a lawn mower on its highest setting.  Do not mow the lawn too short or too often in the beginning.  After about 2 weeks one can mow it a bit shorter and from there onwards every week or fortnight. 

If the lawn is allowed to grow too tall all the green growth will be cut off and the grass will turn brown.

Top growers, like Buffalo and LM lawn, must never be mowed too short, for all the leaf growth will be cut off and the grass will get damaged and die eventually.  Both Buffalo and LM lawn goes into a dormant period during winter and it may not be necessary to mow the lawn at all.

Sometimes small gaps may occur between the sods after installation. It usually will recover after the lawn has been mowed 2 – 3 times, when the grass starts to knit together.  A thin layer of topsoil can also be applied, but not immediately after the lawn has been laid. Wait at least four to five weeks after installation.

Super phosphate or 2:3:2 fertilizer can be applied to stimulate the root growth of the lawn, before or after lawn is installed.  If a layer of compost is applied underneath the lawn, fertilizer is not necessary.  The chicken manure compost that we use, is rich in Nitrogen that stimulates root and leaf growth.  To keep your lawn in a healthy condition, apply compost or fertilizer every 3 – 4 months, especially with sandy soil conditions. 

Lawn caterpillars or lawn fungus can occur during certain times of the year e.g. late Summer.  Brown spots will appear on the lawn.  Immediate treatment will solve this problem.  For caterpillars, make use of  Dipterex or any other lawn caterpillar spray.  For fungus, use an anti-fungal spray.  These products can be obtained from your local nursery, garden centre or super market.  Follow the mixing instructions.

Weeds tend to flourish in favourable conditions when the new lawn is installed.  The miniature seeds can lie dormant for years, but when the new lawn is installed with ample water and compost, those seeds may sprout and weeds may occur in the new lawn.  A broad leaf weed killer, like Banweed or Super Lawn Weeder, is recommended.  This will not damage the lawn, but will only kill the weeds.  It is best to spray this on a sunny wind free day.  Follow the instructions.