Watering & Care

The first 14 days of watering is critical to proper germination of your new lawn.Review watering times daily to insure complete coverage of areas. Adjust sprinklers or watering schedule as needed. Do not “over water” or water at night!

For newly hydroseeded lawns, you will want to water 2 to 4 times a day for about 30 days.

Golden rule – Ground wet all day (with out standing water for more than 1 hour)

6 am – 1 pm and 5 pm -8 pm are the most common times, though every lawn and every irrigation system is unique. When in doubt apply golden rule.

Due to differences in soil condition and Ph balances, it is not uncommon to have small patches that do not germinate. Many of these areas will fill in when you begin mowing on a weekly basis. However, you must ensure that slow germinating areas are not caused by lack of water!

Adding co-polymer gel can greatly help reduce watering requirements. The co-polymer gel product used by Turf Blasters, Inc. will absorb up to 400 times it’s weight in water and slowly release it, helping maintain soil moisture. This is very helpful in situations where watering resources are limited. 

Regardless of whether you choose hydroseeding or sod, the success or failure will be dependent on five things:

• Watering
• Weather (warmth)
• Mowing
• Fertilizer
• Weed Control

Your hydroseeding or hydromulching application contains grass seed that requires a continuous supply of warmth and moisture. This moisture must come from rainfall or watering. It is not likely that it will rain everyday for the next week or two, so be sure to water frequently enough to keep moisture in the soil. A new lawn should be watered 2-3 times each day for the first 2 weeks, with a watering cycle of normally 10-15 minutes each watering (depending on area size).

The lawn should be kept lightly damp and water should never run or puddle on the lawn. Watch the weather and adjust your watering to keep the mulch lightly damp, not soaking wet and muddy. Once the first mowing is completed, watering is adjusted to only once a day, and applied heavier. Most customers will actually use less water establishing a new hydro-seeded lawn when compared to the watering requirements needed to establish sod.

A new lawn should be mowed as soon as the grass blades are approximately 3 inches high. Delaying the first cutting will only encourage weed growth. Mowing properly will play a vital role in controlling weeds and encouraging the new grass to choke out these temporary weeds.

The one-third rule when mowing must be followed. With the lawn mower blades sharp, no more than 1/3 of the grass height should be cut at any one time. Subsequent cuttings should be done often, with the grass clipping being mulched in — not bagged. The unbagged or mulched grass clippings act as compost for the new lawn.

The new grass will need a strong application of balanced fertilizer after the first mowing and again 30 days later. Apply fertilizer on the lawn when it is dry and then water heavily and thoroughly. Examples of a balanced fertilizer include the following:

• 20% Nitrogen Promotes Growth and Dark Green Color
• 10% Phosphorous Promotes Early Root Formation
• 5% Potassium Increases Vitality & Disease ResistanceApply at rates

recommended on the bag, or at a rate of about 50lbs on a 5000 square foot lawn area. Do not over fertilize or under water.

DO NOT USE WEED KILLER ON A NEW LAWN. This is very serious. Weed control products will kill new grass in the first season. All soil contains weed seeds. The hydroseed or hydromulch slurry does not. Weeds always germinate quicker than grass, however grass will choke out weeds as it becomes established. An established lawn and a proper fertilizer program will choke out any of the remaining weeds. If you have questions about any of the products required for a healthy lawn, contact Grounds Master Inc. or any of the many qualified lawn care firms available in Saskatoon.