Watering is the most important part of your new seed lawn maintenance!

You need to keep the top 1/4" to 1/2" of soil damp. Do not soak or water for long periods of time. Keep watering to intervals of 2 to 5 minutes. When temperatures are over 100 degrees, water every couple of hours. 90 degrees or less, water every 3-4 hours. To prevent fungus do not water 1 to 2 hours before dark.

If you have an automatic irrigation system, program the controller to have each zone come on for 5 minutes at a time. Run 3 cycles or programs per day. This will keep the soil bed nice and moist. Additional cycles should be added when high temperatures persist. As the grass gains height and maturity, less watering may be needed. At full maturity (2-4 months,) a regular program of less frequent, but longer watering should be followed.

Traffic on a newly seeded lawn should be kept to a minimum. Unfortunately, the watering requirements will make the area a bit moist and potentially soggy to walk on. Do your best to not damage the soil bed if hand watering with the related moving of sprinkler heads & hoses.

Mowing your new lawn will not be needed until the new grass is at least 4 to 5 inches tall. Don't let the height fool you - the thickness of the new grass is not enough to cause a problem with mowing that height. The first mowing may require the raking of the clippings if excessive in amount. Remember to curtail your watering the day before you intend on cutting the grass for the first time, so that there aren't any ruts in the lawn from the mower wheels. Routine mowing maintenance may occur after the first cutting.

A turf care program is strongly recommended in order to insure the success of the new lawn. Weed control should not be applied for several weeks to allow for the grass to mature. Weeds can and will be a problem that should be addressed like that of any other new lawn. Spot seeding may be needed in areas of low germination, washout or heavy shade conditions.