CARE & MAINTENANCE INSTRUCTIONS FOR
NEW HYDROSEEDED LAWNS

Proper watering is of utmost importance for the establishment of a newly hydroseeded lawn.  The rule is to keep the freshly seeded ground wet at all times.  If the ground is allowed to dry out at all during the seed germination process, most of the tender germinating seedlings will die.  The resulting stand of grass will be very poor and sparse and will be a good place for weeds to get a start.

Watering should consist of four to five lighter waterings per day, never allowing the ground to dry out between waterings.  Avoid heavy infrequent waterings that cause major puddling and wash outs.  This will result in bare spots where seed has been washed away and not germinated.

With proper care and watering, a competitive stand of grass will develop, and broadleaf weed presence can be minimal.  However, some broadleaf weeds may be present during the initial establishment of the lawn, but these are usually choked out after several mowings.  DO NOT apply any broadleaf weed killers to your newly seeded lawn UNTIL you have mowed it at least 4 times.

Mowing can be done as soon as necessary after germination, usually three to four weeks after seeding, and should continue weekly thereafter.  The lawn should always be mowed to a height of 2 ½ inches regularly, never more or less.  We recommend you vary your mowing patterns each time to eliminate tire track build up.  Your watering can be turned off the night before you mow without hurting the new lawn.  We recommend mowing the first few times with a lightweight walk behind type mower to reduce ruts. If weeds are present, go ahead and mow as soon as they are tall enough. Even if all you see is weeds, by all means, keep them all mowed off!

Fertilizing should be done approximately 25-30 days after hydroseeding.  Use a good commercial blend of high nitrogen lawn fertilizer and apply four times per year at the rate recommended on the manufacturer’s label.  To avoid any lawn damage from fertilizer burn, be sure to follow up any fertilizer application with a thorough watering.  You will know when it’s time to fertilize as the lawn will stop growing and turn a very pale green color.  You may still find greener spots such as sprinkler trenches, etc., where the grass is taller and darker green.  Simply fertilize the adjacent areas more than these so that the rest of the lawn may catch up and stay uniform in color and density.

If your soil is rocky or has gravel, as it is watered, rocks may come to the surface.  These can be picked or raked as necessary, rolled or pushed back to ground level.  These rocks can be impossible to see and remove entirely in the ground preparation process.  Just be patient and follow the watering, mowing and fertilizing instructions carefully.

Did you know that an established yard has grass roots 3 to 4 feet into the ground?  It will take your new seeded lawn 3 to 4 years to get that well rooted, so monitoring your watering is critical!  Any places of high exposure, as in south facing slopes, areas along driveways, next to buildings or shallow soil areas are hotter and will require extra water to get established.  Remember again how long it takes the roots of a new seeded lawn to reach establishment, so good water monitoring is critical!

Remember it will take 28 days of 65 degrees constant minimum soil temperature just to germinate all your seed, so be patient and follow these instructions.

Enjoy & Happy Gardening!    
KIMBERLY NURSERIES, INC.