# New lawn



## mills4090 (Nov 22, 2021)

Hello all,

I have been building a house throughout the summer and have two different grass types on the lawn currently. Total I have got about 45,000 sq ft that I plan to keep maintained as lawn for the time being.

The builder put burmuda sod on the front lawn. Appx 6,000 sq ft.the burmuda was laid the first week of august and seems to have rooted really well before it slowed down, and is now turning to dormant.

For the back yard, side yard and around drive way ect I opted to do my own grass and planted a tall fescue from seed superstore on the bulk of the yard.

I didn't get a soil test before planting. My soil is Georgia red clay, and the area was essentially finish graded with a skid steer when I started my process.

I took a tiller behind a tractor and tilled all the soil under about 4" first, followed by lots and lots of passes with a pulverizer to get everything as flat as possible.

Before seeding I hand raked the entire areas getting out all the rocks and debris the size of a quarter or bigger out. I seeded, raked the seed in and then watered everyday once a day for about a month before I started to cut back. The results have been mixed. I know I should have gotten a soil test and made adjustments prior at this point. Also that a fertilizer would have been a good choice.

I think I'm on the right track to get a great lawn over the course of some time, but wanted to see if anyone had any tips or info to share.

Overall I'm not upset but I got more bare spots ect than I would have liked. Particularly one area that has turned yellow over about a 4' wide area that runs the length of the yard. I'll attach pics of the yard if I can figure that out.

Thanks for any feedback, looking forward to discussing with y'all!


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## robjak (Mar 31, 2020)

Looks dry and under fertilized. Have you fertilized at all?


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## mills4090 (Nov 22, 2021)

I did about three weeks after I seeded. Used a Scott's starter fertilizer. Wondering now if I burned that spot?
Im watering still about 1" per week now.


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## robjak (Mar 31, 2020)

Starter is not high in nitrogen. So, chance of burn is very small. I would say your grass needs more nitrogen. I am not familiar with your climate. Does your grass grow straight through December?


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## mills4090 (Nov 22, 2021)

I put a couple pics of what I used the first round.
Do you think it's to late to fertilize again?

I wish I knew what to expect, I've never had a cool season grass before. My Bermuda has gone dormant in the last week or so, but I'm hoping the fescue might stay green through the winter. 
I'm in north Georgia so definitely milder winters than most of the country.


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## robjak (Mar 31, 2020)

My bad, higher nitrogen then thought. How much did you use and when?

Is your grass still growing? if yes I would throw some fert. Target 0.25 to 0.5 LB N per 1000 sq ft. Water it in if no rain within a day or two.


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## mills4090 (Nov 22, 2021)

October 26th, put down a full bag on nearly 18k feet, bags suppose to cover 14k.

I think I'll try that over the weekend and see what that does. The grass is growing for sure, had slowed a bit in the last couple weeks.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

That bag is 42lb. It has 24% (6% is slow and 18% fast) of nitrogen by weight, so 7.68 of N. Since you used it over 18ksqft, that is 0.42lb of N/lb. This is not enough nitrogen for a new lawn. Target around 0.2 to 0.25lb of N/ksqft every week. If you want to use the same product, then you will need 1lb of that fert/ksqft every week.

Try to spread it at the lowest setting that will flow with your spreader. I can see the heavy bands of fertilizer in your application because it was not very even.

FYI, brands dont matter. There are cheaper options than scott.


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## robjak (Mar 31, 2020)

Thanks g-man.

Would it be advisable to reseed the barer spots in the spring? would the seedlings make it through the Georgia summer?

It might be a good idea to get a soil test some time in the future.


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## mills4090 (Nov 22, 2021)

I appreciate both yalls input, and was also curious about a spring overseed. I've got plenty of seed left, as I didn't get as much planted this fall as I was hoping to. 
I'll get some fertilizer down tomorrow or Sunday at the suggested rates and see what happens. I'm gonna try to remember to take before and after pics. 
I'll try to get a soil test going ASAP


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## mills4090 (Nov 22, 2021)

Thought I'd post a update and a couple more questions. 
I'm on the third week of putting down fertilizer as y'all recommend, about .5 lb N/1k ft. Definitely seems to be thickening and darkening in color. I think I've got a lot of work to do on getting everything out evenly.

One thing I have noticed, I'm getting entirely to much run off when I water. The soil is probably only absorbing 1/2 of what I was putting on it previously. I've got a soil test out now to the UGA extension office, hopefully have results next week.

In the meantime, I do have some crabgrass and other weeds showing up in the last couple weeks. Should I treat them now, or wait till spring?

Also considering using a surfactant of some kind to see if I can get more water down in the soil as a temporary crutch until some soil admendments can be effective. anybodys got any thoughts on it?

Lastly, I'm cutting once a week and a day or two after cutting the grass has brown tips. Is this dull blades?


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