Attention to soil preparation before seeding or sodding a lawn will help assure satisfactory results and help reduce your water bill. Before establishing a lawn, remove all debris such as rocks and building materials. The top 8 to 12 inches of soil should be free of any large debris.

Grade the lawn area so it slopes away from the house. Thoroughly soak excavated areas such as around sewer and water lines and over septic systems to settle the fill dirt. After the fill areas are settled, add topsoil. Make sure all topsoil is free from salt or alkali. Repeat soaking and tilling until the surface is level.

Add one inch of well-rotted horse manure (cattle manure tends to compact too much) and wood shavings. Thoroughly work this material deeply into the soil (8-10 inches). Then add another 1-2 inches of wood shavings or peat moss and work this in. Weathered wood shavings are preferred. Caution: Higher rates of pine shavings could cause an accumulation of turpentine.

For heavier soils, it's good to add 2-5 inches of sand. Sand should be washed to remove salt and silt. Sand needs to be round particles, not crushed, as round won't compact as easily. All fill material should be selected for cleanliness and absence of alkali and salt. During soil preparation, work 5-10 pounds of available phosphate per 1,000 square feet into the soil. This will help supply phosphorus to the deeper growing turfgrass roots. Soils prepared in this manner require less water and are healthier.

Watering a day or so before finishing the soil preparation will help eliminate large, hard clods. Soil should be well worked and left firm, but not packed, prior to turf establishment. If walking over the lawn site leaves footprints greater than 1" deep, firm the soil with a roller.

Quality is the prime consideration in buying seed or sod. Planting cheap seed mixtures or cut-rate sod often results in a poor lawn. Although varieties of Kentucky Bluegrass would work fine in some areas of the county, it's not very hardy in areas with a high salt content or in drier climates. For alkali or salty areas use Tall Fescue, Red Fescue and perennial Rye grass varieties. These varieties are more drought and salt tolerant and very good for dry rocky soils, yet still develop a very attractive lawn. Lawn mixes that contain large amounts of annual ryegrass should be avoided.

If the lawn is to be seeded, use a drop type or broadcast spreader. Seeding in two directions reduces the likelihood of skips.

Frequent, light watering, as many as three or four a day, is necessary during warmer periods, until the seed germinates. This may take two weeks or longer depending on the weather.

If the decision has been made to sod the lawn, remember that sod is perishable. Sod should not be left rolled or folded for more than a day in warm weather.

Check the soil before laying the sod. If it is dry, sprinkle it lightly. Lay the first strip of sod in a straight line and the next strip as tightly against the previous strip as possible. Think of it as laying bricks for a wall. Roll the sod after first using a light roller to help firm and smooth the surface.

Soak the sod as soon as possible after laying. Turn back a few corners to make sure water has penetrated the sod. Water to keep the new sod damp, but not wet.

One problem when laying sod is the inability of the grass roots to penetrate the soil. To avoid this, make sure that the soil beneath the sod is of a lighter texture than the soil in the sod. Numerous cases exist where the roots from the sod, after several years, have still not penetrated the base soil.

Avoid walking on the new lawn as much as possible. Keep footprints to a minimum by temporarily laying boards across the lawn to support all foot traffic. Mow the new lawn when the grass reaches a height of 2 to 2.5 inches. Avoid the use of herbicides until after mowing two, and preferably three times.

After the grass has been established, the use of either a liquid or solid nitrogen fertilizer can be used. Apply at the rate of ½ pound of available nitrogen per 1000 square feet, as needed, usually every four to six weeks.

A good lawn fertilization program would include a fall application of one pound of available nitrogen per 1000 square feet between mid October and mid November. Follow this by one pound in the spring, from mid May to mid June, or when the lawn exhibits a general yellowing. Apply ½ pound of available nitrogen fertilizer every 4-6 weeks as needed. The purpose of late season fertilizing is to eliminate excess spring growth, maintain fall color, have a taster spring green up, reduce the need for early spring fertilizer, make it less susceptible to disease, and more hardened to summer heat and drought stress. Avoid heavy and infrequent applications. Spread the fertilizer evenly and follow by normal watering to leach the fertilizer from the root zone of the grass. Note: If using a weed and feed fertilizer, follow watering and application directions found on the bag.

All additional phosphate fertilizer should be applied in the fall. The application of complete fertilizers containing nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium are good sources of nutrients. Nitrogen should be either ammonium sulphate or urea. Try to avoid ammonium nitrate because it tends to promote disease. Expensive lawn fertilizers are not necessarily better.

Thatch removal is usually recommended only for aesthetic reasons. There is usually little value in de-thatching a lawn except for the removal of worm mounds and dead grass clippings. Dead grass clippings remaining from last fall will soon decompose and no longer be obvious if the above fertilization recommendations are used. If a thatch build- up of over 1-1/2"occurs, power raking is advisable. Set the blades to avoid excessive damage to the grass. Aeration is recommended at least twice a year, around April and September. Aeration increases water penetration and aeration, \particularly in lawns with heavy foot traffic or play areas. On heavy clay soil, top-dress the lawn with ½" of sand following aeration. Washed and round sand particles are preferred. This promotes the adsorption and movement of water and air, and relieves compaction problems.

Mowing should be done on a regular basis. When grass reaches 3 inches in height, remove one inch. If grass is maintained at this length, a grass catcher is not needed, and clippings can remain to build the soil profiles. Lawns clipped too short have weak, poorly developed roots, which encourage weeds. Higher clipping provides more leaf surface to support a healthy root system.

Daily, shallow watering is not recommended. This encourages disease and weed problems. Instead, water according to the lawn's needs. Look for a blue cast in the lawn's color; this indicates a need for water. At this time, you should water until moisture reaches 6-8 inches in depth. Do not allow leaves to remain moist longer than 16 hours. This promotes disease. Normally, water every 3-5 days. Naturally, sandy or shallow soils will require watering more often than heavier clay soils. During excessive rainstorms, watering should be preempted to reduce risk of disease problems. Fall and spring watering should be on a limited basis. Some lawns can go for weeks without watering, depending on weather conditions. Harden off a lawn prior to winter to reduce winter drought problems. A final late, deep irrigation just prior to winter onset is recommended. The above process will promote a healthy, more disease and drought resistant lawn, which will require less water throughout the year.

WEED & INSECT CONTROL

Follow specific label recommendations on all chemicals.

BROAD LEAF WEEDS

Weed and feed lawn fertilization products can be used, but damage is possible to tree and shrub planting in landscape by absorption of chemicals into the plant roots. Instead use 2-4 D Amine or a similar product for weed control.

GRASS WEEDS

Use a product such as glyphosate, applied directly to leaves of grass-like weeds. such as Johnson grass, Orchard grass, etc.

INSECTS

If insect problems are evident, consult your Cooperative Extension office or local garden center.