Exotikat – posted 05 August 2004 17:38
On June 25 about 1/4 of new sod was laid on my yard. I don’t think a soil test took place. A sprinkler system was also installed. I left for three weeks with the understanding that the person in charge of the sprinkler system would return to check on the progress and programming of the sprinkler system. When I got back after the three weeks, the grass was about a foot high, and the ground was marshy, and I noticed the next day that the sprinkler system turned on about 5 times. I got home on a Saturday night, and on Monday morning I got an anxious call from my lawn care person. He told me that he had tried to cut my lawn the previous Friday (three weeks after the sod had been put down) but that the ground was so soft his machinery immediately sank into the ground and he abandoned his efforts to cut the grass. He was also concerned that the roots were now browning as a result of the length of the grass (this is in fact what was happening). I did not know how to work the sprinkler system or turn it off, and waited until Thursday morning for the sprinkler people to come to my house. Meanwhile, the sprinklers continued to go on and off 5 times a day! On Friday, the grass was finally cut, even though the ground was still terribly soft and huge scars were left in the soft soil from the lawn mowers. The lawn looked terrible, with very shaggy, uneven grass, and grass mashed down by the lawn mower, but the lawn care person had not wanted to drive back over the soft ground and do further damage. A week later, during which I had not seen the sprinklers work once, they cut the grass again. This time, huge chunks of mown grass were left in the grass, and by Tuesday it was clear that my lawn was not happy. The brown roots that my lawn care guy had warned me about, and the clumps of mown grass were now apparently killing large areas of my lawn. A rake, drawn through the grass, pulled up large clumps of dead brown grass. All over the lawn, it is clear that matting on the ground at root level seems to be stifling and killing the grass. What should I do to help my lawn recover? It was quite a large investment!
ted – posted 07 August 2004 15:40
you’re in charge of your lawn, no one else…it’s important that you learn how to work your sprinkler system prior to paying for the system!!! i’m also wondering how new sod could grow a foot in 3 weeks??? you’re relying too much on others, and unfortunately, you’re having some difficulty in getting your lawn established. you may have to start all over….
Alex_in_FL – posted 08 August 2004 14:47
Without pictures I am strictly guessing. But here are my suggestions (key word, suggestions – you are there so use common sense).
(1) Set sprinklers correctly.(2) Mow and catch the clippings (only cut a third of the blade off – not more!!!)(3) Repeat step (2) in 2-3 days cutting just a little more off. Catch and remove clippings.(4) Have a professional company spray your lawn for fungus and insects. Should be under $70 (depending upon size of lawn).
Best of luck!
Alex
Exotikat – posted 08 August 2004 18:47
Hi Alex:I very much appreciate your helpful suggestions.1) The sprinklers have been reset; they now go off every other day at around 3:00 AM and it takes about 3 hours for them to run their entire cycle. They still need additional calibration, but we are working on that!2) The lawn has been mown now for the 4th time; the clippings are being caught.3) Some parts of the lawn are doing acceptably well, however there are other parts which clealy seem to have died.
Questions: Is it OK to rake out the dead grass? And is it OK to reseed at this point or should I wait for cooler weather? I live in Massachusetts.
I am not a gardner — this is all new, so any advice would be helpful.Thanks!
ted – posted 08 August 2004 19:44
you’ll need day temps in the high 70’s and 80’s for proper seed germination. i think you’re asking for it on the 3:00 a.m. watering- it’s a recipe for lawn fungus- you need to calibrate the system for putting down 1 inch of water- put out a rain guage in each zone, see how many minutes it takes to fill the guage up, then how many days it takes to evaporate back down- this will tell you how much and how often to water. during the seed germination time- (2-3 weeks) you’ll need to water more lightly and frequently. sprinkler systems are never designed or calibrated correctly. alot of people think if you put them in, then the problem is solved! you’ll need to learn how to program the system for different climate changes.
Alex_in_FL – posted 08 August 2004 21:18
My knowledge of cool grasses is limited. What type grass do you have?
Suggest watering every 3rd day and see if turf continues to grow without stress. Agree with Ted, 3 AM watering is out. Try about 5 AM – or expect fungus.
Go ahead and rake. Dead grass is invitation to insects and fungus.
Alex(ever wonder what the guy that invented the drawing board went back to before he invented the drawing board?)
Exotikat – posted 08 August 2004 22:53
Tom, Alex:Thank you so much for your helpful advice, fellas. My husband wanted the lawn and put in the sprinkler system and now guess who worries about the damn grass all day!!! I have no idea what kind of grass it is; I have a sample which I will take to a garden center and have them identify. Is the rain guage something else I can buy at the garden center? It seems to be a pretty decent sprinkler system — that being the case, d’you think I can program it to water parts of my lawn both in terms of separate days (water is pooling in some areas) and length of time? Or is that asking too much of it?
Alex_in_FL – posted 10 August 2004 03:39
Sprinkler control depends upon your system. My previous rain bird was electronic and could set minutes per zone (Zone 1 = 20 minutes, Zone 2 = 30 minutes, etc). The current controller has plastic pins allowing 15 minute increments.
If you see pooling water then you either have compacted soil or are watering too long. How many zones? How long does each run?
Alternative to rain guage is a flat bread pan in the yard for 2-3 days. Use it like Ted suggested to see water evap rates.
Exotikat – posted 10 August 2004 08:59
Hi Alex: Thanks again for your help. My sprinkler system is also electronic: Hunter Pro-C (http://www.costlessirrigation.com/controller/hunter/Hunter_Pro-C_Irrigation_Controller_User_Guide.htm). I’m a little averse to learning a new system right now (I have issues) but obviously gotta do whatcha gotta do. Yeah, so anyway, there are 9 zones, and the sprinklers go on for between 11 and 20 minutes depending on the zone. I changed the time it starts to 5:30 AM, but with the heavy dew and the rain sensor activated, I’m concerned that the sprinklers may not go off?? Will have to watch and see what happens tomorrow AM. Thanks again for your input.Ann