Establishment of turfgrass can be starting a new lawn from seed, renovating a golf course fairway, or patching sod into a worn out soccer goal mouth. Four kinds of planting units are available for propagating and planting different turfgrass species: seed, sprigs, plugs, and sod.
Each turfgrass species has an inherent growth rate and capability to transplant, colonize bare ground, or propagate in trays or a nursery. The fastest, common bermudagrass, Cynodon dactylon, has a relative growth rate of 9% per day. With that high exponential growth rate, planting in an ideal growing environment (sun, fertilizer, water, no weeds) a square meter of bermudagrass could theoretically, with frequent redivision and replanting of vegetative cuttings, cover half the land area of the earth in one year. Environmental conditions are generally not ideal.
There are seven basic steps in establishing turfgrass. Not every step is required in every situation, but generally all steps must proceed in this specific order, with the mnemonic P-E-G-I-S-I-D:
(1) Plan what kind of turfgrass to plant and why; (2) Eradicate perennial weeds; (3) Grade, remove buried debris; (4) Install irrigation; (5) Seedbed preparation, a smooth grading; (6) Install turf; and (7) Defend against pests and environmental stress.
ykino – posted 06 November 2011 03:35 Hello,I have a garden with Barmuda grass. It turned brown this month. Which is better for overseeding, Winter grass or Anual ryegrass? I am a biginer and I appreciate any advice!! Thank you,…
Mark Childers – posted 25 March 2012 17:18 I have been in my home for 8 years. I started with a nice lawn, but now it looks absolutely terrible. There are many weeds as well as bare spots. I must…
rduhome – posted 02 April 2012 15:01 We are putting sod in backyard and trying to figure out if Tifgrand Bermuda or Fescue is a better fit. We have only partial sun and have a dog so needs to be…
razors3639 – posted 02 April 2012 17:09 I cons***cted a new home last year. The new sod was put in the first week of August by a sod farm and their installers. I know the time frame was not ideal,…
ramona1228 – posted 22 April 2011 18:35 Sod was planted for our newly constructed townhome. It was put down in late April/early May and it was a very hot summer…no shade in area. We watered religiously but it was always…
ieee488 – posted 04 June 2011 16:09 I have just moved into a new construction house. Along one side of the house the builder put in a row of new sod. Unfortunately, I didn’t water that sod for a week…
NSBNewB – posted 11 October 2010 17:56 I just bought a house in New Smyrna Beach, Fl. I am wanting to get new grass due to all the sandburs that i have. I sprayed image and it helped a little…
vivona – posted 27 October 2010 12:05 I am replacing the entire lawn and have a section of the front yard that has been a problem in the past. We are changing out the top 4 inches of the soil…
GomerPyle – posted 05 November 2010 03:44 I live in the north Tampa area and have typically always had a lush green lawn (St. Augustine). On my rural block, I was pretty much the only one who had actual grass…
gmoses – posted 03 March 2011 11:20 I’m looking for some advice on the best grass to put in my backyard in the Dallas, TX area. It is part full sun, but under a Bradford pear tree and in a…