Establishing a Home Lawn University of Maine Cooperative Extension Bulletin # 2367

A healthy lawn is an important part of most home landscapes. Cool-season turf grasses grow well in Maine, tolerate foot traffic and add a neat , finished touch to the landscape. If you give special attention to site analysis, time of seeding or sodding, soil preparation and proper maintenance, you will be pleased with the results you obtain.

Time of Seeding or Sodding

The best time to seed a lawn in Maine is late summer. Late summer (August 15 to September 15) seeding allows turf grass seeds to germinate rapidly in the warm soil. The warm days and cool nights are ideal for seedling growth. In addition, there is less weed competition in late summer than in early spring. If weeds are not a concern on your site, late spring (May) seeding can result in an excellent lawn. Summer seeding can also yield a high-quality turf, but you must irrigate frequently to prevent the seed from drying out.

You can install sod for more immediate results anytime from May through September. Again, you need to water more frequently if you lay the sod during the warm summer months.

Grading

Building a new lawn provides the perfect (and perhaps final) opportunity to change the grade of your lawn. Dramatic changes in grade may be made out of necessity (to improve air and water drainage) or to improve landscape interest and character (by forming berms, swales and slopes).

Rough grade changes may require the use of large equipment such as a tractor or bulldozer. You might want to weigh the value of using heavy equipment against the potential damage it may cause through soil compaction. Often, for a small home landscape, digging soil and transporting it with a wheelbarrow is more appropriate.

To grade the soil of a new lawn area, work at the rough grade level, before adding topsoil. Fill in low spots and scrape off high spots, paying careful attention to the direction that excess water will run off. Tamp the soil as you work and water thoroughly to help it settle. Fluffy subsoil will settle over time, leaving you with a lumpy lawn that is difficult to mow and less than ideal for recreation.

After you have developed a perfect contour for your new lawn, add four to six inches of loam as topsoil and rake it out evenly. Invest in high-quality topsoil, as it will support the roots of your new lawn and directly impact its quality. Look for well-drained topsoil with no herbicide residue and a low number of weed seeds.

Preparing the Seedbed

Preparing the seedbed is perhaps the most labor-intensive and time-consuming step in establishing your lawn, but a well-prepared seedbed is essential for rapid, successful establishment of a lawn.

A fertilizer application at the time of seeding gives turf grass an important boost. This is the only time you can incorporate required nutrients into the soil. The amount of nutrients required for your site should be determined by a soil test.

You can obtain a soil test kit through your county Cooperative Extension office. If the test indicates you need to amend the soil, you can either broadcast granular fertilizer onto the soil during seedbed preparation, or spread organic material, such as composted manure, to meet the nutrient requirements. Incorporate either one to a depth of four to six inches prior to planting the seed.

If your soil is loam ( a mixture of sand, silt and clay), you will likely not need to apply any amendments. However, if it is very sandy or heavy clay, your turf grass will benefit from the addition of organic material. Peat moss and compost are organic materials that help hold water in sandy soils and improve drainage of clay soils. If your soil needs organic matter, spread one to two inches evenly over the area.

If your soil is highly acidic, broadcast lime. A soil test will tell you how much to spread in order to adjust the soil's pH to 6.0.

Using a rototiller or other cultivation equipment, work the soil to a depth of four to six inches, incorporating the fertilizer, organic material and other amendments recommended from the soil test results. Avoid working with wet soil: clodding will occur. Additionally, do not overtill, as you may destroy the structure of the soil. After tilling, rake the soil to a smooth seedbed. Either roll the area or water slowly to eliminate air pockets.

Seeding

Select high-quality seed from a reputable dealer. Be sure to select species that are suitable for the environmental conditions of your site. (See Table 1 and Table 2.)

Divide the total seed quantity in half. Using a broadcast seeder, walk at a moderate pace, sowing one half of the seed in one direction, and the other half at right angles to the first. This ensures uniform results and minimizes bare spots. Lightly rake the area to cover the seed to a depth of 1/4 inch. Rolling the area to lightly firm the seed into the soil is not required, but may be helpful. Water the seed bed well, keeping it moist but not saturated until the seeds begin to germinate. Once grasses begin to establish, water when the soil surface is dry to the touch. Avoid over-watering and runoff.

Mulching

Mulching the seedbed with straw helps conserve moisture by protecting the seedbed area from direct sunlight and wind. Mulching is critical if seeding is done in midsummer. It may not be needed if seeding is done in late spring or late summer. Select straw that is clean and free from weed seed. One bale of straw, spread lightly covers approximately 1,000 square feet. At this rate of application, the mulch does not need to be removed after germination.

Sodding

If you want an "instant lawn," you may choose to lay sod. Buy freshly cut sod from a garden center. Inspect it before purchasing to make sure it is moist. Transport it home under a tarp or in a covered truck to prevent the sun and wind from drying it out.

Prepare the soil as you would for seeding. Lay the sod strips in staggered rows, making sure they firmly abut each other so that they will knit well together. Water frequently during the first few weeks.

Mowing

Mowing a lawn helps maintain a clean, finished appearance. It also helps prevent weed and disease problems and encourages turf grass vigor.

Mowing height:
Mowing height depends both on the turf grass species and environmental conditions. Some turf grass species (such as tall fescue and perennial ryegrass) are called "bunch-type" grasses because of their erect growing habit. The crown (the portion of the plant where the stem and root systems join) of these plants is elevated above the ground level. To protect these grasses' crowns, mow them to a taller height. Other turf grass species (such as Kentucky bluegrass and fine leaf fescue) have combined creeping and erect growing habits, with the crown of the plant relatively close to the soil level. These species can withstand a lower mowing level than "bunch-type" species. In mixed stands of turf grass, mow according to the needs of species with the higher mowing levels.

Higher mowing levels during hot weather protect, and effectively insulate, the crown of cool-season turf grasses. Higher mowing results in more leaf area, more photosynthesis and deeper root systems. This enables the turf grass to withstand periodic high-temperature stress. If the crowns of turf plants are damaged, a stubby, brown appearance results.

Mow a newly seeded lawn when it reaches a height of three to 3.5 inches. Early mowing promotes the spreading and thickening of the grass. Do not allow the new grass to become excessively long before the first mowing. If it does become too long before the first mowing, mow in stages, never removing more than one-third of the height during one mowing.

Mowing frequency:
Mowing frequency should be determined by grass growth rate, not by a set schedule. A general rule is to never remove more than one-third of the total leaf area at one moving. For example, if you want to mow Kentucky bluegrass lawn to two inches, mow when grass reaches three inches in height. Removal of more than one-third of the height stresses plants and may result in thinning of the turf. Removal of more than the recommended amount causes a depletion of stored carbohydrates during shoot regrowth, and can reduce the ability of turf plants to withstand environmental stress.

Clipping removal:
The need to remove grass clippings depends largely on mowing frequency. If a lawn is mowed often, short clippings fall down into the turf, where they quickly decompose and return nitrogen to the grass plants. However, long clippings should be removed because they shade the turf grass and create a microenvironment that favors pest development. Excess clippings make a wonderful addition to the compost pile, as they are high in nitrogen and aid in the microbial action and breakdown of other organic materials.

Mower operation:
In selecting and operating a lawn mower, give special attention to the unique features of your lawn and to your own personal needs. Match your mower capacity to the size of your lawn so that mowing can be done in a reasonable amount of time. A riding lawn mower is most appropriate for a large, flat lawn with few obstacles, while a walk-behind mower is a better choice for a small lawn with many trees.

Two basic types of lawn mowers are available: reel and rotary. Reel mowers provide a clean, flat cut, but generally are more expensive, hard to sharpen and do not easily cut high grass. Rotary mowers cost less, cut high grass and are easily sharpened, but they generally don't provide as even a cut, and they shred grass blades.

Whichever you select, keep in mind that all power mowers can be dangerous if not operated properly. Keep in mind the following points:

Weed Control for Turfgrasses Weeds

Maintaining a weed-free lawn is a primary concern for many homeowners. The presence of weeds in a lawn is often an indication of a poorly developed turf grass stand. Therefore, weed control should begin with the development of a dense, healthy, competitive stand of grasses that have been selected to suit the needs of your site. Maintaining a well-established turf grass stand will prevent future weed infestations.

Weeds often take root when the cultural needs of turf plants are not met. Some management practices, such as excessively short mowing, light or too frequent irrigation and inappropriate fertilization, lead to weed infestations. In addition, the build-up of thatch, compaction of soil and pest damage also give weeds the competitive edge.

Quite often, cultural inadequacies of the turf grass may be diagnosed by identifying weed species that have germinated in your lawn. For example, dandelion often infests a home lawn when conditions of low fertility and drought prevail.

Diagnosing the cultural situation that exists through evaluation of weed species can help you target what you need to do to improve the environment for turf plant growth.

Mechanical weed control can provide effective weed control for many turf weeds. Pulling or digging is effective for small lawns with a few weeds. Upright weeds, such as lamb's quarters and pigweed, are effectively eliminated this way. Perennial weeds with a low, spreading growth habit and extensive root system, such as quackgrass, are vigorous and require removal of the entire root system.

Perseverance with these types of weeds eventually pays off, however, as repeated removal of top-growth depletes food reserves in the weed's root system, and the top growth weakens.

Although cultural and mechanical weed control can be effective, chemical control may be required in certain circumstances. Careful selection and application of chemicals can effectively control a wide variety of weeds with little risk of injury to the turf or nearby ornamental plants.

Herbicides provide an immediate solution to weed problems, but do not provide a long-lasting solution for the problem. Herbicides treat the symptoms of the problem without correcting the cause. Therefore, they should only be used after other means of weed control have been tried.

Insect and Disease Control Cinch bug

The most serious insect pest in Maine is the chinch bug. This insect pest usually shows up in years that are warmer than average and on droughty soils. Sloping areas facing south are prime areas for chinch bug invasions. When chinch bug populations are high, you can see them moving around at the soil surface. They may also be detected by flooding the damaged area. To test for chinch bugs, put water inside a metal ring driven into the soil; if present, they will float to the surface. Good cultural management of the turf grass is the best way to control chinch bugs, but effective insecticides are available for serious infestations.

Annual Fertilizing

Fertilizing a lawn on an annual basis improves the health of your lawn and reduces weed infestations. Rate and timing of application depends on what fertilizer material you use. If you use a synthetic granular fertilizer, apply it at a rate of two pounds of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet per year. Apply one-half of the total amount required in early May and one-half in late August.

If you use a mulching mower that leaves the grass clippings on the lawn, cut the seasonal fertilizer requirement in half, since the finely cut clippings decompose quickly and return a great deal of nitrogen to the soil.

Table 1: Characteristics of Turf Grasses Suitable for Maine Lawns
Turf grass	Tolerance of high summer temperatures	Tolerance of low winter temperatures	Shade tolerance	Texture	Mowing height	Wear resistance	Soil requirements	Uses
Kentucky Bluegrass	Good	Excellent	Poor	Fine to medium	1.5 to 2.5	Medium	Well-drained fertile soil, pH 6.0 to 7.0, 1 inch water per week.	Lawns, athletic fields, general- purpose turf.
Red Fescue	Good	Good	Good to excellent	Fine	2 to 2.5	Medium	Well-drained to dry soils. Does not tolerate wet soil. pH 5.5 to 6.5, .5 to 1 inch water per week.	Used in mixtures with bluegrass for shade tolerance. Used when soil is infertile, dry, acid.
Tall Fescue	Excellent	Good	Good	Course	2 to 3	High	Moist fertile soil is best. pH 4.7 to 8.5. Tolerates most soils. 1 to 1.5 inches water per week.	Often considered a weed in bluegrass lawns. Used in lawn transition areas, slopes and banks, near waterways.
Perennial Ryegrass	Poor	Poor	Poor	Coarse to medium	1.5 to 2	Medium	Medium to high fertility. pH 6.3 to 7.0. 1 to 1.5 inches water per week.	"Nurse crop" in seed mixtures, for quick cover. Hard to mow. Many types are not hardy in Maine

Table 2: Seeding Rates for Turf Grass Mixtures in Maine
Seeding rate
Seed mixture	lb./1,000 sq. ft.	lb./acre	Growing conditions
100% Kentucky bluegrass	1 to 1.5	45 to 65	Full sun, evenly moist well-drained soil.
20% perennial ryegrass + 80% bluegrass	2 to 2.5	85 to 110	Full sun, evenly moist well-drained soil.
50% perennial ryegrass + 50% bluegrass	3 to 3.5	130 to 150	Full sun, evenly moist well-drained soil.
50% red fescue + 50% bluegrass	2.5 to 3	110 to 130	Adaptable to sun or light shade.
50% bluegrass + 30-40% red fescue + 10-20% perennial ryegrass	3.5 to 4	130 to 140	Adaptable to most conditions.
100% red fescue	3 to 4	130 to 175	Tolerates light shade.
100% tall fescue	5 to 7	215 to 300	Tolerates dry soil.

Published and distributed in furtherance of Acts of Congress of May 8 and June 30, 1914, by the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, the Land Grant University of the state of Maine and the U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperating. Cooperative Extension and other agencies of the U.S.D.A. provide equal opportunities in programs and employment.

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Last Modified: 01/18/08
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Establishing a Home Lawn Prepared by: Lois Berg Stack, Extension ornamental horticulture specialist, the University of Maine Cooperative Extension