New Lawn Maintenance Guide

Watering you new sod during warm weather is critical for the first 10-14 days until the roots set into the soil,

NEW LAWN MAINTENANCE GUIDE HELPFUL LINK

Thank you for purchasing a new lawn from BC Instant Lawns and Landscapes. Your maintenance instructions and links for helpful services are below.

The Right Lawn Care Products For Your Lawn

Available from BC Instant Lawns
Lawn Maintenance Yearly Kit

The correct products and proper instructions when maintaining your lawn is critical to having a healthy lawn area:

USE OUR LAWN CARE APP

Add the lawn care app to your phone so you can have all the lawn care information available to you on the go:

QR Code for BC INSTANT LAWNS - CUSTOMER LAWN CARE

Click here to open the lawn care app

Chafer Beetle Control Measures

General Lawn Maintenance Rules

1. Keep all debris off the lawn area, all year round.

2. Pull weeds by hand regularly.

3. Fertilize and overseed on a regular program. Take a scientific approach when applying fertilizer.

4. Mow your lawn regularly, never more than 1/3 the height at once.

5. Replace patches that will not recover from damage during growing seasons (Late March – October) with sod or over seed.

6. Don’t miss a watering just after your lawn is installed. If it’s hot outside, pay particular attention.

7. If we have a harsh winter, let your lawn recover when it starts growing again, then assess what it needs. Too many customers panic in the dead of winter or early spring and take innapropriate actions trying to help their lawn grow.

leaves on a lawn in fall.
If your lawn area looks like this in fall, be sure to be actively clearing all debris from it asap or you won’t have grass in the spring.

Watering your new lawn

Watering your lawn is broken into 2 separate categories:

  1. Watering a newly sodded lawn
  2. Watering an established lawn area

Watering a newly sodded lawn area:

Ensure your new lawn recieves water immediatley after installation. It is good practice to water your sod as you are installing it. 
Your first watering should be deep enough to 
penetrate 3-4 inches into the soil. After your initial watering ensure that the top layer remains moist at all times.
During hot weather watering may be required up to three time per day. Continue this for 10-14 days or until the 
roots of the sod have established. 

Hint: During hot weather, watering behind you as you lay the sod will prevent the grass from drying out. 

Moderate weather First 14 days

1st Watering after installation 30 minutes
Morning 20 minutes
Afternoon 20 minutes

Hot weather first 14 days *pay particular attention during hot weather periods

1st Watering 45 minutes
Morning 30 minutes
Mid Day 30 minutes
Afternoon 30 minutes

14-30 days after planting

Once your new lawn has established you may reduce your watering. Watering for longer periods
at less frequency will now allow the grass to establish a deep rooting system. Water for 45 minutes
every 2-3 days depending on the weather. If the weather is extremely hot increase watering as required.

If you get mushrooms popping up, you are watering too much, back off the watering a bit. 

Watering after you establish your lawn:

1. Water in the morning before the dew evaporates on days when the lawn needs water.

2. Water deep – 4-6 inches deep.

3. Do not water in the evening – You will get mushrooms and lawn problems in warm weather.

Mowing Your New Lawn After Installation

You cannot mow wet grass. Plain and simple, don’t even try!

Your first mowing will occur 10-14 days after planting. When mowing your new lawn keep the following in mind:

1. Never mow more than 1/3 of the height of the grass in a day.
2. Leave your new lawn approx 2-3 inches in length, if you choose to cut your lawn shorter, slowly bring the height
down in increments over time. Keeping your lawn between 2-3 inches will prevent weeds and diseases.
3. Regular mowing will keep your new lawn healthy.
4. Always use a sharp blade when mowing.

Fertilizing Your New Lawn After Installation

Propel Sod Starter Fertilizer
Turf starter can be applied to the soil or shortly after installation.

During your preparation you should apply a turf starter type granular fertilizer. 
Fertilizer should be spread on the ground evenly and clumps should be avoided. The turf starter fertilizer may be
applied before or after lawn installation.

When applying fertilizer to the lawn ensure the following:
1. Blades of the grass are dry.
2. Evenly distribute fertilizer throughout the area.
3. Do not over apply fertilizer. 

Your initial fertilization should be followed by an annual fertilization schedule no less than 40 days after your planting.

Healthly lawns require regular feeding of fertilizer, the key is to use them in small amounts and often. This is because the lawn fertilizer is water soluble and in the Vancouver area we get plenty of rainfall throughout the year. The key ingredient needed for plant growth is nitrogen. Using a 20/20/20 type lawn fertilizer tells you that 20% of the product by weight is composed of Nitrogen. In residential lawn fertilization, this amount of nitrogen is sufficient. A word of caution though, nitrogen will burn your lawn. Do not clump on the lawn, do not apply when wet and only apply what is prescribed. FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS!!!

Liming Your New Lawn

PH Doctor Lawn Lime Application

Granular Lime is less messy and easy to apply.

Should I lime my lawn and when?

Yes you should lime your lawn once a year, especially after a heavy rainfall year. If you just had your lawn installed you can wait until the next year. If you missed a year, dont worry it’s not the end of the world, luckily lawns like a little acidicy to grow in, just apply the lawn in the spring on a dry day.

Granular type lime is very easy to use.

Chafer Beetle Control Measures

Bazooka Grub Control - European Chafer Beetle
Apply a grub control measure such as Bazooka once per year.

Important Information For Customers that have had Chafer Beetle Problems

By simply removing 2-3″ of soil and re-sodding will not remove the pest from the lawn area. Although with the european chafer beetle, if you plant a new lawn and keep it healthy, the likelihood of having a chafer beetle reinfestation is limited. Why? During the chafer beetle’s life cycle the queen plants her eggs in your lawn and the eggs turn in to those nasty looking worms, those worms hatch in to flys and the cycle starts over again. But the trick is, the queen’s don’t like to plant in healthy lawns. Plant a new lawn, keep it healthy and its likely that you wont get a reinfestation. Of course you need to apply the nematodes and do all the other lawn maintenance. You probably ended up with the Chafer Beetle because your lawn had weak areas and the infestations just continued on.

Other tricks to keep the Chafer Beetles away:

1. Keep your lawn in good health
2. Keep your lawn at a 3 inch height
3. Use a Chafer beetle resistant type sod. (Available from BC Instant Lawns)
4. Apply the nematodes annually or use a product like Bazooka.
5. Always fill bare pathes with sod or seed in your lawn.
6. Tell your neighbours to apply the nematodes.
7. Keep debris off your lawn area, regularly fertilize and overseed.
8. In shadded areas increase fertilization and oversseding.

AFTER WINTER

Rejuvinate Over Seed

Frequent lawn over seeding will prevent weed infestations.

Sometimes after a harsh winter lawns do not recover as expected. It is important to pay particular attention in early spring to help your lawn recover. Ensure that you apply a fertilization in early March followed by an over seed. This will help fill in any bare patches that have deleloped over the winter and keep a potential weed infestation away. Be aware of the temperature outside as lawns will recover much faster in warmer weather. You should apply lime in early spring (to dry grass leaves) prior to fertilizing, allow the rainfall to wash in the lime.

Throughout winter be sure to keep all debris off your lawn area. 

Annual Fertilization Schedule

Early March 20-20-20 fertilizer type or similiar

Early May 20-20-20 fertilizer or similiar

Early September 20-20-20 fertilizer type or similiar

Late October 20-20-20 fertilizer slow release type.

Lawn fertilization may be adjusted to your specific needs, the example shown above is ideal
for residential usage.

DO NOT OVER APPLY FERTILIZER!!!! 

preparation for a new lawn
preparation for a new lawn