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Like a good house, a good lawn needs a good foundation. If
your lot was stripped of topsoil in preparation for building,
any grass will perform better if you will replace several
inches of topsoil from a wooded area. Bulk topsoil
from other sources can be infested with crabgrass and other
weed seeds. Blending the topsoil with the subsoil
is vital-growing in a layered condition is often more troublesome
than growing in the subsoil.
Preparing the Seedbed
Grade and level the lot, removing all sticks, stones, and
pulverizing all large clumps of earth. Be sure that
drainage is away from all buildings and that grades are
established as you desire them because once your grass
is planted any change will be difficult and expensive.
During pre-planting preparation mix into the soil 10 to
20 lbs. per 1000 square feet of a complete fertilizer such
as 5-10-10 or 10-10-10, and approximately 50 lbs. of ground
limestone per 1,000 square feet. For Centipede use
only half as much complete fertilizer and no limestone.
Your grass will perform better if the fertilizer and lime
is tilled six or eight inches deep into the soil than if
left on top. Don't skimp on good seedbed preparation.
Solid Sodding
While building costs have gone up, sod prices have come
down. In most areas sod can be bought and laid like
a rug, thus producing an instant lawn, for prices ranging
from 20 cents to 30 cents per square foot, depending upon
the sod variety and local market.
Typically the sod is harvested in blocks 16" wide and 24"
long or in strips 16" wide and 81" long which are rolled
for easier handling. The thickness runs 1" to 1-1/2",
of which about 1/2" is soil and the remainder is grass,
so that for solid sodding the grades around sidewalks and
drives should be approximately 1/2" lower than the paving.
Laying solid sod is fairly simple. Schedule delivery
only after you have prepared a seedbed and are ready to
lay, and then insist on prompt delivery after harvest. Start
laying along the longest edge-curb, driveway or building.
Stagger blocks or strips as if laying bricks. Butt
sod firmly and stretch each piece so that the roots will
lay flat against the soil. In dry, hot weather, lightly
wet the surface before laying, and water each small area
well immediately (within one hour) after laying.
Water at least once each afternoon until the sod is firmly
rooted.
When lawns with steep slopes are seeded, it is a good idea
to lay strips of solid sod every six to ten feet across
the slope to assist in erosion control. "Nail" the
sod to the ground by using long, wooden spikes.
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Sprigging and Plugging
All hot climate grasses may be planted vegetatively by sprigging
or plugging - slow and laborious procedures.
Sprigs are individual grass plants with some root or
rhizome and some leaf, and may be acquired from a neighbor's
lawn of torn from sod. Plugs are small pieces of sod
grown in trays or chopped from sod with an ax or machete.
As a rough rule of thumb, one square foot of sod will produce
enough sprigs to plant 200 or 300 sq. ft. or enough 2" x
2"
plugs to plant from 20 to 40 sq. ft., depending upon spacing.
The survival rate on plugging is usually somewhat better
than on sprigging, but plugging is more trouble and the difference
in coverage time is negligible.
Seeding
TifBlair® Centi-Seed Centipede and Zenith® Zoysiagrass are
the only better lawn grasses for which seed are commercially
available. The per pound price of the seed is high compared to fescue or bermudagrass
but one pound per 2,000 to 4,000 square feet of Super-Wrapped TifBlair™ or one to two pounds per 1,000 square feet for Zenith® is adequate. The cost of seeding is less than establishing
any of the better grasses by sodding, and only a few dollars
more for the average lawn than the cost of using grass seed
mixtures or bermuda seed. TifBlair™ Centi-Seed and Zenith® Zoysia seeded lawns start slowly, but usually produce coverage quicker than plugs.
Best results are obtained when TifBlair™ or Zenith® Zoysia are
planted in early to late spring, but they may be sown throughout
the summer and until about 60 days before frost.
Broadcast TifBlair™ Centi-Seed and Zenith® Zoysia on
a well prepared seedbed with a Cyclone type spreader. Use
a narrow flow-gate opening, apply half the seed traveling
east to west and the other half traveling north to south
to insure uniform distribution. Rake lightly
to mix the seed into the top quarter inch of
soil.
Water well
and keep the surface moist.
Water seeded areas frequently enough to keep the surface
moist until the tiny seedlings have a well established root
system. Hasten coverage by topdressing with a nitrogen
fertilizer, beginning when the seedlings have about four
leaves. Be certain to water well to avoid chemical
burn.
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