Newly Hydroseeded Lawn Care

The care and attention you give to your newly hydroseeded lawn is a direct reflection upon the look and performance of your lawn in the weeks following the initial hydroseeding process. The most important time to care for your newly hydroseeded lawn is during the germination period (Day 1-14), where you should try and keep your lawn as moist as possible without over watering, this wull maximize seed germination. Please try and follow the water schedule below.

Day

1-14(min)

14-21

21-28

>28

Frequency

3-4 Times a day

1 time/day

3 times/week

1 time/week

Amount of Time

20 min. (germination phase)

(early morning 4 a.m.) 30 min.

(early morning 4 a.m.) 30 min.

(early morning 4 a.m.) 30 min.

This is an average watering schedule based on typical lawn conditions. If you begin to see puddling or runoff while watering reduce the amount of time to eliminate this from happening. If you have an irriagtion system set it for the most cycles possible (6-8 watering per dat) at about 5-7 min. per cycle during the germination period. Once your lawn begins to show some growth, shift your watering schedule to the post germination watering cycle. This is very important as you need to train the roots to chase water and grow a deeper/healthier root system. Not adjusting the watering schedule will acclimate the roots to a high water table and cause wilting during the hot summer heat. Grass roots are healthier when they grow deep and soaking your lawn more and more over a long period of time promotes deep root embedment.

Plant Care Instructions ….

The plant care instructions below are just a few ideas to help maintain your new landscape. We at Green Escapes Nursery have carefully chosen the finest growers available and inspected the plant material to be sure that you that your new plants are healthy and disease free.

The first few months are the most critical for your new plants. During this time, proper watering is most important to the formation of newly planted trees, shrubs, and perennials. It is crucial that the following instructions be completed so as not to void your warranty.

Watering

When watering trees and shrubs with gator bags you must fill the bags every 2 days in hot weather, and every 3-4 days in cold weather.

You must thoroughly soak them every 2 days in hot weather and every 4 days in cool weather.

How to care for new annual plants installed.
Because new annuals require more water than other plantings (smaller soil container dries out faster), do not depend on your irrigation system to water this sufficiently.

Annuals should be hand watered at base of plant approximately every 3 days or even more often if the plant looks dry, droopy, dehydrated.

Also, because annual color blooms almost its entire life, fertilization of annuals weekly is recommended with a liquid based fertilizer. (i.e, Miracle-Gro Liquafeed or comparable)

Shrubs and perennials – The shrubs and perennials will require watering twice per week for 3-5 minutes per plant.  This watering should saturate the ground around the plants root ball but not cause standing water to form for more than 30 seconds.  The plants should be watered for the first 3 months, with watering times increased by 35% in the heat of July and August. 

Trees – Trees are a special case, being larger plants and slower to recover from transplant shock. Watering new trees depends upon several factors: species of tree, soil type, exposure, and available soil surface area of the planting site are just a few things to be considered. At a minimum, water your new trees twice a week with a slow, saturating soak from a garden hose. The key idea with tree watering is to keep the top 8″-12″ of the soil moist. A good method of checking the soil around the root ball for moisture is digging a small hole in the soil backfill next to the root ball about 6″ deep. Feel the soil from the bottom of the hole for moisture, if it’s wet, don’t water the tree that day. Fill in the hole after checking.The tender, fibrous roots that these plants produce are in need of continuous moisture until established in the new locations.  The main requirement of most plants is water, even more so than nutrients. In most cases a minor change in watering timing or duration can be the difference in a plant surviving or not. 

How to care for your new sod.
Starting IMMEDIATELY after new sod installed, soak to 2-3 inches beneath sod, “Flooded” and this should be repeated every 3 days for a period of 30-45 days. Continue this watering program unless you get a substantial rain (2-3″ rain event)

The first time you water immediately after sod installed may be midday or evening; future waterings should be done early morning between the hours of 4am-9am if possible.

It is best not to water midday, as this is when evaporation rate is highest. It is also best not to water at night as this can bring in fungus and insects.

After 30 days, test the rooting of the sod. Try to pull up on the sod at the edges. If difficult to pull up, you can start mowing your lawn. (follow best lawn practices and heights to mow based on type grass installed)

Also, once sod is rooted, you can then cut back watering to recommended rates (follow best lawn practices and quantity/frequency of watering based on type grass installed)

The average for all grass is 1″ of water per week for an established (rooted lawn).

Do not fertilize your new sod until at least 45 days after new sod installed. Check manufactures recommendation on timing/rates of fertilizer,etc of year for fertilizer installation for your type of lawn sod.

We do not recommend fertilizing at initial planting time. Instead, use a root stimulator, and begin a regular feeding regimen the next growing season with an appropriate fertilizer.

No additional mulch should be added if it was done during the initial planting. However, If our planting did not include mulching, we recommend that 2 inches of mulch be applied. This will save a lot of weeding time and help the plantgrow.
If mulch was applied then you can wait until the following year to touch up thin spots or even add a thin top dressing of 1 to 2 inches. This is important to all plants since mulching reduces evaporation, lowers the soil temperature, and helps prevent weed growth.

Your plants will be insect and disease free when planted. If in the future the plants need to be treated for any insects or disease problems please give us a call or email us, and we can help you choose the right formula or product to fit your need.

Just about all shrubs and trees can be pruned when dormant, usually in late winter just before spring growth begins. The exceptions to this are azaleas, hydrangea’s, camellia’s, cherries, japanese magnolia’s, pear trees, and some other flowering plants. Pruning at any other time may result in loss of flower buds and then no flowers. If you have questions on what or when to prune just give us a call or email us. Since soil and light conditions very greatly from area to area is impossible to set specific maintenance standards.

What Is Growing in My Landscape Mulch?

Mushrooms, Slime Molds, Bird’s Nest Fungus, Artillery Fungus

Landscape mulches are used to protect soil, conserve moisture, moderate soil temperature, and limit weed growth, as well as beautify and unify landscape plantings. Most mulches are mixtures of shredded wood and bark residues from lumber and paper mills, arboricultural and land-clearing operations, and wooden pallet disposal or recycling facilities.

As does other organic matter, wood and bark decompose over time. The primary organisms involved with their decomposition are bacteria and fungi, which derive their energy for growth from the carbon-based compounds found in wood and bark. These compounds include cellulose, lignin, and simple sugars. Bacteria are microscopic organisms that are not visible in the mulch. Fungi also may be microscopic, but many develop visible reproductive structures.

The fungi involved in the decomposition of landscape mulches are natural components of the mulch environment. Some fungi, such as the artillery fungus, are “recyclers” and break down woody tissue directly. Other fungi, such as slime molds, consume bacteria and other organisms living in the mulch. These fungi are not harmful to landscape plants, and no known health hazards are associated with them unless they are eaten. They can be found from April through October, usually following rainy weather.

This fact sheet describes four common types of fungi growing in landscape mulches in the eastern United States—mushrooms, slime molds, bird’s nest fungus, and the artillery fungus.

Mushrooms
Common names:
 mushrooms, toadstools
Scientific names: Many different fungi produce mushrooms.
What do mushrooms look like? They come in various colors,
shapes, and sizes, ranging from less than an inch to several inches tall. Some are soft and fleshy and disappear soon after they emerge; others may remain in mulch for a few days, weeks, or an entire growing season.

mushrooms

 

Are they a problem?They may be poisonous if eaten.

What should be done?Appreciate their beauty, ignore them,
or remove them.
 
Slime molds
Common names: slime molds, “dog vomit” fungus
Scientific names: species of Physarum, Fuligo, and Stemonitis
What do slime molds look like? They start as brightly colored (yellow, orange, etc.), slimy masses that are several inches to more than a foot across. They produce many tiny, dark spores. These molds dry out and turn brown, eventually appearing as a white, dry, powdery mass.
slime molds

Are they a problem? No. These fungi are “feeding” on bacteria growing in the mulch. They are normally a temporary nuisance confined to small areas.

What should be done? The fungi may be left in place to decompose. If their appearance is offensive, discard the fruiting bodies in a compost pile, household garbage, or a spot in the yard away from existing mulch.
 
Bird’s nest fungus
Common name: bird’s nest fungus
Scientific names: species of Crucibulum and Cyathus
What do bird’s nest fungi look like? They resemble tiny, gray to brown bird’s nests or splash cups with eggs. The nest is up to ¼ inch in diameter.
birds nest fungus
Are they a problem? These fungi may grow in large areas of mulch, but they are not a problem. The “eggs” are masses of spores that splash out of the nest when hit by a raindrop. These spores occasionally stick to surfaces, as do the spores of the artillery fungus, but they are easily removed and do not leave a stain.
 
What should be done?These naturally occurring fungi decompose organic matter and do not need to be removed. They are interesting to look at—show them to children!
 
Artillery fungus
Common name: artillery fungus
Scientific name: species of Sphaerobolus
What do artillery fungi look like? They resemble a tiny, cream or orange-brown cup with one black egg. The cup is approximately 1/10 inch in diameter. Areas of mulch with artillery fungi may appear matted and lighter in color than the surrounding mulch.
 
Are they a problem? They may be a problem. The fruiting body of this fungus orients itself toward bright surfaces, such as lightcolored houses or parked automobiles. The artillery fungus “shoots” its black, sticky spore mass, which can be windblown as high as the second story of a house. The spore mass sticks to the side of a building or automobile, resembling a small speck of tar. You may also find them on the undersides of leaves on plants growing in mulched areas.
artillery fungus
Once in place, the spore mass is very difficult to remove without damaging the surface to which it is attached. If removed, it leaves a stain. A few of these spots are barely noticeable, but as they accumulate, they may become very unsightly on houses or cars.
 
What can be done? Penn State researchers have discovered that blending 40 percent used mushroom compost with landscape mulch greatly suppresses the artillery fungus. Mushroom compost, or mushroom soil, is the pasteurized material on which mushrooms are grown. After the final crops of mushrooms are picked, the used compost is pastuerized a second time and removed from the mushroom house. This valuable by-product (sometimes called “black gold”) is often made available to gardeners and homeowners. Used mushroom compost has physical and chemical characteristics that make it ideal for blending with landscape mulch to enhance growth of horticultural plants. In addition, mushroom compost contains beneficial microbes that compete with, or actually destroy, nuisance fungi such as the artillery fungus and bird’s nest fungi. Homeowners are increasingly interested in contolling nuisance fungi without the use of chemicals. Blending used mushroom compost with landscape mulch offers a “green” and environmentally friendly solution to reducing the harmful effects of the artillery fungus.

Rain Bird Instruction Manual

You must use common sense in the maintenance of your specific material.

If you would rather spend your free time with family or doing other hobbies instead of gardening, Please consider Green Escapes Nursery’s maintenance program! You can email us to request a free quote at [email protected].