Plant Guidelines

Guidelines for plant care

Soil moisture is the key to maintaining healthy, lush plants. Your objective during the establishment period (one year) is to maintain a slightly moist medium around your plants. The amount of moisture required by any plant will depend on the plant variety, seasons of the year, and soil conditions.

The best technique for determining whether a plant needs water is to feel the soil under the plant. If it is damp, then there is moisture in the soil. However, if it is dry to touch, then the plant would probably benefit by being watered.

Water your plants infrequently, slowly saturating the plant root ball. Infrequently in the summer may mean every three (3) to five (5) days, in the winter, every two (2) to four (4) weeks. We recommend slowly saturating the plants individually. If you have to use a sprinkler, be certain to apply a minimum of three inches of water per watering, using a coffee cup in the bed to measure the applied water. The best time of day to water is early morning. The frequencies of watering will depend on soil type, exposure, and precipitation.

Remember that the roots require oxygen and that over watering can deprive the roots of oxygen and drown an otherwise healthy plant.

The best insurance against plants' drying out is a good three inch base of mulch under the plant. Over mulching can also create problems, but by maintaining the proper amount of mulch, soil moisture can be retained, even during hot, dry periods.

Our plants are fertilized during installation with an organic slow release fertilizer. We recommend that organic fertilizer be applied twice annually, in March and again in June. The manufacturer's label will suggest the appropriate application rate.

If you have any questions about maintaining your plants, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Important care instructions for growing and maintaining quality turfgrass

I. Initial Lawn Care - Extremely important!

Even the best seed planted in properly prepared soil must have a continuous supply of moisture to germinate and grow into grass. We recommend the following watering program:

Initial Watering Program
Have your hoses and sprinklers ready to connect before mulching begins. Avoid leaky connections. It may facilitate watering to have a Y-type connection at the faucet outlet which permits attachment of two hoses from one faucet.

The aim in this initial watering period is to keep the seed bed moist. Twice-a-day watering may be sufficient, but in the hot summer, it will be necessary to water three times per day. Avoid "puddling" (drowning) and washing, but water thoroughly.

Continue watering in this manner until the grass is about 1" tall. Then begin watering once per day, but more heavily for deeper saturation. When the grass is about 2" tall, and ready for its first mowing, reduce watering to three times per week, but again more heavily each time. It is possible to overwater, so be careful to monitor the soil moisture so that drowning does not occur.
Initial Mowing
Mow at 2.5" as soon as any portion reaches this height or higher. Removing more than ½ of the leaf blade at one time can harm the seedling plants. After establishment, mow at 3" and always with a very sharp blade at a minimum engine RPM.
Straw/Nylon Netting
If straw is used, keep the straw in place and do not permit the wind to create bare patches - do not remove the straw. If nylon netting is used, it should be removed by owner when germination begins and before the tallest grass reaches 2" tall.

II. Established Lawns - Also important!

The establishment of a strong healthy lawn depends on many factors. Below please find a summary of those factors over which you have direct control, and which provide a sound foundation for the long life and beauty of your lawn.

Watering
An established lawn should not be watered more frequently than every 4-7 days, even in the hot summer. A slow, deep soaking to a depth of about 6" will encourage the development of a deep healthy root system. We recommend using a coffee mug to gauge how much water your sprinklers are applying, and water until the mug is full!

If water runs off and does not soak into established lawns, then heavy, compacted soil may be a problem. Aerifying your lawn will substantially improve the porosity of the soil and health of your lawn.

In the winter when the grass is dormant, normal rainfall is usually sufficient to maintain healthy turfgrass. However, if there are several weeks without rainfall, it may be beneficial to water dryer, more exposed areas.
Mowing
Mow as soon as the grass is tall enough to cut. For Tall Fescue, set your cutting height at 2.5-3.0". Never mow with a dull blade; it may damage or uproot the grass. It also invites insects and disease problems. We recommend having an additional sharp blade available as a substitute.

If, during mowing, grass clippings and straw are being deposited on the lawn, then they should be removed. In addition, leaves should be raked and removed as soon as they fall by lightly raking or by using a leaf blower. Remember that young seedlings smother easily; a leaf will suffocate a plant more easily than a rake will harm it.
Fertilizing
Always follow the Virginia Cooperative Extension Service fertilization program. For cool season grasses, we recommend Fall fertilization and then no fertilization in the Spring.

Take a soil sample annually and have it analyzed by the Cooperative Extension Service to determine any soil nutrient deficiencies (there is a minimal charge by the Extension Service for this test). Always follow the lime recommendation in order to maintain the proper soil pH. Limestone may be applied at any time of year.
Additional Comments
Consider the services of a lawn maintenance company which offers a broadleaf and annual weed control program in the Spring.

Watering new turfgrass sod

When...How...How Much

Water is essential to all life...too little water and we die, too much and we drown. The same is true of the grass in our lawns. Water makes up 70% to 80% of the weight of our lawn grasses and the clippings alone are nearly 90% water. While most people are concerned about not watering their lawns enough, the fact is that more lawns are damaged or destroyed by over-watering.
Newly installed turfgrass sod has very important watering needs. Proper watering immediately after installation will ensure the turf gets established, and it will also have an impact on how well the lawn continues to flourish for years to come.

WHEN To Water New Turfgrass Sod

Begin watering new turfgrass sod within a half hour after it is laid on the soil. Apply at least 2 to 3 cm. (1 inch) of water so that the soil beneath the turf is very wet. Ideally, the soil 7 to 10 cm. (3 to 4 inches) below the surface should be moist.

Watering Tip #1: pull back a corner of the turf and push a screwdriver or other sharp tool into the soil. It should push in easily and have moisture along the first 7 to 10 cm. (3 or 4 inches), or you need to apply more water.
Watering Tip #2: make absolutely certain that water is getting to all areas of your new lawn, regardless of the type of sprinkling system you use. Corners and edges are easily missed by many sprinklers and are particularly vulnerable to drying out faster than the center portion of your lawn. Also, areas near buildings dry-out faster because of reflected heat and may require more water.
Watering Tip #3: runoff may occur on some soils and sloped areas before the soil is adequately moist. To conserve water and ensure adequate soak-in, turn off the water when runoff begins, wait 30-minutes to an hour and restart the watering on the same area, repeating this start and stop process, until proper soil moisture is achieved.
For the next two weeks keep the below-turf soil surface moist with daily (or more frequent) watering. Especially hot, dry or windy periods will necessitate increased watering amounts and frequency.
Watering Tip #4: as the turf starts to knit its new roots into the soil, it will be difficult, impossible and/or harmful to pull back a corner to check beneath the turf (Watering Tip #1), but you can still use a sharp tool to check moisture depth by pushing it through the turf and into the soil.
Watering Tip #5: water as early in the morning as possible to take advantage of the daily start of the grass's normal growing cycle, usually lower wind speeds and considerably less loss of water because of high temperature evaporation.
Watering Tip #6: if the temperature approaches 37( C (100( F), or high winds are constant for more than half of the day, reduce the temperature of the turf surface by lightly sprinkling (syringe) the area. This sprinkling does not replace the need for longer, deeper watering, which will become even more critical to continue during adverse weather conditions.

During the rest of the growing season most lawns will grow very well with a maximum total of one inch of water a week, coming either from rain or applied water. This amount of water, properly applied, is all that is required for the health of the grass, providing it is applied evenly and saturates the underlying soil to a depth of 10 to 15 cm (4 to 6 inches).
Watering Tip #7: Infrequent and deep watering is preferred to frequent and shallow watering because the roots will only grow as deeply as its most frequently available water supply. Deeply rooted grass has a larger "soil-water bank" to draw moisture from and this will help the grass survive drought and hot weather that rapidly dries out the upper soil layer.

HOW To Water New Turfgrass Sod

Proper watering techniques are a critical aspect of lawn watering, equal in importance to the issues of when to water and how much to water. Here are several key factors to proper technique:

Avoid hand sprinkling because it cannot provide the necessary uniformity as most people do not have the patience, time or "eye" to adequately measure what is being applied across any larger areas of lawn. The only possible exception to this guideline would be the need to syringe the surface of the grass to cool it, or to provide additional water near buildings or other heat-reflecting surfaces.

Understand the advantages of different sprinkler designs, because each type has its advantages and disadvantages and its proper use will be determined by the type of sprinkler you select.

In-Ground Systems require professional design and installation and they require routine adjustments and regular maintenance to be most effective and efficient. The greatest mistake made with most in-ground systems is the "set it and forget it" philosophy that fails to account for the changing seasonal water requirements to maximize turf grown or even allowing the system to operate during or following a multi-inch rain storm. Another frequent problem is when heads get out of alignment and apply water to the sidewalk, street or house-siding, rather than to the lawn.

Hose-End Sprinklers range in complexity, cost and durability, but are highly portable and can provide uniform and consistent coverage, when properly placed on the yard and adequately maintained.

Sprinklers that do not throw the water high into the air are usually more efficient because prevailing winds are less disruptive of distribution patterns, the potential for evaporation loss is reduced and trees, shrubs and other plants do not block the pattern (or are very noticeable if they do).

Several times during the growing/watering season, routine maintenance to check for blocked outlets, leaking or missing gaskets, or mis-aligned sprinkler heads is important, regardless of the sprinkler design.

Select sprinklers and systems for uniformity of coverage across whatever area they are designed to water. Inexpensive hose-end sprinklers and in-ground irrigation systems can provide uniform coverage, but they can also be extremely variable and inconsistent in their coverage patterns.

Verify watering uniformity can be accomplished with a very simple and inexpensive method that uses only 4 to 6 flat-bottomed, straight-sided cans (tuna fish, cat food, etc.), a ruler and a watch.

Follow these steps:

Step #1: arrange the cans at random distances away from any sprinkler, but all within the area you assume is being covered
Step #2: run the sprinkler for a specific amount of time, say a half-hour OR run the water until a specific amount of water is in at least one can, say a 1.5 cm (0.5 inches)
Step #3: measure the amount of water in each can, checking for uniformity. Some variation is expected, but a difference of 10-percent or more between any two cans must be addressed by replacing or adjusting the sprinkler or relocating the system.

This measuring method should be used across an entire lawn that has an in-ground irrigation system to assure maximum coverage and uniformity.

Watering difficult areas such as slopes and under trees requires some special attention to achieve maximum benefit and a beautiful lawn.

For Slopes, see Watering Tip #3

For Areas Under and Near Trees you need to know the water requirements for the specific trees, as well as for the grass. Despite having deep "anchor" roots, trees take up moisture and nutrients from the top six inches of soil...the same area as the grass. Trees and turf will compete for water. Watering sufficiently for the grass may over-water some varieties of trees and under-water others. A common solution is to not plant grass under the drip-line of trees, but rather use that area for perennial ground-covers, flower beds or mulch beds.

HOW MUCH Water Is Applied & Needed

The amount of water your lawn requires and receives will determine its overall health, beauty and ability to withstand use and drought. Keep in mind that too much water can ruin a lawn just as fast as too little.

One inch a week is the standard water requirement established for most lawns; however, this will vary between different turf species and even among cultivars within a specie. There will also be varying water requirements for seasonal changes and still more differences brought about because of different soil types.

Look at your lawn to determine its water needs. Grass in need of water will have a grey-blue cast to it, rather than a blue-green or green color. Also, foot prints will still appear after a half-hour or more on a lawn in need of water, while on a well watered lawn foot-prints will completely disappear within minutes.

Use a soil probe, such as a screwdriver or large spike to determine how dry your lawn is. If the probe can be pushed into the soil easily, it's probably still moist, but if it takes a lot of pressure to push in, it's time to water.

Verify watering quantities with the same measuring can method described above, except you will want to note the time it takes for the cans to collect a specific amount of water. For example, if 0.5 cm (0.25-inches) collects in 30 minutes, you can easily calculate that it will take one hour to apply 1 cm (0.5-inches) of water or two hours to apply 2.5 cm (1-inch).

Water timers can help provide consistency and even be programmed or set to turn-off when no one is awake or at home. Some timers measure just the amount of time water is flowing through the devise and you have to know or calculate how long to set the timer for (see item above). Other units measure the number of gallons of water flowing through it. Knowing that 600 gallons per 1,000 square feet equals one-inch of water will help you calculate the timer settings your lawn will require.

Replacement plant reminder

When we install replacement plants, we would like to remind you that they need the SAME SPECIAL CARE you gave the original plants when they were installed.

Please follow the recommended watering guidelines and call us if you have any questions.

Thank you for the opportunity to be of service.

Recommended care of transplanted english/american boxwoods

Monitor soil moisture daily by “feeling” the soil under the mulch.

It is imperative that the fibrous roots, which are very near the surface, not dry out.

Apply water as often as necessary to keep the roots slightly moist, but not too wet.

Keep plants mulched with 2" of hardwood mulch, no more or less.

If winds are a problem, then stake the plant and spray it with an anti desiccant, such as Wilt Pruf or Vapor Guard.

At any hint of a problem or concern, contact our office. We will be glad to review the site with you to make suggestions.

J.W. Townsend, Inc. Landscape Contractor - P.O. Box 5551 - Charlottesville, VA 22905

434-973-1154 / 434-973-1578 fax / jwt@townsendlandscape.com