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Conveyor Belt
Sod Harvesting |
Harvesting A
Pallet of Floratam |
2 Harvesters
In Action |
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Step-By-Step Preparing the Site
Prepare the Site
Follow these simple steps for a beautiful, healthy and trouble-free lawn.
Post Installation Care of Turf Grass
The following recommendations from
The Lawn Institute will help you maintain a thick, healthy lawn after natural turf grass sod has been installed.
FERTILIZER
The type and quantity of fertilizer required for your lawn will depend on your grass variety. Cool and warm season grasses vary as do their nutrient requirements. Check with your Extension Service, local nursery or lawn and garden professional to determine what type of fertilizer is best for your lawn.
MOWING
The turf grass can be mowed when it is rooted. Be sure to remove no more than 1/3 of the grass blade. The actual height of the cut varies depending on whether the grass is a cool or warm season and the type of grass.
Around 3 weeks after installing pull on the grass and if the roots stay in place you are ready to mow.
Keep your mower blades sharp. Dull blades tear the grass blade instead of cutting it cleanly. These small rips in the turf grass tissue can cause the grass to lose more water, increase irrigation needs, create stress, and make the lawn more vulnerable to diseases.
GRASS CLIPPINGS
Leave the grass clippings. Contrary to popular belief, they do not cause thatch. (Thatch usually occurs only when turf is excessively fertilized and soil is compacted, cold and moist.) If you follow the 1/3 cutting rule grass clippings won't smother the grass plants. They will dry out and work their way down to the soil, resulting in less fertilizer use. They also cool the soil and help it retain water.
THATCH
Thatch is a layer of dead and decomposing plant tissue that forms above the soil. A thin 1/2 inch layer is beneficial to a lawn. It protects plant crowns and reduces compaction. But if the layer gets too thick, water , air and fertilizer can't get through to the soil and grass roots. Runoff increases and dry spots appear. Or when it's wet, the thatch can remain saturated and suffocate roots. Thatch usually occurs on turf that has been heavily fertilized, and is most common on poorly drained, compacted and acidic soils. Some species of lawn grasses are more prone to thatch problems than others. Severe thatch problems left unattended may eventually require the use of a dethatching machine. To prevent or minimize thatch problems, core aeration is an option depending on your situation.
AERATION
Core aerators punch small holes in the lawn allowing air and moisture to penetrate through the holes. It is most effective in late summer when temperatures are starting to cold and the soil is only slightly moist.
After aeration, leave the soil cores on the surface to dry. Then rake them to distribute the soil down through the grass to mix with and dilute the thatch. The mixing action core aeration is similar to that provided by earthworms. Core aeration can also help increase water infiltration on compacted soils. Contract with a local landscape company for dethatching or core aeration service or check with your local equipment rental center.
Watering
WHEN TO WATER
Its is essential to begin watering new turf grass sod within a half hour after it is installed or placed on the soil. Apply at least 1 in of water so that the soil beneath the turf is very wet. Ideally, soil 6 inches below the surface will be moist.
Water as early in the morning as possible to take advantage of the grass's normal growing cycle. Morning is ideal because of lower wind speeds and less water is lost to evaporation. Watering in the evening is discouraged because water remaining on the grass can promote disease and fungus.
Infrequent and deep watering is preferred to frequent and shallow watering. Roots will only grow as deep as their most frequent available water supply. Deeply rooted grass has a larger "soil-water bank" to draw moisture from and this helps the grass survive drought conditions and hot weather that dries out the upper soil layer.
WATERING
Water is essential to all life... too little water and we die, too much water and we drown. The same is true of the grass in our lawns. Water makes up 70% to 80% of the weight of grasses and the clippings alone are nearly 90% water. While most people are concerned about not watering their lawns enough, the fact is, more lawns are damaged by overwatering.
HOW TO WATER
Proper watering techniques are important. Here are several helpful suggestions.
Avoid hand watering because it cannot provide uniformity. The only possible exception to this guideline would be the need to water the surface of the grass to cool it, or to provide additional water near building or other heat-reflecting surfaces.
Understand each sprinkler has its advantages and disadvantages. Proper use is determined by the type of sprinkle you select.
IN-GROUND SYSTEMS require professional installation, routine adjustments and proper maintenance to be effective. The greatest mistake made in most in-ground systems is the "set it and forget it" philosophy that fails to account for changing seasonal water requirements to maximize turf growth or allows the system to operate following adequate rain. Another frequent problem is when sprinkler heads get out of alignment and apply water to the sidewalk, street, or house siding, rather than to the lawn.
Watering difficult areas such as slopes and under trees requires special attention to achieve maximum coverage and uniformity.
The amount of water your lawn requires and receives will determine its overall health, beauty and its ability to withstand use and drought. Keep in mind that too much water can ruin a lawn just as fast as too little water.
One inch a week is a watering "rule of thumb" (by rain or watering) suggested for most lawns; however, this will vary between different turf species and even among cultivars within a specie, seasonal changes and different soil types.
FLORATAM ST. AUGUSTINE
APPLICATIONS:
Performs beautifully in a broad range of settings and applications.
Bermuda - TIFWAY (Tifway 419)
DESCRIPTION: Tifway is a hybrid bermudagrass cross of Cynodon dactylon x C. transvaalensis germplasma. It is characterized as having a dark green color with medium fine textured leaves. Tifway hybrid bermudagrass is dense with a medium to low growth habit. This variety is a vigorous grower and thus establishes quickly at planting.
USES: Golf course fairways and tees, athletic fields and landscapes.
CHARACTERISTICS: Temperature Range of Adaptation - Tifway grows best in warm climates within 45 degrees latitude to the equator. Temperatures in excess of 100 degrees F. (38 degrees C.) are readily tolerated by healthy Tifway. May become dormant after repeated winter frosts but recovers quickly when temperatures warm.
WATER QUALITY TOLERANCE: On a suitably drained profile Tifway can tolerate soil concentration of 2500 ppm total salts. It is well adapted to "brown" water sources and is commonly used in municipal and food industry effluent land application systems.
DROUGHT TOLERANCE: Tifway will survive droughts with minimal water availability. One to two inches (25 to 50 mm) of actual available water weekly to the plant will provide an acceptable turf surface. Tifway will survive at 1/2 inch (12 mm) irrigation per week, dependent on soil physics.
TRAFFIC/WEAR TOLERANCE: Tifway provides the best recuperative rates of all warm season turf grasses. A vigorous regenerator.
WEED TOLERANCE: Tifway's dense growth, when properly maintained, efficiently competes with the presence of many turf weeds. Tifway easily tolerates broadcast application of selective herbicides.
INSECT PEST TOLERANCE: With the exception of certain leaf feeding insects, Tifway demonstrates tolerance or quick recovery from damage after pest control treatments.
SOIL FERTILITY RANGE: Tifway grows best when soil pH is between 5.5 to 7.0. Soil levels of 100 pounds/acre (112 kg/hectare) of phosphorous and 150 to 200 pounds/acre to 224 kg/hectare) potassium will provide sufficient plant growth. Nitrogen applied at 1 pound/1000 sq. ft. per month will provide a healthy plant when combined with the recommended phosphorous and potassium.
ESTABLISHMENT: Tifway is a sterile (no viable seed) Triploid plant species and is successfully propagated as sprigs (rhizomes, stolons and Stems) or as sod.
Common Bermuda
 Common bermudagrass is drought resistant, grows on many soils, and makes a good turf if fertilized and mowed right. Common bermudagrass produces many unsightly seedheads, but in spite of this fault, it frequently is used on home lawns due to the ease and economy of establishment. Common bermuda may be planted from either seed or sprigs and with intensive management will provide a high quality turf.
Characteristics
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