mowing newly seeded lawn---HELP

[sammy]

I am in Southern Calif in case that matters. We seeded yard with new seed a few weeks ago. It is doing really well but have a few questions... It came in pretty spotty (and with alot of weeds so hubby filled in the bare areas with more seed a couple days agoand I have been pulling weeds as best I can. I have been watering the newly seeded areas more often than the sprinkler system does. But to me it looks like the first mowing is due REALLY soon. Is it more important to mow OR wait untill new seed grows some??? I'm confused. Also I have the sprinkler timer set to water 5 minutes 3 times a day. Should I change that now to something else? When we first seeded it ran for 5 minutes every 2 hours 8 times a day. With the new seed it has messed my watering schedule plan up. If this makes sense please offer suggestions!!!
Thank you!!!

[grandpasrose]

You are wiser to wait a little longer and wait until that new seed takes hold. The new grass won't be hurt by getting a little longer.
If you have reseeded quite a bit, then I would return the the watering you did when you first planted your grass. The secret is to keep the seed damp long enough for it to sprout.
Once it has sprouted, and you see green sprouts, you can back off on watering so often. Then you should be watering less often, but for longer periods, so that the water goes deeper, and the roots of the grass will go down to get to it.
Hang in there - you're almost there!
VAL

[frogesque]

I wouldn't be too rigerous about pulling weeds, you'll disturb the newly seeded grass before the roots have a chance to establish. Weeds can be easily dealt with by selective weed-'n-feed (if you want a green desert ) during spring growth. Likewise mowing. Give the roots a chance or you will rip the grass out rather than cutting it cleanly. Also, I'm not a fan of rotary mowers; a cylinder, with a grass box or bag and the blades kept dead sharp, will give the lawn a manicured look you cannot get from a rotary and they are more gentle on the grass.

Do you know which variety of grass/grasses is in your seed? This can also make a tremendous difference to how you treat it and what you can expect.

I can't offer much advice on the watering regime - it's just not an issue here normally but I do know that too much water on a lawn in summer promotes shallow rooting and floppy growth with a lot of moss.

My understanding is that water is an expensive commodity in S. Calif and you want to maximise its potential without watching the dial go round on the meter. Generally, water applied during hot sun mostly evaporates and my own inclination would be to use the sprinklers only after sundown when it's cooler and the plants and lawn have a chance to absorb it before daybreak. Watering in full sun will also cause leaf-burn (water drops act as magnifying glasses) which can make you think plants need more water as the foliage becomes damaged, this then causes more leaf-burn ...

Good soakings applied less frequently after dark force roots to seek moisture deeper down which not only helps protect and stabilise the plants but will help them utilise minerals as the root system develops into new ground.

This advice is probably all wrong so feel free to ignore it - we had 1/2" of free rain overnight yesterday, current temperature ~ 63F at sunset and there's a fine drizzle blowing through

[grandpasrose]

Frogesque, your advice is not all wrong, but right on! While trying to sprout those new seeds though, I think the ground should be dampened more than once a day - if they dry up, they will not sprout. This will only take a few days, and then return to your regular deep watering routine!
VAL

[hugh]

Cutting does depend on the variety of seed you have used. You may want to phone where you purchased the seed and ask them. The general rule is cut when it is about 2 ½ to 3 inches high. Set the mower for a ‘high cut’, to take the top off. The reason for cutting is that the seedling will then branch - produce side shoots. You then gradually reduce the cut level over time.

Check that your mower is not ripping up the seedlings by the way and it may need sharpening!

Small bare patches don't bother with, they will fill in naturally.

By the way, you will probably get an irregular level by next spring as the soil settles. don't bother for a few months until the lawn is settled. You can easily in fill dips, just scatter soil over them. For really deep dips that you fill in, you can scatter seed on the top of the soil. For small ones the old grass will just grown through

The technique for humps is to open up the turf remove the offending soil that has caused the bump and then let the turf fall back. don't bother that much initially with small humps, repeated mowing will take care of them.

don't worry excessively, if you give it lawn a good annual feed a lawn it's pretty tough.

[The Helpful Gardener]

I concur with all the info given so far; those weeds are best handled as individuals when the grass gets established. Corn gluten makes for a bio-friendly pre-emergent in spring so that no new weeds show up, and it has some fertilization benefite as well...

Scott