Milford chronicle., 1961-03-24
Build A New Lawn Right

Every year thousands upon thou
sands of homes are built and lawns
established. More often than not
lawns are either seeded or sodded
without proper planning. roper
planning will return great divi-
dends in terms of personal salts
faction in the years ahead.
When starting 10 build a home,
have the top four or five inches
OF topsoil bulldozed 10 a nearby.
yet out of the way spot. The top
soil should be saved regardless Of
whether the lawn is to be seeded
or sodded. After the suhgrade of
the new lawn has been establish
ed. the topsoil should be evenly
applied over the area. A complete
fertilizer. high in phosphate.
should be thoroughly mixed into
IL. A rate of about 40 pounds per
1000 square feet is usually salts
factory for this purpose.
IL the soil is of clayey nature,
then it will pay TO modify IL by
adding a mixture of sand and peat,
or sand and we'll rotted sawdust.
Mix the sand and organic mater
ials in about equal volumes. A
mixture of about three cubic yards
OF each. when applied to 1000
square feet of lawn surface. will
amount 10 about one and one-half
inches of new material t h S
should be Incorporated into the
topsoil zone. Hand grading is nee
essary to eliminate low spots in
the lawn where water can collect.
In case the topsoil was not saw
ed on your home site. and your
lawn is to be sodded. be sure to
apply at least 40 pounds per 1000
square feet of complete fertilizer
high in phosphate. over the graded
soil and work il into the surface
three inches or so. before tn sod
Is put in place. AS soon as the
new sod begins TO make growth,
apply a complete lawn plant food.
high in nitrogen. at the rate OF
20 to 80 pounds per 1000 square
feet. and sprinkle the entire area.
II your home is completed dur
ing the late spring and summer
months. il is best 10 have your
lawn sodded. Grass seedlings US
ually are not successful during
that time of the year. If you are
planning to seed your lawn this
fall, be sure to use good grass
seed mixture on a well prepared
and fertiliZed seedbed.
In case your contractor does not
know how to advise you on lawn
establishment it would be well to
consult with a good local land
scape architect or garden-type sup
ply house. Be sure you. get sound
advice on a new lawn.
Once your lawn is established.
YOU can maintain it yourself mer-
ely by using good quality lawn
fertilizers. in the spring and fall,
and moving no closer than one
and one-half inches for Kentucky
bluegrass. Merton bluegrass should
be moved at tkree-quarters of an
inch. Use a sharp mower. and use
il often. As a rule. do not let
bluegrass grow taller than two and
one-half inches.
Many fertilizers for lawns and
different types of ornamentals
are on the market. most made by
reliable firms. and at a reasonable
cost.
Because fertilizers vary in their
weight and plant food content. be
sure TO read and follow the direc-
tons on the package. or follow
the advice of some recognized
local authority. This may call for
larger or smaller applications than
the general recommendations Civ
en- in this article. Never spread
fertilizer unless the grass is thro-
oughly dry. and always sprinkle
Immediately after applying IT,