Must Have Products for Sod Lawns

There are 5 main ingredients for keeping your sod lawn looking its best. Sun and water of course, but you will also need a Pre-Emergent weed killer, a Post- Emergent Weed Killer and Fertilizer. Depending on your area of the country, grass type and soil, you may need extra nutrients such as Iron or Gypsum.

First we will discuss Weed Killers. Weed killers are a necessary evil for proper lawn maintenance because no matter how great your sod and lawn are, weed seeds are blown in the air and tracked from other areas by foot traffic, pets and birds. There are two types of weed killers for yard maintenance, Pre-Emergent and Post- Emergent. Pre-Emergent, as the name suggests, kills weeds from the seeds that are blown or tracked into your lawn, before they have a chance to grow. For effectiveness, a Pre-Emergent should be used at least three times a year and put on the entire lawn. The timing that is best is region specific, so check with your sod provider, nursery, or County Extension Office to determine how early and late to apply a Pre-Emergent in your area. Common pre-emergents are Dacthal, Ronstar, and a product you can find easily at Lowe's called Concern Weed Prevention Plus which is available for $10.97 for 80 oz, which will cover 125 sf.

Post-Emergent Weed Killers, kill the weeds after you see them. They should be applied on an as needed basis to the particular culprit in your yard. The first thing to do when looking for a Post-Emergent Weed Killer is to identify the weed in your yard. Check the label when purchasing an herbicide to make sure that the product you are buying will kill your weed. All herbicides, do not kill all weeds. Crabgrass and Dandelions are particular problems and will need a special product. Common products used as Post Emergents are 2-4,D and Trimec. These can be found in products such as Spectracide Weed Stop for Lawns Plus Crabgrass Killer which is available through Lowe's, comes as a Ready to Use spray for $11.97/ gallon which will cover 1,000 sf. This product however is NOT safe to use around children or pets. Preen Broadleaf Weed Control is a granular product, works for up to 60 days and is about $15.97/bag that will cover 15,000 feet. That is a lot of weed control since you don't treat the whole yard, just the specific weeds.

Fertilizers are necessary for proper nutrients to your lawn. Specific nutrients are Nitrogen (N), Phosphorous (P) and Potassium (K). Fertilizers, many times are sold as a three part number X-X-X with the number being the percentage of the chemicals listed above in the same order. Fertilizing should be done when the lawn is growing and in the early morning hours when the dew is heavy. Again there are two different types of fertilizer products, water soluble, and non water soluble. Water Soluble products are less expensive, but are more likely to burn your grass, and don't last as long. Non Water Soluble fertilizers are more expensive, but are less likely to burn the grass and can last as long as 8 weeks. In order to properly identify what fertilizer you need, you will need to get a soil sample tested. Various companies do this testing as well as your County Extension Office. This will tell you which of the nutrients are high or low in your soil.

Special supplements may be needed, also depending on your soil type. Some areas of the country have low iron levels which will affect the color of your grass. If your yard is properly watered and fertilized, try an Iron supplement to get the color correctness you are looking for. If the Ph levels are too high in your soil for your grass type and it has an unhealthy appearance, use Gypsum to regulate the Ph which will free up the necessary nutrients to get to the grass.

There are several fertilizer, weed killer combination products available for region specific needs, as well. Check with your local nurseries, coop, Lowe's or Home Depot.

Sources:
www.landscape-america.com, www.allaboutlawns.com, www.hbarhturf.com, www.lowes.com