Establishing New Lawn

How much to water your new lawn

When starting a new lawn, it’s essential to water it the day it is installed. After that, you should carry out shallow watering on your lawn daily until root growth is established, about 3 to 6 weeks, depending on the season.
The lawn should be watered twice daily for any day with temperatures over 28 degrees. Keeping the soil moist is a must. 

If you are unsure if you have applied enough water during lawn establishment, simply lift a piece of instant lawn and check it is damp under the piece of instant lawn. If it is not damp, then increase your watering time beyond the establishment period.

After the first 3 weeks, check the new grass has been rooted to the ground by gently pulling on it in different areas. If it doesn’t peel back easily, grass establishment has been successful, and you can reduce the watering to 2-3 times per week. In summer, you may need to keep watering every day until you are mowing regularly.

New lawns installed during the months of May - September will need constant watering until it is fully established in spring.

When to start mowing

Depending on your grass variety, the first time you need to mow your brand new lawn will vary. As a general guide for mowing times during the active growing season of spring, summer & autumn:

• TifTuf — mow after 5 to 7 days
• Sir Walter DNA Certified — Mow after 2 weeks
• Eureka Premium Kikuyu VG — Mow after 7 to 14 days

Your newly growing lawn may not be 100% rooted down before it needs to be mowed; this is ok. However, it is important not to allow your new lawn to grow for longer than these periods during the growth seasons, as taking more than ⅓ of the leaf off the new lawn can cause severe stress and damage to the new lawn.
Use a slightly higher setting than normal when you first mow the lawn and gradually bring it down to your preferred height over the next 2-3 mows.

Starting your fertilising schedule

Your Lilydale Instant Lawn comes with a complimentary starter fertiliser to spread before you begin laying instant turf. In addition, you can upgrade to our Super Starter Pack to give your lawn seed the best possible start. 

• 6 weeks after laying, your lawn will be ready for its first fertiliser to continue healthy nutrient levels to feed your lawn.
• Continue applying fertiliser every 8-12 weeks, or at the start of every season.
• Lawn Solutions granular fertiliser is a great all-rounder, packed with both fast and slow-release fertiliser that’s suitable for all grass types.
• Oxafert includes a pre-emergent herbicide that prevents warm-season grasses from germinating and weeds from sprouting.

Managing foot traffic on your lawn

While you’re establishing a lawn and grass seedlings are building root strength, it’s important not to damage it with foot traffic from people or animals.

During the warmer months of the year, a green lawn will establish quicker for all varieties. Traffic should be restricted for the first 2-3 weeks, then closely monitored for the first 6 weeks. During the cooler months from May to September, no traffic should be on establishing lawns until they have been fully established in spring. 

• Restrict foot traffic for 2-3 weeks in warmer months
• No traffic in cooler months until the lawn is fully established in spring