Blog

Archive for January, 2012

Most people associate a green vigorous lawn and landscape with spring and summer. Certainly that would be true in the mid west or east coast. But this is Southern California, we don’t have seasons, we just have cool, warm and hot. While Marathon Sod thrives year around in our climate, the rain and cooler temperatures provide the ideal environment to invigorate your lawn’s color and density. It’s easy, just fertilize and over-seed.

The following steps will restore your lawn in 4 to 6 weeks:

-Mow the lawn a little lower than normal to a height between 1 1/2 and 2 inches
-Use a flex rake to remove any thatch that is visible in the damaged areas.
-Apply Marathon Sod and Seed Starter Fertilizer (15-15-15) at a rate of 1 pound per 100 square feet.
-Distribute Marathon Seed at a rate of 1 pound per 200 square feet.
-Cover the seed and fertilizer with 1/8 to 1/4 inch of the seed covering material that your local nursery recommends.

Keep the seed uniformly damp for 7 to 14 days. Better yet….watch the weather and seed just before we enter a wet rainy cycle.  Seed germination will start within 7 days (depending on the temperature) and should be completely germinated within 21 days.  Mow the lawn at 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 inches after a month to six weeks or when it is 3 to 4 inches high.  Fertilize with Marathon All Season Fertilizer (24-2-4) after the second mowing and every month there after.

Slowly back off on your irrigation cycle until you are watering the lawn 2 to 3 times per week (depending on the winter rains).  

Thoroughly clean your barbecue. Fill the propane tanks. Your Genuine Marathon lawn will be thick, healthy, and beautiful in time for your Easter get-together.  Enjoy!