New lawns require intensive management. Whether your lawn was seeded, sodded, or started from sprigs, plugs, or stolons, it is important to provide care while the grass is developing and becoming established. Special management requirements for newly established lawns include:

• Frequent and light irrigation when the root system is growing
• Special care when mowing for the first time
• Limiting traffic for the first few weeks

Once your lawn is established, apply nitrogen fertilizer:

• about 6 weeks after planting sod, sprigs, stolons, or plugs
• about 4 - 6 weeks after germination for seeded lawns

By providing proper care early on, you can establish a healthy lawn with few problems.