Eco-Lawn FAQ's and Installation Tips
Eco-Lawn FAQ’s
What is Eco-Lawn?
Eco-Lawn is a carefully selected blend of seven fescue grasses.
The specific cultivars are:
Dawson Red Fescue
Azay Sheep Fescue
SR5250 Creeping Red Fescue
SR 5250 Chewings Fescue
Jasper II Creeping Red Fescue
Scaldis II Hard Fescue
SR 3150 Hard Fescue
The seven varieties of fescue selected for Eco-Lawn have specific qualities that make them ideal for a low maintenance turf: they have excellent green color, they do not form uneven clumps (clumping is a common problem with other shade grasses), they show extreme tolerance of both sun and shade, they have fine blades that reduce water loss in hot weather, they grow deep roots that allow them to handle drought and resist lawn grubs much better than shallow rooted conventional lawns, they do not require fertilizing, and they are slow growing - reducing mowing by 50%. No other lawn seed blend on the market has the same carefully selected seed mix.
Eco-Lawn has been on the market for over 10 years, and many Manitoban home owners have established Eco-Lawns. Across North America, many thousands of lawns in both residential and municipal properties are planted with Eco-Lawn.
None of the seeds found in Eco-Lawn are GMO.
Where to plant Eco-Lawn?
Eco-Lawn can be planted over existing grass or onto bare ground. When sowing onto new ground, one seeding is typically required. Overseeding requires multiple applications, typically 3, to convert the existing grass to Eco-Lawn.
Eco-Lawn will successfully grow in full sun to full shade, even growing under large evergreen trees!
Eco-Lawn will grow at the cottage or other location where low maintenance and limited access to irrigation are considerations (follow fall seeding guidelines for best results).
Eco-Lawn is completely winter hardy in zone 3 (southern Manitoba) - hardiness is not assured below zone 3.
Will Eco-Lawn grow under large trees?
Eco-Lawn is one of the only things that will grow under large trees! This includes both evergreen and deciduous trees. See our photos of a Winnipeg Eco-Lawn growing under a huge evergreen. Some watering will be required, as this is one of the most extreme drought situations, but otherwise all of the normal benefits of Eco-Lawn apply when growing under trees.
Will Eco-Lawn grow in clay soil?
Eco-Lawn has no trouble growing in clay soil. Of course you can also plant in sandier or loamy soils as well.
Will Eco-Lawn grow in completely sandy soil? Eco-Lawn can grow in very sandy soils, but if you are seeding at a beach-type property with pure beach sand, you need to top dress with about 2 inches of quality top soil. Adding topsoil inevitably introduces weeds, so lay the soil a couple of weeks before you seed, so that you can eliminate the newly sprouted weeds for sowing your Eco-Lawn.
Is Eco-Lawn compatible with the organic pre-emergent herbicide Corn Gluten?
Corn Gluten Meal is an excellent organic option for both feeding and reducing weeds in your lawn. Corn Gluten works by disrupting the establishment of roots on germinating seedlings, thus controlling weeds. Because Corn Gluten acts on plants at the seedling stage, it is important not to apply Corn Gluten and Eco-Lawn at the same time. Corn Gluten is typically applied in the spring, and will stop seedlings for approximately 6 weeks after application. If you would like to use Corn Gluten and Eco-Lawn, you can apply the Corn Gluten first, followed by the Eco-Lawn six weeks later; another option is to do Corn Gluten in spring followed by Eco-Lawn in fall. Once Eco-Lawn has germinated and established a root system, it is fully compatible with Corn Gluten applications for weed control.
When can Eco-Lawn be planted in Manitoba?
Eco-Lawn can be planted in spring or fall. Fall is the easiest time to plant, leveraging the natural cycle of the seed (naturally maturing in late summer, dropping, and germinating in fall or early spring of the next year). Spring installations require more initial watering, especially as the weather starts to warm up in May. Fall seeding can be as easy as spreading the seed and taking advantage of winter snow cover to provide all required moisture for spring germination.
Spring:
In Manitoba, recommended seeding times are mid-April through late May. If weather stays coolish (as it did in 2008), early June is also fine. Daily watering while the seed germinates is necessary (unless of course nature co-operates with well timed rains!).
Fall:
In Manitoba, recommended seeding times for fall are late August through September. Dew, autumn rains, and cooling temperatures all make fall an ideal time to seed. In addition, the new lawn will come up green and happy well before it would be possible to seed the next spring. An option for fall seeding is called “dormant seeding”; in this method sowing takes place in later fall - mid to late October for us in southern Manitoba - and seed lays dormant under winter snow, germinating next spring. The key advantages are that watering is not required for the germination to occur (snow melt provides adequate moisture), and seed will come up very early in spring. Dormant seeding is not possible on steep banks (erosion control plantings).
How much seed do I need?
Each 5 lb bag covers 1,000 square feet - enough for many residential lots yards in the city. 50 lb bags are also available, which cover 10,000 square feet. If doing a larger installation, plan for 220 lbs of Eco-Lawn seed per acre of lawn. We offer price breaks at 5 x 5 lb bags and can often find ways to save on the shipping costs for larger orders of 50 lb bags.
Is Eco-Lawn difficult to plant?
No! Spreading the Eco-Lawn seed is quick, easy, and does not require any special equipment (although many people use a spreader, hand spreading is fine). Covering 1,000 square feet takes only minutes! As with all grass seed, preparing your site and ensuring that you follow watering guidelines during the establishment phase are critical to the success of your new lawn. Fall is the easiest time of year to establish Eco-Lawn.
How quickly does Eco-Lawn germinate?
The seeds typically takes 7-14 days to germinate, but germination time can vary significantly depending on temperature and moisture levels. Seed planted when temperatures are above regularly above 15 degrees will not germinate without daily watering and may wait until cooler days to germinate. Seed planted in late fall may wait happily under snow cover until early spring to germinate. We have been surveying our customers at Sage Garden Herbs, and found a range of between 7 days and 21 days as common germination time frames this past spring.
How to Plant
Depending on the size of your project, Eco-Lawn can be sown by simply using your hands to distribute seed, or a using a simple seed spreader (e.g. Scott Spreader). The goal is to plant 15 seeds per square inch of lawn. If using a spreader, set to a middle setting (each brand and model will have different settings, so a little experimentation is required).
It is recommended to make two passes with the seed, one heading north-south, then east-west.
New Installations: Many people planting a new Eco-Lawn prepare the ground by grading and leveling with fresh top soil. Fresh top soil is not required, but is common in this type of situation. It is helpful to eliminate as many weeds as possible, since these will compete with the young Eco-Lawn (however, once established, Eco-Lawn is very competitive against weeds!). One of the main pitfalls of introducing top soil into the installation is that it inevitably introduces weeds; however, this many be unavoidable where a new turf is being established. A soil-less, inert top dressing can be applied to help keep seed in place and ensure seed-to-soil contact. Examples of soil-less top dressings include wetted peat moss and wetted coco-fibre mulch (coco-earth is best, as it definitely does not contain any weed seeds). This is practical for smaller installations.
Once seed has been sown, it helps to use a roller or in some other way ensure seed-to-soil contact. This contact is necessary for germination and also reduces wasted seeds (seeds lost to birds or wind).
Unless planting in late fall (October), the seed will need some watering to get established. If planting May or early June, daily watering for the first 14 days, with some maintenance watering through the first season is required. If planting in September, some watering will be required (depending on how warm the day time temperatures are), but watering is less than for spring plantings. Dew and fall rains naturally assist with seed germination. If day time temperatures exceed 15 degrees, or little to no rain occurs, watering is required.
Over Seeding: Eco-Lawn can be sown into existing grass; full conversion requires approximately three sowings. You can seed spring-fall-spring for fastest conversion.
Start by cutting the grass short, and raking out the thatch. Spread the Eco-Lawn at a rate of 15 seeds per square inch. If using a spreader, set to a middle setting (each brand and model will have different settings, so a little experimentation is required). It is recommended to make two passes with the seed, one heading north-south, then east-west.
The new grass will start to grow up among the existing lawn, and initially can be distinguished by the finer blades typical of eco-Lawn (in time, the Eco-Lawn grows in thick and looks like a typical residential turf).
Over seeding works well, but does require patience while the Eco-Lawn takes over from the existing lawn and does require the investment of multiple sowings. That said, it is is a lot less work and expense compared to removing the existing sod and starting fresh!
Planting Larger Areas
Larger plantings are most easily established in the fall, a time of year when nature takes care of many of the installation requirements for you! Most importantly, dew and fall rain or snow cover provide the necessary moisture to ensure the seed is able to germinate and establish. Sage Garden Herbs recommends fall seeding for any situation where initial irrigation is not possible. Sow at a rate of 220 lbs of seed per acre.
Mowing:
If you mow your Eco-Lawn, a blade height of 3 inches is recommended, as well as the use of a mulching mower. If you give the lawn a final cut in fall, the grass will green-up about two weeks earlier is spring, compared to un-mown turf.
Can I keep left over seed for next year?
Yes! Like most perennial seeds, Eco-Lawn loves to be stored under cold or freezing conditions. Simply store unused seed in the garage (in a well sealed container). This actually helps with germination the next spring.
Germination Rates and Weed Count:
The producers of Eco-Lawn, Wild Flower Farm, are required by law to have the seed tested for purity and viability by an independent laboratory each selling season. These tests are conducted by Livingstone Seed Laboratory in Toronto, and conform to standards established by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Overall germination of the Eco-Lawn seed for 2008 is at 95% and the Eco-Lawn was found to be 99.5% pure (in other words, only 0.05% non-Eco-Lawn material found in the samples - weeds will not be introduced from Eco-Lawn, but be aware that adding topsoil will almost surely introduce weeds)
Information prepared by Sage Garden Herbs, Winnipeg, Manitoba. www.herbs.mb.ca
|
