Plant Care

• When watering trees and evergreens in the first week after planting, you should spend about two minutes per shrub and about five minutes per tree every day. After watering the base of each evergreen, water the foliage.
• Only water the foliage on evergreen plants.
• From the second week on, you should water each shrub for about three minutes, and each tree for about five minutes, two to three times per week. After watering the base of each evergreen, water the foliage.

• In general, perennials and annuals require less water due to the smaller size of the plant. Water for 15-20 seconds at the base of each plant. Do this twice with 15-20 seconds in between. This will allow water to soak down into the soil and not wash it away.
• Water these plants every day for the first week, keeping the ground moist, but not muddy.
• After the first week, reduce watering frequency to two to three times per week, while monitoring soil moisture. If the ground is dry at the base of the plant, it needs water.

• New grass seed requires a lot of attention and requires the soil to be continually moist. Water new seed by hand, lightly, until the ground starts to puddle and flood. During the first one to two weeks, you may have to water twice a day depending on the temperatures. Watering too much will not only puddle but flood the seed and wash it away.
• Water every day until the grass is established and lush.

• New sod needs a lot of water as it’s very much like sponge. When it’s first installed, it has plenty of water/moisture in it. Not watering your sod enough will cause it to dry out and shrink. Once it shrinks, it will not return to its original size.
• For the first three weeks, water the sod every day, keeping it moist. When properly watered, the sod should almost be squishy when you step on it.
• After the first three weeks, reduce watering to every other day. Unlike other plants, sod shouldn't be watered after dawn as the conditions are optimal for fungus growth beneath the sod. If your sod is shrinking, turning a bluish-gray color, or looks dry, it needs to be watered.

These biodegradable mats, also referred to as erosion-control nets and erosion-control blankets, hold the soil in place until plantings are established and slowly become part of the soil as they degrade.

New grass/plants will grow directly through the blanket covering. Leave the straw on top of the new seeds, it will decompose over time.   It will continue to hold everything in its place and lock in moisture to the new plantings. Could take up to 12 months to fully decompose.

If the netting starts to come loose or raised up in areas, cut away with a knife so that it does not become tangled in the mower blade.

There is no reason to remove the netting before it disintegrates, but if for some reason you absolutely must there are a few things to keep in mind.  If you take it up too soon, you risk pulling up the new, fresh, soft roots, and if you wait too long, the netting will have already broken down to the point that it shreds into millions of pieces and won’t come up in one full swoop. Once you can mow the grass once or twice, which is probably about seven to eight weeks after seeding, that’s probably the best time to try to remove the netting – if you absolutely must.