Question: My
Eco-Lawn™ seed does not appear to be
germinating what can I do?
Answer: As is required by law,
Eco-Lawn™ seed is independently tested for
germination, seed purity and weed seed content.
Each year Eco-Lawn™ passes these tests with
flying colors. Our 2009 test results show that
Eco-Lawn™ is comprised of 99.0% Pure Seed,
with a Germination rate of 88%. If germination
appears to be a problem, one of the following
could be an issue:
1) Be sure that you are seeding under the optimum
temperatures. Eco-Lawn™ is best sown in
cool, moist conditions (approximately 65 degrees
Fahrenheit or 18 Celsius). For most of North
America, the best time to sow Eco-Lawn™ is
in early autumn or early spring. In California
and other warm climate areas, November –
January is the ideal time to sow Eco-Lawn™
2) Water daily to a depth of one inch (2.5 cm)
until germination has occurred. A simple way to
determine how long it takes to put one inch (2.5
cm) of water on your new lawn is to put an empty
cat food or tuna can on the area, turn on the
sprinkler and time how long it takes to fill the
can. After the seed sprouts, continue to water
daily until the growth is about one inch (2.5 cm)
tall. Afterwards, continue to water weekly to a
depth of one inch (2.5 cm) for the next few
weeks. Please note that if you experience drought
conditions or are seeding Eco-Lawn™
directly under large trees, you will need to
water your new Eco-Lawn™ weekly for the
first season of growth.
Question:
Weeds appear to be sprouting in my
Eco-Lawn™, what's going on?
Answer: Eco-Lawn™ seed, as noted
above, is independently tested for purity,
germination and weed seed counts. The 2009 test
results also show 0.0% weed seed content so you
can be assured that Eco-Lawn™ seed is weed
free and viable. If weeds appear after seeding
Eco-Lawn™ they are coming from one of these
sources:
a) Topsoil or any new "imported" soil
used for levelling or dressing
b) Dormant seeds existing in your native soil
(the whole world is covered in weed seeds just
waiting for their turn to grow) any time one
disturbs soil, weeds are the first thing to pop
up.
The good news is that Eco-Lawn™ will out
compete weeds as it becomes established due to
the dense root system it makes and also because
fine fescues, of which Eco-Lawn™ is
comprised, are actually allelopathic. This means
that the grass itself exudes a natural,
broad-spectrum herbicide, which is an amino acid
called meta-tyrosine. This natural herbicide
inhibits other plants (weeds) from growing
in Eco-Lawn™ naturally and this
allelopathic quality is, at the same time,
non-harmful to humans or pets.
Question:
Why are the blades of Eco-Lawn™ so very
fine when compared to conventional lawns?
Answer: Eco-Lawn™ is comprised of seven
fine fescue species. These fine fescues create a
much thinner blade of grass than conventional
lawn grass does resulting in a dramatically
reduced need for water! These thin grass blades
are also round, whereas conventional lawn grasses
have a flat blade. The round blade of
Eco-Lawn™ actually forces water that it
receives to form a bead which then rolls down to
the roots, which is where you want the water to
go, while the flat blades of conventional lawn
grasses tend to let water sit on them and thus
are subject to evaporation, so a lot of the water
conventional grasses receives never gets to the
ground!
Question:
My Eco-Lawn™ is looking brown or withered,
what can I do?
Answer: Your Eco-Lawn™ needs some
watering. While Eco-Lawn™ is a very drought
tolerant turf grass compared to conventional lawn
grasses, long dry spells - especially in the
establishment phase (the first year of growth) -
will impact the look of your Eco-Lawn™ .
Once your Eco-Lawn™ is more than one year
old, you should not need to water much at all
unless you are planting in difficult areas (e.g.
in areas with very dry climates or under large
trees).
Question:
My Eco-Lawn™ is turning yellow, what can I
do?
Answer: Your Eco-Lawn™ is getting
too much water! Eco-Lawn™ needs only one
inch (2.5 cm) of water daily during the
germination phase and one inch (2.5 cm) of water
a week at the most.
Question:
My newly seeded Eco-Lawn™ is growing much
faster in the shade but not so fast in full sun,
what is going on?
Answer: This is very typical of
Eco-Lawn™. Eco-Lawn™ loves the shade
and unlike other conventional lawn grasses it
actually germinates in the shade before it
germinates in full sun. But don't worry,
Eco-Lawn™ grows very well in full sun, it
just takes a little longer to germinate and get
established there.
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