Watering Dog Tuff Grass
Water, Water, Water!
The plugs must be kept wet for the first 6 weeks. The amount of water needed to accomplish this will depend on temperature and wind. The first watering is the most important. Water the area a minimum of 30-45 minutes for continuous spray heads and 1 hour for oscillating heads. After the first watering, we recommend starting with 3 times a day for 10-15 minutes per cycle for continuous spray heads and 20-30 minutes for oscillating heads. If the plugs are drying out in between watering cycles increase the watering to 15- 20 minutes for continuous spray heads and 30-40 minutes for oscillating heads. In temperatures 90 degrees or higher you can also increase your watering to 4 times a day for 15 minutes for continuous spray heads and 30 minutes for oscillating heads. If you’re watering 3 times a day, it is recommended to water early in the morning, middle of the day and in the evening. If you are watering 4 times a day it is recommended early in the morning, mid-morning, mid-afternoon and in the evening. In the 7th week you can begin tapering the water back gradually eliminating one watering cycle every week until you reach a once per day every other day water cycle by the end of the 10th week.
Dog Tuff Establishment
After 10-12 weeks the plugs should be established where it can handle light traffic such as the homeowners and dog traffic but not large parties. In the second season not much water will be needed. 1 to 2 times a month depending on temperature. The grass should be fully established in the middle of the second season of growing and ready for full traffic. The grass will come out of dormancy in late May early June and go dormant by late September depending on temperatures.
Preventing Weeds During Dog Tuff Establishment
After installation spread Preen Weed Preventer to help control the weeds while the plugs are establishing. Once the plugs are established it does a good job choking the weeds out, but it will need help during the establishment period. If we install the plugs for you this is included in the installation process.
Fertilizing Dog Tuff Grass
After the plugs are installed, fertilize the area immediately with a good organic fertilizer. We recommend AlphaLawn II Plus Iron or a general-purpose fertilizer 20-20-20 with Iron. You can fertilize every 6-8 weeks thereafter if necessary. If we install the plugs for you the first fertilization is included in the installation process.
Mowing Dog Tuff Grass
The grass should be ready to mow in the second season after planting. Dog Tuff only grows 3-4 inches long and if you don’t mind this length you won’t need to mow. If you prefer shorter grass, when mowing do not cut any more than 1/2” at a time or you risk scalping the grass and making it susceptible to sunburn.
Winter Watering Dog Tuff Grass
In dry warm winters you should winter water your Dog Tuff with a hose if dry warm days go beyond a few weeks. Not much will be needed but giving the grass a good 5 minute dose of water should be sufficient. This will assist your new Dog Tuff the following Spring.
