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FAQs

Surface should be cultivated soil that has been leveled, rocks removed, and hand raked. Topsoil is not required if native soil is not too rocky to provide a good seed bed. Amending the soil by rototilling compost into the native base is always good. To amend native soil with compost or organic matter, add approximately 4 cubic yards per 1,000 square feet. If you are importing topsoil, consider rototilling 1/2 of the soil into your native base and layer the remaining portion. The last step should always be raking to provide a soft surface for the seeding process.

We carry 300 feet of hose and generally have no problems in accessing all parts of a site. If your site is more than 300 feet away from where we would park our truck, let us know and we will come prepared to handle your project for a small additional fee.

Our equipment and experience allows us to install our product neatly and accurately. However, hard compressed surfaces make the product bounce instead of stick. Hand raking prior to our visit eliminates this problem.

The mixture should be kept wet continuously during the initial germination period. This means short frequent waterings until the first mowing.

Walking on the surface will not cause any damage to the seed. However, the soil is soft and will not tolerate traffic. Keep activity on the area to a minimum until the area has been mowed approximately 3 to 4 times.

The most critical factor in the success of your new lawn is watering. When Rapid Gro Lawn is newly planted, we recommend short frequent waterings to maintain the moisture in the lawn.

As your new Rapid Gro Lawn matures, longer less frequent waterings are needed. At 30 days, waterings should be long and deep. This allows moisture to seep well into the soil and encourages a deep root system and drought resistance. In all cases, monitor waterings to avoid run-off.

Rapid Gro Lawn comes complete with long-lasting fertilizers, which will nourish your lawn for the first 60 to 90 days. (The time depends on soil quality) When the lawn begins to lose its deep green luster, it is time to fertilize.

Specially prepared Rapid Gro Lawn fertilizers can be delivered with just one telephone call. Each bag of Rapid Gro Lawn fertilizer is custom blended for each stage of your lawn's development and growth. Your lawn will remain green and lush for 60 to 90 days, depending on soil conditions.

If you wish to purchase fertilizer from a store, we recommend a fertilizer with a basic ratio of 3:1:2. These three numbers represent the percentages of nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), and potassium/potash (K) in the fertilizer. A mixture of 21-7-14 with a minimum of 40% organic (water insoluble) nitrogen is a good mixture.

Spread fertilizer with a broadcast-style spreader when the grass is dry, to avoid burning. Two or three passes help to ensure proper coverage and eliminate striping. Staining of concrete areas is caused by iron in the micronutrient package. Wash off all concrete areas to avoid staining. After applying fertilizer, water deeply.

Drop spreaders, while good for applying herbicide or insecticide, are not recommended for fertilizer application. To achieve proper coverage, fertilizers must be applied in two or three passes. Drop spreaders make this difficult. Striped lawns are a result of improper drop spreader application. For this reason, Weed & Feed products are not recommended. See Mowing& Weed Control.

Your Rapid Gro Lawn is ready for its first mowing, depending on the weather, in about two to three weeks.

We recommend a mowing height of 1.5 inches for one month to kill coarse or succulent weeds. These weeds may appear as a result of weed seeds in the soil.

After the first month, mow your new lawn at a height of 2 inches. Never mow more than 1/3 of the lawn height at any one time. To maintain a mowing height of 2 inches, the lawn should never exceed 3 inches before mowing.

To avoid lawn damage, do not apply any weed control within the first 60 days.

After that period, use hand tools or a liquid herbicide to control lawn weeds that may appear. Follow directions carefully when using these products, to use them safely.

Since broadcast spreaders are best for fertilizers; and drop spreaders are best for herbicides, Weed & Feed products are not recommended. When a Weed & Feed is applied with a broadcast spreader, herbicide is thrown into the shrub beds and gutter. This causes damage to your shrubbery, as well as being environmentally unsafe.

While we at Briar Group Inc. convey growth expectations to the best of our ability, sometimes misunderstandings occur.

You should start to see single blades of grass in 5 to 7 days. After your first blades are visible; three days later the lawn area should be covered with new growth. If the weather is abnormally cool these times may be slower. Warmer temperatures result in faster growth. You should expect to mow your new Rapid Gro Lawn in three weeks.

Remember, ground temperatures are the determining factor, not air temperatures.

Thin areas & premature yellowing

Be sure that the area in question is receiving enough water. Sometimes dry areas occur under trees. The tree branches keep adequate water from reaching the ground.

See if the area has an extra layer of topsoil. Some topsoil mixtures contain large amounts of sawdust. This causes premature yellowing of the lawn until the sawdust rots. These areas, commonly deep topsoil-filled areas, require separate feeding with a liquid fertilizer. This can be done with a water-soluble plant food in a watering can.

Check for buried debris, such as large rocks, logs, or stumps.

If the area is along a fence line, check to see if your neighbor has sprayed herbicides.

Should the lawn not fully develop within the first 5 weeks, call us.

Winter Tips

The ground is frozen and the temperatures are very cold. During these cold and frigid temperatures and our grasses are not growing.

Briar Group Inc. hydroseeds during moderate winter temperatures. As soon as our temperatures return to normal again, our grasses will grow very slowly.

Our Rapid Gro with our Out of Season Warranty is an excellent choice for turf establishment during the winter months. We return in April to overspray your entire project. This program guarantees you a beautiful lawn. During the winter months if possible mow your lawn at least once a month and keep the evergreen needles removed. Don't forget to leave some goodies out for our squirrels and bird population.

Briar Group Inc. can also provide erosion control protection during the winter months. Flex Terra, MBFM, is an excellent choice for steep slope stabilization and can even be sprayed during a light rain storm.

We are here to help regardless of the time of year so feel free to call.

Spring Tips

Another winter is behind us!

Keep your lawn green and healthy

Congratulations! You survived the winter months, so start your maintenance program now with an aggressive fertilization of your lawn areas. Liming your soil is an excellent method to control future moss problems. If you need some seed for filling in a few areas, give us a call. We can UPS or mail Rapid Gro Lawn Seed directly to your home.

You may have been left with the remnants of winter such as a thinning, mossy lawn. The solution is Rapid Gro Overspray coupled with thatching and aeration, which will give you a clean start for the spring and summer season. Give us a call for pricing on this service.

Use less water this year!!

Water conservation begins with soil preparation. When grass roots can extend into the soil for at least four inches and hopefully more, the roots system remains moist during warm summer days with less water. Providing an adequate growing medium is giving you a major head start with water conservation. Your growing medium can be established by importing "topsoil" or rototilling compost into your native base and preparing it as your seeding bed.

Our Earth Friendly products provide increased tolerance to stress and drought for your lawn, and increase root mass, nutrient uptake and disease resistance. Both Extended Roots fescue lawn and DEEEP Roots additive are healthy for the environment and for your family.

We strongly recommend Stay Moist. This additive holds 250 times its weight in water. Simply adding this to your Rapid Gro lawn application will cut your watering requirements by 50%. Stay Moist biodegrades in two months which translates to a growing partner during germination and establishment.

Our English Estate Turf is another great choice for this spring season. It will require less water and is actually maintenance free. I just heard from a customer yesterday regarding our English Estate Turf that was installed last fall. He loves it.

For established lawns, we strongly recommend that you water your lawn just before dawn. This time greatly reduces evaporation but does not lead to fungus and molds that occur from evening watering. Also consider mowing your lawn at a higher height. This will allow the grass blade to provide its own shade and reduce evaporation.

Summer Tips

Rapid Gro Lawn© jumps out of the ground and is ready for the first mowing between the second and third week during summer months. Our temperatures in the beautiful Northwest never get too hot for our process. Remember that watering is the key to success with a new lawn.

If you have not applied your summer fertilizer, do it now. Fertility, watering, and mowing are critical for the success of your new lawn. The benefits of regular maintenance are visible in your lush, emerald green lawn.

Don't be afraid to mow. New lawns love mowing. Set your mower height higher for summer time. The shade of the blade will conserve water. Mow with your golf shoes. The spikes will provide aeration to your roots system.

How to water:
If you are one of our summer customers remember that watering is the key to success. Please maximize the benefits of your waterings by setting the sprinkler for early morning. Short, frequent applications are critical. If you notice a dry area (no grass growing) correct the problem and that area will fill in very quickly.

Short, frequent water applications are critical. If your lawn is establishing (first three weeks after installation), watering three or four times daily will provide you with the fastest performance. Please water to complete saturation just prior to puddling. Next year the lawn will be more mature and will standup to the drought stress better.

Don't forget to order Stay Moist. Summer is the time to take advantage of this product. It cuts your watering requirements in half or doubles the benefit of each watering.

Please check out our photos of Meadow Lawn and Deluxe Wildflowers. The Meadow Lawn is courtesy of our customer Pete Wallingford in the Normandy Park area. Pete's place is looking good. The Deluxe Wildflower photo was shot in mid June from our bed in the front of our office. They change weekly. Such fun! If you have a spot for Wildflowers at your home, give us a call. We would love to display your photos of your Rapid Gro Lawn. Please your digital photos. Enjoy the summer and remember Green is Good.

Fall Tips

When the weather turns colder and wetter, we sometimes forget about our lawns. It is an important time of year to take care of some chores to insure your lawn is beautiful and green in the spring. Remember to apply lime or soil sweetener. Be aggressive. In heavily treed areas with lots of falling needles, 100 pounds per 1,000 sf is NOT excessive. Keep the leaves off your lawn. Rake or mow them away. Apply a good quality fall fertilizer before the end of October.

During the off season, please mow your lawn at least once a month. Mow after wind storms to remove all the needles that fall. Enjoy the crisp, clear days of the season.