MAINTENANCE

SPRING

SPRING WATERING?

After about two winters, your DOG TUFF™ Grass shouldn’t need any supplemental water when it is dormant. The very first winter/spring after planting, however, it wouldn’t hurt to water once or twice while dormant since it needs more time to fully establish deep roots.  This is especially the case if you planted late and/or it didn’t fill in before going dormant and/or it’s a very hot dry winter as has been the case in 2025-2026. 

ISSUES WITH BLUEGRASS

If you planted on top of an old Bluegrass lawn you may have some persistent roots that sprout back even if you removed it all before.  Early spring is the ideal time to remove it as it will green up sooner and stand out from your DOG TUFF™ Grass.

Here are a couple of removal options:

Hand Digging: The tried and true method is to use a shovel and dig it up by hand. Although more work, it is becoming more and more clear how toxic herbicides are for human and pet health. You may need to fill the hole with new soil once you get all of the Bluegrass roots out.

Herbicide Sprays: For any spray, try using a 2-Liter soda bottle as a shield to prevent it from getting on to other plants. Cut off the bottom and put your sprayer through the top.

Horticultural Vinegar (Organic spray): This is a great option, but you will have to be a little careful. Make sure to wear goggles and wash your hands as this is a strong acid. It also has a very strong smell. If you spray while the Dog Tuff Grass is still dormant you may only kill the blue grass. If you do kill a little bit of the Dog Tuff Grass it should resprout.  You may need to do this a few times if the bluegrass sprouts back.

Glyphosate (Non-organic spray): If you do use Glyphosate we recommend using a pump sprayer that is dedicated to it, as it may be impossible to clean. If you add other sprays to the same bottle later you may inadvertently hurt or kill plants you were not expecting to.   

Glyphosate will also kill DOG TUFF™ Grass, but it only works by being absorbed through growing leaves. If you spray the Bluegrass when it wakes up before the DOG TUFF™ Grass, it will be much safer. The DOG TUFF™ Grass shouldn’t absorb the glyphosate if still dormant.

Make sure to not overspray or do it when it is windy as it will kill other nearby plants.  You may need to follow up and spray any areas that are still alive the following week. Spray when the temperature is between 60ºF and 75ºF. If it's too cold or too hot, the plants may not absorb it. When it gets too hot it will help aerosolize the spray and help it fly to other plants.

Important: There are plenty of other herbicides that are being mixed with Glyphosate. Some of them will stay active longer in the soil and could harm or kill DOG TUFF™ Grass. Make sure to avoid these. Always make sure to read labels and follow the instructions, keep kids and pets away from sprayed areas.

For any spray application, try using a 2-Liter soda bottle cut off at the bottom and placed over the spray head as a shield to prevent it from getting on to other plants.

Apply Pre-Emergent

Every year, your DOG TUFF™ Grass will fill in to become more and more dense. Your first and second spring after initial planting, you may want to stay proactive with new weed sprouts.

In the early spring, sprinkle the Pre-emergent of your choice to kill new weed seeds that might emerge after you plant the grass:

1) "Preen Garden" (non organic)*

There are multiple pre-emergent herbicides available, but some of them have other chemicals that could harm the DOG TUFF™ Grass. We have used "Preen Garden" in our plantings and are not sure that all other varieties are safe. After application, watering it in is required for it to take effect. It creates a gaseous layer that acts as the barrier to weed seeds that germinate.

*As with all chemicals make sure to keep kids and pets away and read the label and follow instructions.

2) Corn Gluten (organic):

Corn Gluten has shown to be effective at killing weed seedlings as well.  The main issue is that it may take a few applications over two or three years to be effective.

Deep Mowing Before Green-up

IMPORTANT NOTE: Deep mowing is only for dormant grass.  When mowing DOG TUFF™ Grass after becoming fully green, only mow ¼ inch off the top or you may scalp it. 

DOG TUFF™ Grass requires less mowing than Bluegrass because it is so short, and doesn’t grow as fast when irrigated less. We recommend one deep mowing per year as the bare minimum. This should take place before it greens up. For the Denver area this first mowing can happen anytime between late April and mid May.

Mow deeply to remove the brown dormant grass, this will prevent it from getting so thick it chokes itself out, and it will help the heat penetrate so it greens up faster.

DOG TUFF™ Grass clippings are one of the best mulches. You can to use in your yard to suppress weeds and keep water in the soil. Composting is a great option to keep organic matter out of the landfill, which will otherwise turn into methane, a greenhouse gas 80 times more potent than CO2!

 

While DOG TUFF™ Grass is still dormant is the best time to do a deep mowing, helping it green up faster.

Photo courtesy of Steph and Nick of Arvada, CO

Fertilize at Least Once a Year

DOG TUFF™ Grass requires less fertilizer than bluegrass because it is so short, and doesn’t grow as fast when irrigated less. A minimum of one application of fertilizer in the spring is recommend. Apply once the grass is green as it won’t be effective any earlier, and instead will just leach into your local watershed. 

Hand-held spreaders can help make the job faster, just make sure you have the right sized hole setting for your fertilizer.

1) Organic Fertilizer (recommended)

Apply an application of organic fertilizer such as an alfalfa meal, dried poultry waste, corn gluten, or sea kelp type of fertilizer.

We recommend a nitrogen analysis of around 8-12  (N value on the bag).

2) Corn gluten granules act as good fertilizer and may also help to prevent weed seed germination after a few years of buildup in the soil.

3) Conventional Fertilizer

If using a non-organic, conventional fertilizer, the Nitrogen rating can be up to 20-28 but you will apply it at half the recommended rate. Although plants can absorb them faster, they also harm the micro organisms in the soil which work with roots to uptake nutrients. Over extended periods, this can lead to a vicious cycle where more and more fertilizer is needed as the soil life begins to decline. Chemical fertilizers are more potent and can leach out of the soil and be more harmful in the local watersheds.

Trimming

Unlike Bluegrass, which goes to seed or spreads underground, DOG TUFF™ Grass only spreads via above ground stolon or runners. Once a year, it is recommended to trim the grass with an edger tool, weed-wacker, or a pair of scissors/sheers if you want to keep it from growing into other areas. This can be done in the fall or the spring if you are not able to mow it away. Just make sure to do it before it roots in.

Add Thin Layer of Compost

This is optional but will help maintain the healthiest lawn. After years of mowing, you will slowly pull the nutrients out of the ground when you dispose of the clippings. This is why so many lawns decline over time.  Use a rake to spread a very thin layer of compost (1/4 inch or less) over the lawn as it starts to green up. The Grass will grow through it and love the improved soil. This is better than aerating because it will call worms to the surface which will help keep the soil loose and mixed for the best health of your lawn.

No Aerating?

Although you can aerate your DOG TUFF™ Grass lawn, we do not recommend it. This common maintenance for cool season grasses can spread diseases from other lawns, and even bring plugs of Bluegrass or other weeds you don’t want to add to yours. A far better thing for your lawn is to add a thin layer of compost in spring as stated above.