Need help with a new Hydroseeded lawn

[3browns]

Hello and hopefully someone can help me

This is the first lawn I have had to care for in almost 3 decades and my very first lawn from scratch

I live in southcentral Alaska and we had a new house built on a rocky and gravelly building site with zero fertile soil

A little over 4 weeks ago we had topsoil hauled in and spread to a depth of 4" and a new lawn hydroseeded with an Alaskan mix of Fescue and Kentucky blends

I watered it faithfully and I saw sprouting at 2 weeks

But now we have had almost 3 weeks of almost constant daily rain and the lawn has taken off like crazy and is more than 6" tall in most places

I have been trying to get a couple of nice days to try and get in the first mowing but it is just not happening and the long range forecast isn't showing any break in the weather

We had a half day of fairly consistent sun and some wind yesterday and I decided it to try mowing so I set the deck at the highest setting just to try it out and it was a disaster

Even just trying to take about 3/4" off the top left a huge clump of soaking wet cuttings every couple of feet and the tire tracks and footprints just stayed down on the next pass and wouldn't lift to get cut because it was so wet

Besides the wet grass the topsoil they spread is like pudding from the constant rain and my feet were actually sinking in an inch or two in some places and I don't want to create potholes for my tire to drop into in the future

I made two passes on one section and stopped

Long story short, we are 1 month away from frost and I am freaking that I won't be able to get it cut this fall

Any opinions or words of wisdom on what happens if I am unable to cut and fertilize it until spring?

Would it be better to go ahead and cut it regardless or just let it winter over

Any and all help will be appreciated

Thanks

 

[Steve]

Sounds like you will cause more damage than benefit if you rush to cut it.

I don't know about Alaska but here in the Midwest it's better to leave the lawn longer than shorter before it goes dormant. Gives the roots a blanket so to say.

 

[1Snowcat]

I'd say rake up the clumps (cut grass) if you can, leave it long if it freezes. Hopefully it dries out enough you can mow, I'd say try mowing even if it's later into the more dormant stage of winter if possible. If not, it will still come thru again next spring. Start mowing early next spring soon as snow has melted off. The laid over grass just might make it patchy looking due to ice/snow load weighing it down, (grass likes oxygen) but it will come back, sounds like you will have a great lawn, it has everything it needs, water, sun, good dirt don't worry too much, the extreme wet will pack the new top soil nicely. At worst you might have a few ruts or low spots to top dress again but, given your seeding/moisture it should fill in VERY quickly...high country Wyoming, ice/ snow lasts quite awhile in winter which causes me havoc with patches as well, but a month or 2 can't even tell if it gets plenty of water/sun...during spring summer. Post pics of the lawn, I bet next year it will look amazing!

 

[3browns]

Thanks to both of you, my mind is much more at ease

This is a couple of weeks ago


This was yesterday, it's hard to get a sense of scale but the grass is at least 6" tall in many places


If I get a chance I will cut it in stages, and hope for the best

 

[nbbt]

If possible catch the clippings with cutting on tallest setting. It will help any remaining un-germinated seed sprouting.

 

[3browns]

If possible catch the clippings with cutting on tallest setting. It will help any remaining un-germinated seed sprouting.

Roger that...

Thanks