You just had new sod installed now what do you do? This guide will explain how to care for your newly sodded lawn.
- First day watering – Check your new sod a few hours after it has been laid by walking on it. If you make deep footprints, it has enough water. If the soil is firm, lift a corner of the sod to inspect. The soil on the back of the sod should be damp to wet. If it is not damp, water at least 30 minutes.
- Second through fifth day watering – Check your lawn at least one time per day or more than once if it is hot or windy. Walk on the new lawn and inspect it. If the soil is soft and you make deep footprints, or water has puddled in areas, it is too wet and you should stop watering for awhile and reduce the amount of future watering. If the soil is firm, lift a corner of several pieces of sod. The soil should be damp, not dripping wet or dusty dry. Areas where the grass has wilted or turned straw color have not received enough water. If cracks appear between the rolls, this indicates not enough water has been applied. Water more often to correct this. Under watered sod usually will turn green again in seven days or so if corrective measures were taken soon enough. Temperatures above 80 generally mean more water is needed, and below 60 mean less water is needed. In the cooler months of March, April, October and November, sod needs much less water.
- Further watering – After five days or so, the soil has soaked up water like a sponge and you must reduce your watering habits. Grass plant roots will not grow into waterlogged soils! Begin stretching out the time between watering. When fully rooted, most lawns need to be watered only one time per week.
Long term sod care
Watering – Most people tend to over water if they have an automatic sprinkler system without a soil moisture sensor. Lawns usually need to be watered only from June through early September. During these months, a lawn may need 1 ½ inches of water per week, depending on soil type, rooting depth and rainfall received. Water when the soil is dry 5 inches deep, not when a timer says so or when other people water. Water long enough to wet the soil 5 inches deep and wait to water again until the soil is dry down 5 inches. You can see this is watering deeply and infrequently. Ten or twenty minutes of watering daily on a healthy lawn is wrong and will cause serious problems. You can use a garden trowel or screwdriver to dig or poke in the ground to determine how dry the soil is. How long you water to wet down 5 inches depends on how much your system applies. Experiment with your system to see how much it applies. A lawn can be watered anytime of the day, but it is best to avoid watering in the late afternoon and early evening
