Sod Care

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 a while 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 will usually turn green again in seven days or so if corrective measures were taken soon enough. Temperatures above 80 degrees generally mean more water is needed and below 60 degrees 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.

Mowing - Mow your new grass when it needs it. Follow long-term recommendations below. Arrange it so you do not water just before mowing to prevent the making of footprints.

Fertilization - Do not apply any fertilizer for at least three weeks after installation. Then, fertilize by the program you have selected.

Herbicides - Do not apply any crabgrass herbicides for at least one year after installation.

Clippings - Clippings should not be collected unless they are long and smother the grass. Clippings do not add to the thatch but do recycle nutrients to the soil.

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 1½ 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. To determine how dry the soil is, you can use a garden trowel or screwdriver to dig or poke in the ground. 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 any time of the day, but it is best to avoid watering in the late afternoon and early evening to prevent brown patch and fungus.

To learn more about sod care, call Stauffer Lawn & Landscape for a consultation.