Sod -- how to properly care for a newly sodded lawn?

Question

My husband is laying sod down today. He asked me to look up how to properly care for it.

Do we stay off of it for a couple of days?

Water it daily? If so, for how long?

Any suggestions are appreciated!

Answer 1

Water Sod lightly after each 200 square feet are installed, to prevent wilting. After all the sod is down and rolled, turn on your sprinklers and let them run until the sod is good and soaked. To keep it that way, for the first week water until runoff begins once every few hours at 7 am, 11 am and 2 pm. During the second week water twice a day at 7 am and 2 pm. During the third week water all Marathon Sod once a day at 7 am. Eventually taper back to once every two or three days.

Adjust according to weather and season - water more frequently during warm/dry or windy weather. Do not water new sod between 4 pm and 4 am.

To keep the lawn hydrated you will need to water 3 times per day for short periods of time.  In the second week, the roots have begun to penetrate deeper into the soil and you can water less often (2 times per day).  In the third week the roots are even deeper and you can water once per day.  Ultimately your lawn will be established and you should be able to water every other day if you increase the time appropriately.

Be careful not to over water your new lawn.  Too much water can deprive the roots of oxygen and r****d development or possibly even kill the lawn.  During the warm humid summer months, too much water can increase the likelihood of disease.  If you are concerned that you may be applying too much water, reduce the watering time until you begin to see lawn wilt, than increase your time by a small amount.

Because of the differences between irrigation systems, soil types, weather conditions, and site conditions, we cannot accurately estimate irrigation times for you. Follow our lawn watering guidelines and learn to recognize when your lawn is dry.



Mowing should begin one week after installation.

After watering and mowing, the final step to a lush green lawn is fertilizer.  Lawns require a regular program of high nitrogen fertilizer for leaf development.  New lawns DO NOT need fertilization until your lawn is established .

Answer 2

Soak soak soak!  We always water the dirt before we lay, and then soak every day until sod takes hold.  I also like to get Miracle Grow for lawns and use in the beginning.  I seems like it grows faster with that.

Answer 3

We just got new sod and I was told to walk over it to flatten it down.  This enables the dirt from the sod to be in contact with the dirt on the ground.  Then water it twice a day (if you have a sprinkler system), 15 minutes in each zone.  That worked for us and the lawn is coming along great.

Answer 4

Water it 2-3 times daily. DO NOT let anyone walk on it. Itwill get ruined. Pray that it does not rain excessively.