Sod Watering Guide
When?
Be sure to water lawn in the early morning or evening
What To Use?
Set up a portable sprinkler(s) that will cover the entire area that was sodded. If you would like, set up times to allow for the watering process to be automated providing for easier care.
This only applies to lawns that do not have an irrigation system
How Much?
A general rule of thumb is to make sure the new sod is getting approx. 1" of water per day for the first week depending on the season, weather, and temperature . If the sod is spongy to the step, then it is watered enough. Please make sure that the soil is also wet too, not just the top of the grass. A tip is to take a long screwdriver and stick it in the soil. If it goes in easy and it is moist, then you are watering enough. If it is hard to stick in and it is dry soil, then you are watering too little.
On very hot Summer days, running the sprinkler(s) a few times a day to ensure the sod does not dry out is important. If the sod dries out, it can shrink, turn brown, and can die.
After the first week, you can decrease the frequency of watering per day and increase the number of days in- between watering cycles. Having fewer yet longer watering cycles will help the roots of the sod take.
After the second week, reduce watering time per occurrence and skip a day between watering if sod is NOT drying out.
By week four, you can be watering 1-2 times every other day. After week four, your new lawn should be good with watering every 2-3 days.
When To Mow?
Your sod should be good to mow approx. the end of week 3. If your lawn reaches over 3.5", mow off a third of the length even if it has not been 3 weeks. Do not mow the grass less than 2" on the first few mowing's. Be extremely careful when mowing the first few times to prevent damage.
Regular lawn mowing on a weekly schedule after the third week will allow for the healthiest lawn along with allowing the roots to grow deeper into the soil. NEVER mow more than 1/3 of the grass blade.
Helpful Tips
When watering, for the first week, please try to stay off the lawn (including pets) to allow for the sod to fully root into the soil.
NOTE: Just because it rains do not assume you do not have to water. We have to receive at least one inch of rainfall to skip watering.
After the first month of the sod being installed, a proper fertilizer, weed, grub, and insect control is recommended to sustain the quality of the turf.