When do you water sod

This will give the installers a line to trim and shape the sod. We highly recommend installing a starter fertilizer on the ground before you install the turfgrass sod. This gives the sod extra nutrients to help it develop a new root system.

As soon as you have laid your new lawn, water it heavily! That first watering should be 30 — 80 minutes depending on the following factors:. Also, your sprinkler uniformity will be key to giving even coverage. If you have a large amount of sod that you will be laying all in one day, we recommend that you start watering your lawn in large sections. This way, by the end of the day, your first few rolls have not dried out.

This is especially helpful when it is really hot outside. If you have time left in the day after laying the sod you will need to water once or twice again the first day. Our recommended watering start times are between 7 am — 2 pm evenly spaced to start.

The amount and frequency of watering per day will depend on your sprinklers and soil type. We are not flooding it, we just want to keep it evenly moist. It is possible to over-water the sod. This can cause root rot or fungus to occur.

After days, shut off your water for days. You want your soil to dry out a little so that you can walk on it. We do not want you to sink into the ground. Once the ground can be walked on, mow your new lawn for the first time. Always let your lawn dry out enough to walk and mow on.

If possible, we recommend mowing your lawn with a mower that will bag or catch the grass clippings. Each sod variety will have a different mowing height, so check to see what height to mow the grass blades for the type of grass you ordered.

In the end, an established lawn will require 1" of water per week for warm season grasses and up to 2" per week for tall fescue. Instructions on how to water dormant sod can be found toward the bottom of this page about installing dormant sod. Topics: laying sod , watering , new lawn care. Skip to main content. If it drops below 60 degrees Fahrenheit, lawns usually require less water. If patches of grass turn a blue-grey color, and the soil is dry to a depth of 5 inches, your lawn needs moisture.

Renee Miller began writing professionally in , contributing to websites and the "Community Press" newspaper. She is co-founder of On Fiction Writing, a website for writers. Miller holds a diploma in social services from Clarke College in Belleville, Ontario. Home Guides Garden Soil Care. By Renee Miller Updated August 23, Related Articles.