Sod Care

Key to Proper Irrigation

Sod care includes properly watering your lawn to maintain a healthy condition. Many lawn issues are related to irrigation. Failing to apply sufficient water will result in dry areas, usually turning brown and ultimately dying if left too long. The opposite is excess water, leading to disease.

The key to proper irrigation is learning to recognize the signs of a thirsty lawn. Turf grass indicates its dryness by wilting, showing through changing color from its typical green to a slightly blue-gray tint. A closer look at the turf will show it is limp and doesn’t bounce back when stepped-on. Testing for lack of water can be done by probing the soil with a knife or screwdriver in the wilted area and then in a green area. More difficult penetration in the wilted area is confirmation of lack of water.
Commonly, certain sections of the lawn will continue to show wilting before others. These areas likely receive the least water due to poor irrigation uniformity, top of slope or the most direct sunlight. Check for uniform sprinkler coverage by placing empty cans in the wilted area and green area. After running the sprinklers for about fifteen minutes check the amount of water in each can. If it is not the same, sprinkler adjustment or an additional sprinkler may be necessary. Sloped areas will require shorter more frequent irrigation cycles. Full sun areas should not be on the same irrigation valve as part sun areas.

Watering New Sod

To help understand the underlying concepts behind our quick guidelines for watering new lawns, consider the following analogy. Think of the roots of your newly installed lawn as straws through which the plant drinks water. The roots grow into the soil, which can be considered a glass of water for this analogy. Now imagine yourself drinking from a very tall glass with a straw that will only reach 1/2 inch deep. In order for you to get enough daily water, you will need to fill the glass with small amounts of water numerous times throughout the day. As time passes, your straw gets longer and you can access water from deeper in the glass. The longer your straw, the less often you need to fill the glass. Ultimately, your straw can reach the bottom and you are able to fill your glass with the full amount of water once every other day.
This is very close to what is going on with your new lawn. At first, the roots are very shallow and cannot access the deeper water. 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.

New Sod Watering Schedule

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.
Daily Watering Schedule

Watering Time
Look for signs of wilting due to lack of water. If you observe wilting, water immediately and increase the irrigation time on your clock.
Adjust according to weather. Increase water during warm, dry or windy weather.

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Watering Established Sod

After a lawn has become established (approximately 6 to 8 weeks), water according to the following guidelines:
Water as infrequently as possible. In the cooler months, this would be once or twice a week; in the warmer months, it could be three or more times per week.
Water for as long as possible to deeply penetrate the soil (up to 30 minutes). Cycle irrigation may be necessary if runoff occurs within a short time; i.e., water until runoff occurs, then stop and wait for the water to penetrate the soil (usually 1 -2 hours). Repeat watering and waiting until water deeply penetrates the soil.
Water as early in the day as possible (first thing in the morning). Do not water lawn between 4 pm and 2 am.
Do not water shaded areas of lawn as frequently as areas that receive full sun.
Note of Caution: Be sure to watch out for a blue-gray tint and/or limp areas in the lawn. This is not a fungus; rather, it is caused by dehydration and indicates that immediate watering is needed. Such spots usually occur on tops of mounds, or in areas where sprinkler coverage is not adequate. (Watering in full sun is acceptable and will not burn the blades.

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See our Types of Sod to choose the best one for your home or landscaping project!