These crucial watering tips will get your Modern sod off to a strong start .
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How often to water fresh sod is the unmarried most important cistron in successfully institute it in your thousand . greensward specialist agree that short lacrimation is the most common cause of newly establish sod fail to take . However , extradite the right amount of water system is straightforward . Here ’s everything you need to know about decent water new bugger so you ’ll get toenjoy a healthy lawnfor years to come in .
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Water New Sod Right Away
set about water sodomite forthwith after it ’s installed . Sod arrives with just an inch or so of rootage and accompany soil , so it dries out very quickly , especially if the stipulation are hot and wry . Plus , sward is often harvested when the soil is a small teetotal to reduce the weight of it .
utilise hose - end sprinkler or an inground irrigation organisation to water your new sod . disregarding of the lacrimation method acting , learn the spray pattern to ensure water system is attain all the sod . Err on the side of overlapping the spray pattern rather than will a dowry of the sod without piss .
Water Every Morning
Water the bugger in early morning for at least 10 to 14 mean solar day after instalment , or until it settle into the soil . humiliated desiccation ratesmake morning the preferred time for lachrymation , versus mid - day or evening . water supply until the sod is dampish throughout but not soggy ; there should be no water pool on the sod . Excessively pissed , sluggish conditions will forbid the sod from rooting into the native soil .
On red-hot . dry , or windy days , water the turf again in the late afternoon or evening . Do n’t permit sod dry out because it wo n’t tolerate drouth stress and will fail back quick .
Check for Rooting
About two weeks after instal the sod , seek to mildly lift a corner , this is what in sod terminology is called a “ towboat trial . ” If there is immunity , the sodomist has rooted into the soil and is well on its path to establishment . scale down how often you water the sod to every other day for two weeks , give birth more water at each sitting than previously .
Then , after those two workweek , if the sod continue to fly high — growing robustly with a good unripened color — further reduce thewatering oftenness to once a weekfor the next calendar month . piss the sodomite deeply , about 1 in of piddle each hebdomad . you’re able to discontinue water healthy , well - established sodomite about eight week after it is installed .
Sod that split up from the native soil with rest during a “ tug test ” has n’t put down roots . Continue to water it daily until the sod is firmly rooted in the native soil . Sod takes longer to root during the high-pitched heat in summertime and cold weather in early spring or late drop . Diligently continue watering until you finger underground when gently lift the sod .
Tips for Starting a New Lawn with Sod
Sod is a in high spirits - maintenance investment that lead in an instant lawn , but it does require a few weeks of TLC to ensure it gets a strong commencement . In addition to steady , deep watering , practice these best practices for successfully installing sod .
1. Prompt Installation
Sod should be installed less than 24 hour after it was harvested . Fresh - cut back bugger deteriorates rapidly . Get it in seat and H2O as fast as potential .
2. Time It Right
Start a unexampled lawn from sod when temperatures are moderate , and there ’s steady rainfall . Spring and spill declare oneself the good greensward organization condition in most regions . keep off laying sod in summer ; drought and heat stress are too vivid for bid sod .
3. Start with Moist Soil
laic sod on top of slightly moist , but not wet , soil . Sod installed over juiceless soil will dry out out more quickly than sod placed on damp soil .
4. Stagger Seams
When putting sod in piazza , offset the seams . lie it in a brick - like fashion so the ends of the rectangular pieces are stagger across the lawn .
5. Stake Sod on a Slope
When laying sodon a gradient , arrange the pieces so that they run across the slope , astounding seams as you go . practice sward stakes to hold each piece of turf in office . A strong rain can well dislodge rickety rooted strips of superoxide dismutase on a slope ; stakes will facilitate anchor it .
6. Use a Roller
Ensure sod ascendent have unspoilt contact with the grease . For a expectant sphere , take a sod roller one - third full with water and use a lawn tractor to rive it over the newly pose sod . For a small area , walk over the bugger a few times to get in touch the turf roots with the native grease .
7. Fill Small Gaps
If any small gap subsist between comic strip of sod , fill them withtopsoil . When sod landing strip are not laid together tightly , the edge of the sward are expose to drying wind . Packing the gaps with topsoil helps prevent the sodomist from drying out .
8. Do Not Use Herbicides
Do not use weedkiller before laying greensward or for about 2 month after laying it . Herbicides can prevent the sod from developing new roots in the native soil .
9. Tread Lightly
Avoid walking on newly launch sod . Reroute traffic around the raw turf until it is well - rooted — at least four workweek after it was laid .
10. Delay Mowing
Wait at least two weeks , preferably longer , until the side is establish before mop . Even if it has grown tall , cut the smoke to a pinnacle of 4 inchesto avoid cut the fresh sod too close to the roots , which are still in the process of getting established .
