A lovely yard can enhance your home’s exterior and add functional outdoor living spaces. If you intend to add new turfgrass sod to your property, you must know how often to water newly laid sod. The right amount of water is critical for your new lawn to be healthy and green. Fresh sod is relatively sensitive and requires thorough sod care to flourish, as with any plant or vegetation.
Let’s find out when, how often, and how much water a new sod requires.
Before Laying New Sod
Before spreading your sod, prepare the ground to have better results. The area where the sod will be laid should be well-damp. You should water the soil promptly before installing the sod and water it as deeply as you can. This helps guarantee a moist surface for the turf to cling to.
Make sure you have a starter fertilizer prepared, mix it well with lime, and till it a few inches to work them into the soil. This approach will cultivate soil moisture so the new sod can readily absorb the essential nutrients and water to establish a new root system.
How Often Should You Water New Sod?
Once done installing new sod, you must water it thoroughly. Water is paramount to keeping your sod alive and allowing it to establish itself.
Your lawn should be watered enough to ensure moisture is always present. Too much water and your sod will drown or rot; and too little, it will die.
First Day
After installation, start watering the soil for a minimum of 45 minutes, so it’s wet within a depth of at least four to six inches to soak the soil beneath and stimulate root establishment. Though, you must supply water depending on the climate. Make allowances if it’s a hot or cold day.
If you’re laying sod on a cool, calm day, you may water it an hour after installation. But when installing sod on a dry or hot day, it must be watered within 20 minutes after it’s laid down.
If your sod was planted in the morning or on a sweltering afternoon, find out the moisture level during the day, as most experts advise. Water again if the sod appears to be already withering.
Second Day And The Following Two Weeks
Following the first day, keep your new lawn moist, not saturated. Run sprinkler heads 4-6 times daily for 10 minutes, especially during the hottest hour. After an early morning watering routine, water your grass at night and let the soil soak the water up overnight.
This consistent watering will help the sod develop new feeder roots, making for a more robust and resilient lawn. Refrain from hand watering as it cannot deliver uniformly. You will still need to consider rainfall and avoid getting any pooling water.
The first two weeks of daily watering are the most critical.
Make sure you provide enough water to reach the sod roots and soil. Almost all sod pieces will shrivel up within their uncovered borders or along margins that aren’t firmly positioned together with other sections of sod.
After Two Weeks Of Installing
Two weeks after your sod is laid, your lawn will have begun to establish a sturdy root system and demand less water. Change the watering schedule to once daily for about 15 to 20 minutes.
Your sodded lawn will naturally need more water throughout the summer than the rest of the year. You have to consider rainfall in your watering schedule to avoid overwatering. You can miss watering if the lawn absorbs enough moisture.
You can even mow the lawn at this phase. The two-week waiting time enables the roots to become firm and withstand the stress of mowing.
Allow the grass and soil to dry out somewhat before cutting. Mow your grass with a mower that will catch the grass clippings.
Generally, roots are well-established by week 4, so you can reduce watering until it matches the specific requirements of your grass species.
For the healthiest growth and look, ensure your lawn gets about two inches of water every week from an irrigation system and even rain.
If you need to inspect whether your new sod has grown roots, you can gently tug one corner of your sod. The rooting system has developed adequately if you can’t easily pull the sod.
If you notice a purplish or gray color on the sod, provide water right away.
Best Time To Water
Water in the early morning to leverage the beginning of your sods’ growth cycle and in the late afternoon when there are lower wind speeds. Watering your lawn during the hottest hours can cause the water to evaporate instead of being absorbed.
Be mindful that watering your sod after the dew has evaporated is unnecessary because it could expose the grass to molds, fungus, and diseases.
Ask Experts From Landscape Company in Guelph
Newly installed sod must be watered adequately to grow and flourish. While laying a new lawn may appear back-breaking, following the measures on how often to water new sod will make your endeavor worth it.
To know more about sod installation and new sod maintenance, ask the experts of Riverwood Landscape. We will ensure your sod is well-laid and offer watering advice to help you establish a fresh lawn.
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