Weeks 1 – 2
STIMULATE ROOT GROWTH
- Immediately water sod upon installation. Water until it feels spongy to the step.
- Keep sod and soil (3-4 in. of top soil) moist all throughout the day. Water at least twice/day for 15-20 minutes (depending on coverage). If the sod edges are pulling apart, you are not watering enough. Do not let it dry out.
- Limit non-essential foot traffic.
Weeks 3 – 4
ESTABLISH DEEP ROOTS
- Reduce frequency of waterings, while increasing the length of each watering. At a minimum, water every other day for at least 30 minutes. In hot and arid conditions, continue with daily watering.
- Mow your grass ~14 days after installation, when your sod is approx. 3.5 in. tall. Mowing low causes great stress to new sod. Take no more than one-third of the grass length with each mowing.
Other Tips
- Water in the early morning. Watering at night may lead to an increase in mushrooms due to prolonged moisture on grass overnight.
- The edges of your lawn will dry out first. When too dry, the dark green hue of Kentucky Blue Grass tends to get a slight blue hue before turning yellow. Give extra water to the edges if you notice a difference in color with the rest of the lawn.
- A sprinkler will give much more even coverage than you can hand watering. We recommend investing in an automatic watering timer if you don’t have underground sprinklers.
- Check soil moisture content by pulling up a corner of sod and poking the ground with a screwdriver. If screwdriver can penetrate the soil with relative ease, you have enough water. If not, it is too dry.
- Once the sod is well-established, apply ~1 inch of water per week.
