For some people, having a perfect lawn is essential to having a beautiful home. Unfortunately, not all lawns are the same, and those who want lush green grass are sometimes stuck with patchy spots and grass that won't grow. That's where sod comes in! Once you install the right type of sod for your lawn, you need to start taking care of it immediately; but where to start? Here are the top three care tips for your freshly installed sod!
- Start watering right away! Your first time watering your installed sod requires deep watering. Refreshing the sod from being rolled up and exposed to potential high temperatures that could dry out the sod if not installed and watered immediately upon delivery. Newly installed sod can take a lot of water and doesn't hold a risk of being ruined by overwatered during the deep watering process. Though be careful not to continue to use the deep watering method as it could drown the sod and destroy any chance for rooting. That first initial watering should penetrate at least six inches down to the soil and make the sod soggy.
- Don't walk on the grass! There should be no kind of foot traffic, human or house pet, on the newly installed sod until after the first mow! The reason for this is because, during the deep watering process, the sod is making root establishment with the soil. It usually takes about two weeks for shallow roots to form with daily watering. It's straightforward to check if roots are taking place by merely lifting a corner of the sod and visually inspecting the area. If you have trouble lifting a corner of the sod, this means the root system has taken place correctly.
- Time to manicure! Around the two week mark is when the fresh sod can finally be mowed. During these first two weeks, after proper watering and checking of root establishment, your sod will have become a lush lawn of green grass that will now need to be trimmed. When mowing the sod for the first time, it's essential to mow high as it's the least aggravating. A great rule of thumb when mowing sod is that you should never mow past one-third of the grass blade.
Following these three care tips after installing your new sod will help get your lawn to where it needs to be as soon as possible!
