A Leafy Expert Explains How to Care for Your Newly-Sodded Lawn

Thu, Mar 22, 2018 at 3:00AM

The first few weeks after your sod renovation is very important and requires a lot of attention. The three main factors are watering, mowing, and lawn care. Watering may seem obvious, but in our experience customers try to avoid this. The moment pieces of sod get dry, they will shrink, causing gaps. This is irreversible. If you mow too early you can stunt root growth, which could lead to an extended initial period or even kill the turf.

 

There are many reasons lawn care is a major factor. Using the proper fertilizer and rate at which it is applied is very important for proper root growth. All sod can come with weeds and/or pests in it, so it is important to treat your sod initially with a weed and pest treatment. Bugs love new grass. And finally due to the amount of water you put on your grass in the beginning, the moisture can lead to fungus. Fungus can kill a lawn very quickly. This all may sound very negative and overwhelming, but let Leafy can help. Here are some tip for proper care:

Start a Watering Schedule

  • Week 1: Apply a 1/2” of water twice a day in the morning and early afternoon daily. Repeat “Week 1” watering schedule when establishing Zoysia.
  • Week 2: Apply a 1/2” of water once a day around 11:00 AM.
  • Week 3: Apply 1/2” to 3/4” of water every third day in the morning. If your lawn should show stress at any time, additional watering may be needed. The blades of grass will start to curl when they are dry. A healthy blade will be flat.

To gauge watering, place several upright cans randomly about your lawn.  When you collect your desired amount of water in the can, it is time to move your sprinkler to the next area.  When using automatic irrigation systems, an approximate setting would be in the following:

  • Mainly Spray Heads: 30-45 minutes/zone
  • Mainly Rotor Heads: 45-60 minutes/zone

When to Mow

DO NOT MOW until the actual blades of grass reaches 5”. It may take up to six weeks. Be patient. It is important to establish healthy roots.

When to Fertilize

Within 3-5 days after your sod is installed, have a licensed lawn care company treat your lawn for bugs, weeds, and have them fertilize initially with a low nitrogen, but high potassium mix.


Bookmark & Share



User Comments


Be the first to comment on this post below!


"Every team member at Leafy wants to make sure you are absolutely thrilled by our services. If for any reason, you're not absolutely, positively 100% happy with our work, WE WON'T BE HAPPY EITHER. That means WE AT LEAFY WILL NOT REST until we make it right. Someone from our team will promptly fix your problem, and if it's still not good enough we will pay a competitor of your choosing to fix it for you… That is how strongly I believe you will LOVE what we do. Let us prove it to you!"
Robert Rist, Founder of Leafy Landscapes