Do-it-yourself home improvement is incredibly popular today. Along with the wonderful invention of the internet has come a TON of useful information on how to do all sorts of home improvement projects. More and more homeowners are taking on home improvement projects that require laying sod, and we want to make sure that those homeowners have the best chances at establishing their new turf.
**This article is not meant to be an instructional on how to lay sod; you can get that here. Use this article to learn the proper care for your new sod.**
Establishing New Sod: Storing Before Install
Sod is a LIVING thing. Most materials used during DIY projects are not which means that sod requires special attention to keep it alive. The process of harvesting sod causes a lot of stress on the plant. The faster you can return the underside of the sod to soil and the grass blades to air, the better. Heat can cause more stress on sod rolls, eventually killing them. Grass and soil are very good insulators. (Fun fact: in the 1800’s, North American settlers built houses out of sod.) Because of this, the sod rolls in the middle of a skid are usually the first ones to overheat. If a skid of sod cannot be laid straight away, consider breaking down the skid, separating the rolls and allowing a lot of air to flow through them. Sod is best kept in a cool, dry place, uncovered with lots of air flow.
DO NOT water rolled up sod.
Lay Your Sod Quickly
Another thing to consider is the biological processes that grass goes through in order to grow. These processes release gases that can accelerate the heating and rotting process; even more reason to get your sod laid promptly.
Grass and Moisture
Like any other plant, sod needs water. Contrary to popular belief, grass only loses its moisture through the blades. Many homeowners will notice that the underside of a sod roll is sometimes rather dry, but what they don’t realize is that the grass itself is well hydrated. It will hold enough moisture to sustain itself for 6-12 hours depending on the conditions it is stored in. (REMEMBER: a cool, dry place with lots of airflow.)
Water Sod Quickly
Due to the stress from harvest and delivery, the sod will be craving water. Remember that sod loses moisture through its leaves. Turf will immediately begin to dry out once you’ve exposed the leaves to the air. Here at Greenhorizons Sod Farms, we recommend that you start to water your farm fresh sod within 15 minutes of laying the first roll. If you have a large area to be sodded, once you have a sprinkler-sized area laid, start watering it. Sod needs a healthy amount of water put on it while it is becoming established and the roots start to take.
Ensure Water Soaks Through
Cut sod is actually hydrophobic (repels water) due to certain properties of its rooting system and soil. This means ensuring that the water penetrates deep into the sod is essential. Lift up the edges of the sod and make sure that water is getting down to the underlying soil. Sod that has not received enough water is easily recognizable. Our GHG Premium Bluegrass blend will first turn greener, then blue, then silver, then blonde to brown. The blue stage is a good reminder to water your new sod. Remember to keep up with our proper watering schedule before the grass begins to turn.
Slowly Reduce Water Amounts When Establishing New Sod
It may seem counter-intuitive, but slowly reducing the amount of water is necessary for sod to take root. A good analogy for this is to think of the grass as being “lazy”. If the sod is constantly getting more than enough water, then the roots wont spread out and down looking for water. If you follow the watering schedule and you slowly acclimate the grass to getting less and less water, then it should take root very well. There are some occasions where you may have to stray from our watering schedule. In very well shaded areas, the sod takes less time to dry out due to the lack of sun exposure, and you may have to water it less. When establishing new sod, the most important thing to remember is to check your sod frequently to see if the moisture is penetrating down under the sod.
Here at Greenhorizons we have a vision of making the world a little greener, one property at a time. Hopefully, this article will help many people looking for sod laying advice, tips, and tricks!
Hello!!
Who is checking this response!!
Steve here.
Steve, it’s Cam! Let me know what you need!
Thanks, very simple, practical and informative.
Thanks for your comment Gunsimar! Best of luck with your sod project 🙂
I just laid a 190 sq foot bluegrass sod, I live in Northern CA. Soil was prepped, sod immediately laid then watered deeply for 45mins. I’ve been trying to figure out for how long & for how many times a day do I water it for this first week then the 2nd week. Some articles I have read say for the first two weeks, do short, frequent watering (5mins@ 4x/day) and others say do deep water, less frequent (20mins @ 2x/day) Which is best? All the articles I’ve read say decrease watering at week 3.
The sod has direct sun and the next two weeks will be 66 – 70 degrees. I have sprinklers.
Also every article I’ve read says to not mow until 14 days but above it says mow on day 7. Why is that?
Hey Vanessa!
I would recommend the less frequent watering rate, 20 mins @ 2X/day. You want to encourage the sod to reach its roots down into the ground. Frequent watering will not encourage this since the grass won’t have to “look” for water. Direct sunlight is critical to proper sod establishment. We recommend mowing after the first week because mowing also encourages root growth, and typical sod installations are ready for mowing after about a week.
I hope this sheds some light for your Vanessa and best of luck with your new lawn!
Greenhorizons Sod Farms
Hi I just bought sods from Lowe’s. It was very hot for the last few days and the sod I picked was less than half , in the skid .I did not realize that the grass was already very dry inside . I have laid it down now, but worried that it might die. I don’t see any green grass coming out . It is the 5 th day today .
Hello,
There’s a chance the sod you bought overheated! It’s easy for sod to bake in the sun and release harmful gasses while rolled up that can seriously harm your turf. If your lawn is still not greening up with consistent watering, I’d try to reach out to Lowes and see what they can do for you.
I have about less than 20 feet of new sod on a downhill slant up next to my asphalt driveway. It has rained every day since planting on Friday. I sprayed it today, Monday, with a 2 gallon hand sprayer with Miracle Grow and root stimulator. How often should I water with no rain? I did not see a schedule. The ground is saturated from hurricane rain and maybe more today. My concern is the downhill slope.
Hey Linda,
I would consult your local sod farm for specific recommendations, perhaps you can send them some photos of your project! For some more information on establishing new sod, check out this article: https://greenhorizonssod.com/blog/new-sod-maintenance/ and also check out this one all about installing sod on a slope: https://ordersodnow.com/blog/2017/07/13/installing-sod-slope-hard-successful/
Let me know if you have any further concerns and best of luck with your new lawn!
I just lay sod down last week and gave its first mow. When I stand on certain parts the ground sinks. Maybe due to overwatering? How do I know if I am watering too much?
Hey Connel,
It absolutely could be due to overwatering, but there could have also been some issues with your ground preparation if the lawn is sinking significantly. Check out this PDF all about new sod maintenance. It has a number of watering recommendations: https://greenhorizonssod.com/how-to-install-sod/GHG-SodMaintenance-Handout.pdf
An easy way to measure the water you’re putting down, is set out a tuna can with your sprinkler and mark where on the can 1/2″ and 1″ of water will be. Once your lawn’s roots are established, consider using a roller to smooth out the underlying topsoil and any areas that sunk down.
Hope this helps Connel and best of luck with your new lawn!
I have some rolls of sod that I can not get to laying down for a bit, so I unrolled them and are watering them. Probably 6 days in total. Rolls are out of the sun for about 3/4 of the day, but moist.
Any comments??
Hey Marty,
Thanks for your comment! Unfortunately, I’d assume that your sod will not establish properly. Watering the rolls before installation, regardless of whether or not you unroll them, is detrimental to the sod. It may seem counterintuitive, but watering can actually increase the chance of overheating. We recommend installing your sod within 12 hours of harvest for best results. Feel free to try installing your sod and there’s a chance it may take, but I would expect it to struggle given that it’s been sitting for so long.
ALl the best and good luck!
Hello,
I have been giving my new sod heavy watering with the hose because the area between my house and the neighbor’s house is too narrow for sprinklers. I am concerned I overwatered. What do I look for to see whether fungus or mold is growing under the sod?
Thanks,
Linda
Hey Linda!
Deep watering is ideal for new sod, but sometimes those narrow areas can be tricky. They are often heavily shaded which can increase the possibility of over watering, since the sun isn’t able to help evaporate any excess water. Fungus/mushrooms are definitely indicators of overwatering, but you shouldn’t see any mould. Be sure to carefully monitor how your new sod is establishing. As long as the roots are reaching down into the soil, you should be fine. You can check this by gently lifting a corner of your new sod to see if it’s establishing. Remember that all sod requires between 4-6 hours of sunlight per day to establish properly. Let me know if you have any further inquiries and best of luck with your new lawn!