Watering New Sod: Your Complete Guide
New sod care is different from how you would typically take care of an established lawn, especially when it comes to watering!
To ensure you feel confident taking care of your newly laid sod, we’ve put together a complete guide to watering new sod that answers all your questions and provides a recommended new sod watering schedule.
Let’s dive in.
How Long Does it Take Sod to Root?
Sod takes a long time to root!
It takes on average 2 weeks for newly installed sod to truly take hold, meaning you must follow a regimented watering schedule to ensure its health.
On average it will take your new sod between 10 and 14 days to root following sod installation.
During the first two weeks, your sod will form a shallow root system — which is why you will have a more rigorous water schedule. Shallow roots are more susceptible to drying out and watering will help prevent the sod from becoming compromised.
Weeks after installation, your sod will begin forming deep roots that grow deeper into the soil and you will be able to decrease the amount of water and watering time during your landscape maintenance.
When to Start Watering Your Sod
Newly laid sod should be watered for at least 45 minutes immediately following your sod installation. Too short of a watering time won’t allow the sod or soil to gather enough moisture to begin the rooting process.
Provide your sod with ample water that will enable the roots to grow into the soil. Following the initial watering session, you will need to follow a rigorous watering schedule during the first few weeks after installation that includes watering the sod for 20 minutes at least three times a day.
These watering times gradually decrease as time goes on.
New Sod Watering Schedule
When possible, it is recommended that you water your lawn in the morning, avoiding the hottest parts of the day when the water will have a more difficult time absorbing into the ground. An irrigation system can help you set up a structured schedule so you don’t miss a watering session.
For new sod especially, a regimented and structured watering routine is recommended:
Installation Day
When your sod is installed, you should soak it in water for at least 45 minutes to prevent the grass from drying out before it has had a chance to develop roots that grow into the soil. Ensure that the soil underneath the sod is moist three to four inches deep. However, you do need to be mindful not to end up with overwatered grass that can cause root rot.
Week 1
Over the next few days, you should water your lawn multiple times a day — typically around 20 minutes a day, 3 times a day. Every watering session should provide the right amount of water to get the roots and soil thoroughly wet.
Pro tip: Be mindful of sod along the edges of your landscape where it is more likely to dry out! You may want to spend extra time watering in those areas. If any areas of the lawn appear to be drying out, make sure they receive additional water coverage.
After the first week, you should begin to see roots growing into the soil.
Week 2
Around ten days after sod installation, you can begin pairing back the watering time to twice per day. However, you should still be keeping an eye out for dry patches to prevent your sod from dying.
Pro tip: If you live in an area where it rains frequently, you need to factor in rainfall to your watering schedule to not overwater.
Continue to monitor the soil, ensuring that it remains moist without becoming waterlogged or dried out. Around the end of the two-week mark, your lawn will be ready for you to mow it for the first time.
Week 3 - 4
Continue watering your newly laid sod so it receives about one inch of water per week.
Pro tip: If you’re asking yourself, “can new sod be overwatered?” It can, and you need to be mindful that you aren’t overwatering the lawn after the first two weeks. Provide any dry spots with a long, deep soak to keep the soil underneath moist.
After the first month, you can begin maintaining your newly installed sod like you would the remainder of your existing lawn.
Reference Our New Sod Watering Chart
Looking for a handy guide when the time comes to install and water new sod for your lawn? We’ve broken down the optimal watering routine in an easy-to-read chart format.
Print out the chart and follow the instructions to ensure your new sod receives the optimal dose (and frequency) to establish healthy roots and give you the green lawn you’ve always wanted.
Overwatered Your Sod?
Because sod requires a lot of moisture during the first two weeks following sod installation, it can be easy to fall into the trap of overwatering your sod. While consistent watering is an absolute must for your lawn to grow deep roots, too much water can be detrimental to its health. When watering your sod, make sure the top three to four inches of soil is always moist but not soaked.
Bonus tip: Don’t Forget to Fertilize!
If you’ve contracted a professional landscaping company to install your sod for you, they will typically take care of feeding your newly installed sod. However, some people like to tackle sod installation as a DIY project, and if that sounds like you be sure you don’t forget to fertilize your new installation!
The good news? New sod installation doesn’t call for anything fancy in terms of fertilization. Simply follow a typical fertilization regiment (supplemented by the watering schedule outlined above), and watch your lawn flourish.
Sprinkler Installation for Your New Sod
Because your new sod watering schedule is more demanding than your regular lawn maintenance, you may want to enlist the help of an irrigation system.
Using a sprinkler system you can easily follow proper watering recommendations for newly laid sod since you can schedule watering times throughout the day — ensuring your sod is receiving the ideal amount of water and won’t dry out.
An irrigation system also guarantees that you don’t miss a day of watering, which could lead to your sod drying out prematurely. Once the first month of watering is up, you can easily adjust the irrigation system’s water schedule to match the rest of your existing lawn.
Commercial Lawn Irrigation provides professional irrigation system installations for the Southern Illinois area. If you’re interested in a free estimate fill out a contact us form by clicking the button below!