Things to Do After New Sod Is Installed

Air Pockets

• As soon as you are finished installing the sod, you need to remove any air pockets that have formed between the sod roods and the ground. A drum roller filled with water will be heavy enough to flatten the sod and remove any air pockets. Just roll the drum roller back and forth over the installed sod. After you are done, avoid walking on the grass again for three weeks, except to place a sprinkler.

Water

• New sod should be watered daily for the first two weeks. You can water once in the morning and once in the afternoon or just water once in the morning. If you water twice a day, each time, give the sod 1/2-inch of water. If you water the sod once a day only, give the sod an inch of water. During the third and fourth weeks after installation, you can reduce watering to once every other day but still give the sod an inch of water each time. After the sod is fully established and has been on a watering schedule for four weeks, you can reduce watering to once or twice a week to keep the sod moist.

Mowing

• Mowing should be done in the third week after installation but only if the sod roots are established in the soil below. Gently lift up on a corner of a piece of sod. If the sod doesn’t lift up, the roots are established. If the sod lifts up slightly, don’t mow the sod. Wait another week and test the sod again. Assuming the sod is established, mow the sod but only remove one-third of the blade. For example, if the grass blade is 3 inches, mow the grass down to a height of 2 inches and no more. If you remove more than one-third of the blade, you will stress the grass.

Fertilizing

• Apply fertilizer to the sod in September, only if the sod has been installed and established for 60 days. If the sod hasn’t been installed long enough, don’t fertilize the sod until the following spring. Use a balanced lawn fertilizer according to the package directions for the size of your lawn. Do not use a weed and feed product on the sod. You only need to fertilize the sod. There should not be a weed problem in new sod.