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I just had sod installed, how often does it need to be watered?

Watering can be the single most important deciding factor in the success of your sod installation.  You should following these guidelines (adjusting for your individual climate and weather conditions):

First Day Watering:  Check you rnew sod a few hours after it has been laid by walking on it.  If you make deep footprints, it has enough water.  If the soil is firm, lift a corner of hte sod to inspect.  The soil on the back side of the sod should be damp to wet.  If its not damp, water for at least 30 minutes.

Second through Fifth Day Watering - Check your lawn at least one time per day7 or more than onece if it is hot or windy.  Walk on the new lawn and inspect it.  If the soil is soft and you make deep footprints, or water has puddled in areas, it is too wet and you should stop watering for a while and reduce the amount of future watering.  If the soil is firm, lift a corner of several pieces of sod.  The soil should be damp, not dripping wet or dusty dry.  Areas where the grass has wilted or turned straw color have not received enough water.  If cracks appear between the rolls, this indicates not enough water has been applied.  Water more often to correct this.  Under watered sod usuall will turn green again in seven days or so if corrective measures were taken soon enough.  Temperatures above 80 degrees F generally mean more water is needed, and below 60 degrees F mean less water is needed.  In the colder months of March, April, October and November, sod usually needs much less water.

Further Watering - After five days or so, the soil has soaked up water like a sponge and you must reduce your watering habits.  Grass plant roots will not grow into waterlogged soils.  Begin stretching out the time between watering.  When fully rooted, lawns generally need to be watered about once per week.

How can I get a fuller, greener lawn?

To achieve a greener, denser, more weed resistant grass, we recommend a variety of things.  First, a solid lawn treatment program can help your lawn throughout the season with fertilzer, and weed control applications specifically aimed at varieties of weeds that are detrimental to your lawn.

A good Lawn Treatment program should include the following applications as a start:

Early Spring - Pre-emergent Crabgrass Control, Post-emergent Broadleaf Control & Fertilizer

Spring - Pre-emergent Crabgrass Control, Post-emergent Broadleaf Control & Fertilizer

Early Fall - Post-emergent Broadleaf Control & Fertilizer

We also recommend Core-Aerating, Overseeding and Topdressing your lawn.  See  Special Services - Lawn Care FAQs for details.

What is Core-Aeration, Overseeding, Topdressing and why do I need it?

Aerating your lawn is a great way to reduce thatch, loosen up compacted soils and make it easier for water and nutrients to reach the roots of your turf.

Even with the best care available, lawns can thin out and lose color due to excessive thatch buildup, hard or compacted soils, or periods of high temperature, high humidity, or drought. Aerating and overseeding is recognized by turf experts such as golf course superintendents as the best treatment to control thatch, reduce compaction, fill-in bare spots and revitalize growth.

An aeration treatment removes small cores of soil and thatch to allow air, moisture and fertilizer to penetrate down to the root zone. The cores brought to the surface contain microorganisms, which help the breakdown of the woody thatch tissue. This allows the roots of existing grass plants to spread out and grow deeper, creating a healthier, thicker lawn.

Cores should remain on the surface and allowed to air dry. These cores act as topdressing that helps degrade thatch. Do not rake off this debris as it makes excellent mulch, which helps to retain soil moisture. Additional topdressing material could be added after core aerating if desired.

Overseeding involves sowing seed into an existing lawn to increase the number of grass plants per inch over the turf area.  It compensates for the natural slow-down of a turf's reproduction.  There are two benefits to overseeding every three to four years.  First, you ensure your lawn stays thick and dense, or if it has thinned, you will make it thick again.  Thick grass has few if any weeds if it is mowed over 2 inches tall.

The second benefit is disease resistance.  The new varities of seed you sow this year will have better disease resistance than those varieties already in your lawn.

Application of an organic material called Topdressing can aid in the germination of the seeds and provides nutrients to the seedlings to help them develop good roots and crowns in the soil as well as to add microorganisms to help break up thatch in the lawns.  Limit heavy traffic during the first growing season.

Tender grass seedlings are subject to damage with traffic and irrigated soils are easily compacted.

It will usually take a full year for your lawn fill in completely. Shady areas will take longer than full sun areas. Some areas may be too shady to ever fill in completely. In those cases seeding may be necessary yearly. In other cases a shade tolerant ground cover other than grass may be a more appropriate solution