New Guy, New Lawn.

[KevinCK]

There are seem to be a lot of things involved in buying a house that i never thought of before. The new lawn is one of them.

I've read about mowing, mulching, watering, fertilizing, etc. They all talk about a regular lawn that's been there for a few seasons. Or they talk about a lawn that you've started from scratch with seed. But none seem to talk about new sod.

The sod is being put down on my yard today. What kind of general maintenance (watering, mowing, etc) is required for new sod? Do i soak it tonight and then continue on regular routine as if it's been there for ages?

At night it gets down to between 15 - 20 C or 59 - 77 F.
During the day we're getting between 25-30 C or 77 - 86 F.

Any help appreciated. Thanks.

[E-man]

I tell the customer to water it every day for at least three weeks then slowly start to reduce the amount of days . If you can, water it early in the morning but evening will be fine if you cant.
As for mowing I wait untill it has taken root . And if the grass is high by then do not take to much blade off . Start high and work your way down each week untill your desired hieght.

Hope this helps a little

[The Mowerdude]

E-man is right. Here's the rule with sod.

Keep it wet
Keep it wet
Keep it wet
Keep it wet
Keep it wet
Keep it wet


Get the picture?

E-man is right on the mowing, too. Pros call it "knitting." The sod needs to knit. All you have to do is grab a handfull of grass and give a slight tug. If it comes up, it hasn't knitted and it's not ready to be mowed. If it doesn't come up, try several places over the lawn and you'll get an idea if the entire yard has knitted. If so, you can mow