How to Take Care of New Sod

Day 1
The sod should be soaked with water as soon as it's laid. The soil on the back of the sod should be damp to wet.

Days 2 to 5Check your lawn at least once per day, or more than once if it's hot or windy. If the soil is firm, lift a corner of the sod in several places. The soil should be damp, not dripping wet or dusty dry. Watch the colour of the sod. Green is good. Blue-green indicates not enough water and you will have problems within 12 to 24 hours. Yellow-tan means the sod is heat/moisture stressed and will go dormant.

Further WateringAfter five days or so, the soil will have soaked up water like a sponge. It's time to reduce your watering frequency or you will drown the new roots.

MowingMow your new turf as soon as it grows to 3 inches.

FertilizationThe lawn doesn't need fertilizer for two weeks. Use this time to decide whether you are going to fertilize the lawn yourself or hire someone to do it for you. If you are going to do it yourself, be sure to use quality fertilizer applied at the correct intervals for the current time of year.

Next Step: It's all about the details.

If you need help caring for your lawn, check out our service plans on our Landscape Care and Maintenance page.

Here's a few other links you might like:

• How to Get Rid of Bare Patches in Your Grass

• How to Maintain a Healthy Lawn All Year

Here's some additional resources:

• Landscape Ontario: How to Maintain a Healthy Lawn

• Professional Lawn Care Association of Ontario – Lawn Care Tips

Jeff Ronhaar, Head Coach

Jeff's Outdoor began when an enterprising 14-year-old decided to turn paper route customers into lawncare customers. Jeff started with one mower and never looked back.

Jeff grew up always wanting his own way. He claims he rarely got it. That's debatable. He did get plenty of lessons about hard work, determination, and, above all, treating people right.