The Grass Doctor

New Lawn being put in?

Hello all I have a general lawn keeping question. I am a new home owner and the landscapers are out today finishing putting in my new lawn they are laying down the sod today. I have never had a yard to take care of before and wanted to know if anyone has any tips or advice with new grass? Is there anything special you need to do besides the obvious watering? Thanks

Public Comments

1. cuting it and puting manour
2. You should not cut it for about 3 to 4 weeks also You should avoid walking on the lawn until the sod has rooted well to the soil beneath it. This often takes as long as two weeks. You can check by gently lifting up on the grass. If it doesn't move up, then it is rooting. One month after sodding you can begin to treat it like a mature lawn. You should apply a standard lawn fertilizer and begin a regular watering schedule of around 1" per week. depending on the weather
3. I agree with the answer above but one additional process is needed. Until the sod takes root water it, water it, water it. Put water on it until it squishes under you foot. Do this every day until the roots start to take hold. The gradually cut back to the 1" per week routine. If your unsure how much an inch of water is place some empty tuna fish cans at various place on the lawn and run the sprinklers. The tuna cans are about one inch deep. If you are watering twice a week then run the sprinklers until the cans are half full. It's better to run the sprinklers for a longer period of time a couple times a week than it is to run them a short period of time every day. The idea is to water the grass as deeply as possible not as frequently as possible. As far as mowing make sure your mower blade is sharp. If you do not know how to sharpen it take it to a lawnmower repair shop and have them sharpen it. You might want to buy a spare blade for backup. Do not mow more than 1/3 the total height of the grass at one time. If you keep your grass 3" tall then don't let it get much taller than 4" before you mow it. Keep it a little longer is summer and a little shorter in winter. You can bag the clippings or leave them on the lawn where they will decay and return as fertilizer. Also if you fertilize your lawn it will grow much faster than if you don't. I used to fertilize mine and I was cutting it twice a week during the growing season. I like a nice healthy lawn but really.... If in doubt ask your landscape contractor who put down the sod and there is a wealth of information on the popular DIY websites. The big box stores also have information.