Sod Care Instructions
Clegg & Sons’ Sod Farms, LLC is an agricultural producer of a premium multi-fescue and bluegrass sod blend. Please remember this when applying or purchasing any treatments.
Please use the easy read provided color-coded chart below to assist you with maintaining your lawn and please take note of any specific instructions directly from the sod farmer for your sod installation. You can always reach us at 800-377-1421 with any questions.
Sod is a living, perishable plant that we have cut fresh-to-order for transplanting into your yard. Sod is mature grass that, once fully re-established in your yard (which takes about a year), should be treated just as you would any other lawn. Proper watering, mowing, and fertilizing are the main pillars that will ensure your sod looks beautiful year to year. Proper thatching and aerating are also good to keep in mind.
Watering
New sod requires more water than an established lawn because its roots need consistent moisture and root growth stimulation needs to occur. Please follow our Watering Guide Recommendations located here: Watering Guide Recommendations
If your sod is installed in late Spring or Summer, you will need to heavily water until we get to the cooler temperatures of fall. It is imperative that the sod is watered per the above instruction guide web link through the first summer due to the roots needing to establish enough to obtain its own water source.
Most issues with sod are due to inadequate watering. It is very apparent when sod is struggling if adequate watering has not been administered. Please be sure all edges of the sod are receiving adequate water, especially around concrete or blacktop.
Late September, October, November, December sod installations do not require near the watering as earlier in the year. Fresh sod installations require extra watering and care, especially through the first year.
Outside of the normal lines between the strips of sod after installation, if you begin to notice larger gaps, this is called sod shrinkage and is due to lack of moisture. These gaps can easily be avoided if your new sod is kept consistently moist or irrigated following our provided watering recommendations. Sod shrinkage can be anywhere from mild to very noticeable. The good news is that sod will tend to grow in to fill these gaps over time and with correcting your watering practices.
Fertilizer & Weed Control
Whether we install your sod or you do it, our sod farmer can let you know where to start at in the Recommended Schedule for Sod Treatments chart below. You will want to follow what is recommended from the sod farmer and from there forward.
Depending on the time of year the sod was purchased from us will indicate what you need to do and when as far as fertilizing and weed preventers. We don’t want the sod over fertilized as this causes yellow patches in your lawn because the shallow root system of the sod can’t absorb the nutrients, causing nitrogen to leach into the soil. When you do fertilize, you may apply a granular fertilizer with a nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium equal parts mixture following the manufacture’s instruction. You will want to apply the fertilizer when the ground is dry, and spread it evenly over the lawn and water the sod thoroughly after application. Weed preventers should be applied per the manufacture’s instruction as well.
Mowing
New sod should not be mowed immediately. Normally, you will want to wait at least two or three weeks before you mow. When you mow, please make sure the mower deck is on a high setting all the way through fall. Before performing the first mow, it is also important to check that the sod has rooted down to your property. It’s easy to determine if the new sod has taken root. Gently lift one corner of a sod piece. If the roots haven’t fully developed, there’ll be little to no resistance when you lift it. But if you can’t easily lift the sod, the root system has started to develop, and it is safe to mow. You will want to avoid cutting the sod too short. You will also want to make sure your mower blade is sharp, and never cut more than one-third of the blade length. Typically, the sod is dormant in the winter, so winter time installations would not be mowed until Spring.
Use
Avoid walking on your new sod for at least a couple of weeks and keep foot traffic to a minimum, including pets, for six weeks after installation, particularly if conditions are overly dry or wet.
New sod needs to establish its roots, and disturbance can affect the success of this process. Typically, full root establishment can take anywhere from a month or more before we recommend high foot traffic on the sod. If you must walk on the sod, try to use a different route each time so that you are not treading on the same area. To prevent others from walking on your new lawn, mark a perimeter with stakes and string or tape.
You can start enjoying your newly installed sod once it establishes roots to your property. New sod establishes roots within two weeks to handle very light foot traffic. You will need to give the new sod at least six weeks to be fully established under normal conditions to handle heavier foot traffic. However, you still need to avoid trudging and any pet urinating on it for several months. Information regarding pet urination is provided down below in these instructions.
New sod roots are extremely fragile, so it is not recommended for any equipment outside of a lawn mower to be on the sod for at least a year. This is especially true for properties that have fresh dirt brought in as enough time needs to pass for the ground to compress and not rut or damage the sod. Heavy pressure on the fresh sod installation can greatly damage the sod and its roots.
Dog Urine and Sod
New sod is highly vulnerable to dog urine damage, so you’ll have to take precautions if you have pets. The roots of new sod are short, near the surface, and highly susceptible to urine damage—so even in the best of conditions, the sod needs extra care for the first few months and if going into summer on a fresh installation, even longer. Dog urine damage on grass is caused by the nitrogen and salts that are present in dog urine. Dog urine can wilt, turn brown, and kill patches of the sod. We recommend that you minimize as much as possible pet usage on the sod until it gets established. This could take up to a couple of months or longer. If you notice your pet has urinated on the sod, you will want to dilute the urine on the sod with water as quickly as possible to try to minimize damage.
Recommended Schedule for Sod Treatments
Example of products from a program to use or something similar to achieve the above goals.
The sod purchased from Clegg & Sons’ Farms, LLC is a multi-fescue and bluegrass blend and is considered a cold season grass when choosing a lawn program or products.
Clegg & Sons’ Farms, LLC does not endorse any particular products for personal use and can only provide recommendations. However, there are a lot of great programs available for purchase online or locally. These products are easy to use by following the manufactures’ instructions and are designed to be purchased and applied based upon the time of season for the area of country in which the lawn resides. It is important to follow the manufactures’ instructions when applying products as over-applying can harm your lawn.
Grass or sod require adequate sunlight and watering each day. Grass must be treated periodically to prevent fungus, pests, diseases, weeds and any other factors that could cause harm. This includes ensuring aeration, adequate soil nutrients, soil PH levels and overall soil chemistry optimization are present at all times.
