Home Gallery Plants/Sod Design Pay Info

‍(267) ‍670-0173

Caring for Newly Installed Sod

Do not install sod if heavy rain is forecast after you install, like later in the day or the next day. You run the risk of drowning the short, fragile roots of sod.
Prepare ground with soft, feathery surface preferrably top soil.
Wet ground with hose before laying sod, this prevents dry soil from sucking moisture from tender sod roots.
Install sod in morning or early evening if the sun is blazing and/or it is hot. Installing in blazing sun at 1pm will place shock on the sod.
Install sod like carpet, back and forth so seams do not match.
Make sure seams do not overlap as that part of sod could die as it is not touching the soil.
I like to walk on the sod to inspect that all is touching and no seams are overlapping or too far apart.
Water sod immediately for about 3-5 minutes. In general, each watering should only consist of enough water to wet the roots. New sod is not able to soak up much water at once. This is very important.
The key is that the new sod needs to be moist underneath, basically at all times, if feasible.
Try as hard as you can to not walk on the sod, including your kids and even pets, in general.
Water sod in the morning, in the middle of the day, and early evening. In the middle of direct high sun, like a gunfight at highnoon, the water will evaporate quickly, so your watering process won't be that effective during that session. But don't worry about it too much. Just be aware of it.
Water everyday for 3-6 times per day, watering only enough to wet the roots. Remember that the sod needs to be moist, not soggy and not soaked.
If God decides to make it rain, like all-day-rain, then you don't have to water. God watered for you.
After a week and a half try to gently lift a corner of a sod slice. You should feel it resist as the roots should be growing.
After about a week and a half you can cut back on watering to twice per day.
At the same time, you can water longer for 5-10 minutes to encourage deep root growth during the longer and less frequent watering sessions.
After three weeks or so, you can water every other day for about 10-15 minutes, allowing water to seep further into the soil to encourage deep root growth. This is important as you want your sod to establish nice, deep roots, like normal grass. Established lawns are able to go dormant during the winter and during heat waves, like it's no big deal.
You can mow the sod after about two weeks (or a little more) but make sure it is "rooting." Don't water the day before you cut. This allows the soil to firm-up before you go traipsing all over it and cut it. Don't use a riding mower ya lazy stupe, use a walk behind or push mower. Cut at a very high setting. You don't want to cut more than 1/3 of the grass blade, no matter what the height is (this allows for adequate photosynthesis).
You can fertilize in 5 weeks using a liquid, organic season-appropriate fertilizer, but be careful when doing this. Consult with a lawncare specialist.
Once your sod is established you can water it as you see fit, taking a little extra care as it is newly established sod, not grass that has been in the ground for years.

Native Sun/Shade Guide

Pennsylvania DCNR Guides

DCNR Pennsylvania - landscaping with native plants and a guide to PA native plants

Shade Plants

Plant	Height	Native?
Common Violet	10"	Yes
Shooting Star - late May to early June	20"	Yes
Hosta	10" to 30"	No
Lungwort	12"	No
Bleeding Heart	36"	Yes
Coralbells	36"	Yes
Ferns (Hardy) - not all ferns are native	24"	Yes
Ajuga	6"	No
Bigroot Geranium	18"	No
Cushion Spurge	36"	No
Hellebore or Christmas Rose	36"	No
Foamflower	12"	Yes
Lilyturf (Liriope)	12"	No
Deadnettle (lamium)	30"	No

‍(267) ‍670-0173

Nurseries/Garden Centers

Sod

Stone

Sod Calculators/Estimators

Sod Calculators/Estimators

Caring for Newly Installed Sod

Native Sun/Shade Guide

Pennsylvania DCNR Guides

Shade Plants