Step 3: Installation

• Begin installing sod along the longest straight line, such as a driveway. Push edges and ends tightly against each other without stretching. Stagger joints in each row, in a brick like pattern. Avoid gaps and overlapping. Sod may be cut with a knife to conform to curved boundaries.


• Never let installed sod lay for more than 30 minutes without watering lightly.


• After installation, water lightly and roll in two directions with a sod roller. This will increase sod to soil bonding and promotes quick rooting.


• Water newly sodded lawn thoroughly to ensure a base of moisture. During the first 3 weeks avoid heavy use of your new lawn. This gives the roots an opportunity to firmly knit with the soil and insures that the turf will remain smooth.


• Water four times each day - 5 to 10 minutes per set - during the daylight hours for the first two weeks. The third week water once per day (10 am) for 15 to 20 minutes per set. The fourth week water 2-3 times per week (5 am) for 30 minutes. After that water on an as needed basis...infrequently, but deep waterings are best.


• Lawns sodded in the winter months need a different watering schedule. Water two times a day - 10 to 15 minutes per set - during daylight hours (9 am and 2 pm) for the first two weeks. The third week water once a day (10 am) for 15 to 20 minutes. The fourth week water as needed.


• Newly sodded lawns need 1 pound of 16-20-0 fertilizer per 1,000 square feet every 2 weeks for the first month.