- How to water new sod<\/a><\/li>
- When you can walk on new sod<\/a><\/li>
- When to mow new sod<\/a><\/li>
- How to fertilize new sod<\/a><\/li>
- When to apply weed control products on new sod<\/a><\/li>
- FAQ about sod<\/a><\/li><\/ul> \t\t\t<\/div> \t\t<\/div><\/div>
![\"How](\"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/How-to-Care-for-New-Sod_Lawnlove_update-02.jpg\")
Infographic by Aris Berroya <\/figcaption><\/figure> How to water new sod<\/span><\/h2>
The watering schedule for new sod is very intense in the first two weeks but becomes less so after the sod has established. Let\u2019s look at the progression:<\/p>
Weeks 1 to 2: Water frequently<\/span><\/h3>
The first two weeks are crucial for your sod\u2019s survival. It needs to be kept moist at all times, so you should water it at least twice a day down to the root zone. That generally means letting the sprinklers run for around 20 minutes at a time.<\/p>
Hotter weather will dry out the sod more, so you will need to water your sod more often \u2013 possibly up to four times a day \u2013 if you lay sod in the summer.<\/p>
Don\u2019t overwater, though. An overly wet lawn<\/a> can invite fungal diseases or even kill your newly sodded lawn. Too much water causes the sod\u2019s roots to rot, and rotted roots are a death sentence for your sod.<\/p>
Check if your sod is overwatered by lifting a corner of the sod and checking the soil beneath. If it\u2019s soggy, you\u2019re watering too much. Pooling water on your new lawn is a sign of overwatering as well.<\/p>
Weeks 2 to 3: Gradually reduce irrigation<\/span><\/h3>
As sod grows stronger roots, it will need water less frequently.<\/p>
Sometime during Week 2, check your sod for white roots by gently lifting one of the corners of the sod piece. Start cutting back to one watering session daily when you see these white roots, which means your sod is establishing.<\/p>
Around Week 3, your sod should be ready for its first mow. After you mow your lawn for the first time, you should only irrigate your lawn every other day.<\/p>
Week 4: Graduate to deep, infrequent watering<\/span><\/h3>
Your sod should be established nicely by Week 4. You\u2019ll need to water it like you would an established lawn. That means deep, infrequent watering sessions throughout the week that total 1 to 1.5 inches of water across your lawn.<\/p>
Additional watering tips:<\/span><\/h3>
- Don\u2019t water new sod in shaded areas as often. <\/strong>Shaded areas lose less water than areas exposed to full sun. <\/li>
- Watch for yellowing, browning, or dried sod. <\/strong>These are signs of underwatering. Usually, the discoloration starts at the edges of the sod pieces, leading to unsightly outlines on your new sod lawn. However, yellow sod can also be caused by overwatering, so make sure to check your sod before adding more water.<\/li>
- Adjust your irrigation when it rains. <\/strong>You don\u2019t want to overwater.<\/li>
- Water only lightly in the winter. <\/strong>Frozen soil doesn’t absorb a lot of water, but you will still need to keep your sod moist throughout the winter months. Water sparingly \u2013 just to keep the surface of the soil moist \u2013 if you installed sod in late fall.<\/li>
- The <\/strong>best time to water grass<\/strong><\/a> is the early morning. <\/strong>This time of day is not hot and gives ample time for the grass to dry off before the evening rolls around.<\/li> <\/ul>
You can read more about proper watering practices in our guide, When and How to Water Your Lawn<\/a>.<\/p>
When you can walk on new sod<\/span><\/h2>
Avoid walking on freshly laid sod. It can stress the tender grass and compact the soil. Compacted soil<\/a> is harder for new roots to grow in, and it can also cause your lawn to become uneven.<\/p>
You can start walking on your new sod after it has taken root. With proper care, it should be rooted properly by Week 3.<\/p>
When to mow new sod<\/span><\/h2>
![\"mowing](\"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/AdobeStock_537713366-2.jpeg\")
GreenThumbShots<\/a> | Adobe Stock Free | License<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure> You can mow your sod as soon as it has rooted and the grass blades are a couple of inches long. This usually occurs by Week 3, but you may need to wait until Week 4. Sod that has rooted quickly and is growing vigorously can even be mowed as early as Week 2.<\/p>
Before busting out the lawn mower, check if the sod has rooted. You can do this by trying to lift a corner of a piece. If the corner comes up easily, <\/strong>you should postpone mowing and check the roots again after a few days. If it doesn\u2019t, <\/strong>it\u2019s rooted; mow away.<\/p>
After your sod has rooted, it will be strong enough to withstand the stress of mowing. <\/p>
Typically, this also coincides with the grass growing tall enough to cut it down to the recommended mowing height<\/a>. Your grass should be tall enough that taking off one-third of the grass blade will put it at the upper limit of the recommended mowing height.<\/p>
Note: <\/strong>Don\u2019t mow when the sod (and subsequently, the ground) is wet. Not only will your mower choke on wet grass<\/a>, but the weight of the lawn mower can also cause the soil underneath to shift and compact, leading to unevenness and compacted soil.<\/p>
How to fertilize new sod<\/span><\/h2>
![\"nitrogen,](\"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/NPK-Fertilizer.jpeg\")
nuttapongg<\/a> | Adobe Stock<\/figcaption><\/figure> Wait at least 30 days after installation to fertilize sod..<\/p>
Sod harvested from a sod farm will likely have been well-fed and can last for four to six weeks without fertilizer. There\u2019s no need to fertilize sod <\/a>so soon or even to add starter fertilizer<\/a> into the soil before laying sod.<\/p>
In fact, fertilizing early is harmful \u2013 not to the sod itself, but to the environment. A study conducted by researchers from the University of Florida found that sod that wasn\u2019t fertilized after installation was just as green as fertilized sod after 30 days. However, the fertilized sod leached out twice the amount of nitrogen into the soil, which can contaminate water.<\/p>
The best fertilizer<\/a> for new sod is the one recommended by your soil test results<\/a>. But generally, you should shy away from high-nitrogen fertilizers and opt for those with balanced N-P-K ratios<\/a> (like 10-10-10).<\/p>
When to apply weed control products on new sod<\/span><\/h2>
Don\u2019t spray herbicides<\/a> until after your lawn has been mowed at least three times.<\/p>
Do you see weeds on your newly sodded lawn? Pluck them by hand. Your new sod generally can\u2019t handle post-emergent herbicides<\/a> until after it has been mowed three to four times. Spraying too early may injure the tender grass.<\/p>
When in doubt, consult the directions of the weed killer you plan to use. Usually, it will come with precautions regarding spraying newly seeded and sodded lawns.<\/p>
FAQ about sod<\/span><\/h2>
When is the best time to lay new sod?<\/strong>The best time to lay new sod is during spring and fall. The exact season will depend on the type of sod you\u2019re installing:
What does it cost to install sod?<\/strong>On average, professional sodding costs<\/a> $0.86 to $1.75 per square foot<\/strong>. It\u2019s possible to spend less if you install the sod DIY<\/a>, but only if you already have most of the tools you need.<\/p> <\/div>
How do you make sure sod takes root?<\/strong>You can make sure sod takes root by watering it appropriately. Soil moisture is the most important factor in your sod rooting and surviving. If there\u2019s not enough water, it will dry out and die out.<\/p> <\/div> <\/div>
Hire a professional to care for your new sod lawn<\/span><\/h2>
Although maintaining sod is mostly water-heavy during the first few weeks (which can be automated with sprinklers), there will come a time when you\u2019ll need to go out there with a lawn mower and a fertilizer spreader. <\/p>
If you don\u2019t have the time to care for your sod, why not hire a professional to do it for you? Lawn Love\u2019s pros can mow your new lawn<\/a> and fertilize it<\/a> when it\u2019s ready.<\/p>
\t\t\t\t\t\tSources<\/strong><\/p> \t\t\t
<\/span><\/div> \t\t<\/div> \t\t\t- University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences<\/a><\/li>
- University of Florida News Archive<\/a><\/li> <\/ul> <\/div> \t\t<\/div> <\/div>
Main Photo Credit: Dziurek<\/a> | Adobe Stock Free | License<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
From watering schedules to mowing tips, this guide has everything you need to know about how to care for new sod and achieve a picture-perfect lawn. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":101,"featured_media":36683,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[126],"tags":[147],"class_list":["post-36669","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lawn-care-tips","tag-lawn-care"],"acf":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/AdobeStock_444120811-2.jpeg","author_info":{"display_name":"Janine Caayao","author_link":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/author\/janine-caayao\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36669","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/101"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36669"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36669\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40258,"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36669\/revisions\/40258"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36683"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36669"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36669"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36669"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
- University of Florida News Archive<\/a><\/li> <\/ul> <\/div> \t\t<\/div> <\/div>
- Watch for yellowing, browning, or dried sod. <\/strong>These are signs of underwatering. Usually, the discoloration starts at the edges of the sod pieces, leading to unsightly outlines on your new sod lawn. However, yellow sod can also be caused by overwatering, so make sure to check your sod before adding more water.<\/li>
- When you can walk on new sod<\/a><\/li>