A brand new yard with fresh sod laid is a hopeful sight and is a great foundation for your yard to grow to be lush and full. Once you lay down your sod, you must take some crucial steps to ensure that it takes well, or you will have to continue to replace patches of grass in your yard. Many people wonder just how soon to mow new sod after they lay it down and knowing this is an essential step for the health of your yard.
It is crucial to wait to mow your new sod for at least 10-14 days to allow it to take root and have a strong foundation. Also, the first time you mow your yard after putting down new sod, you want to make sure that your mowing length is no more than ⅓ of the grass length.
We will dive into the important steps you should take to increase the likelihood of success of your new sod and tips to create a solid foundation for a healthy and strong yard.
How Soon to Mow New Sod
When placing new sod, it is often a time-consuming and expensive task, so making sure you take care of it is important. By waiting for ten to fourteen days for your sod to establish enough so you can mow, allows it to be strong enough for a mower to go over it without causing damage. If your grass is growing well, you can also mow once the grass blades reach around four inches tall.
The initial first few days, your sod is very delicate and sensitive; refraining from mowing is essential to the success of your yard.
What Happens If You Mow New Sod Too Soon
Mowing sod too soon can damage your sod and put it into shock. Also, since it takes some time to allow roots to establish, you also risk damaging any small roots that have formed. New sod takes time to establish and form roots. Mowing over a freshly sodded yard can damage the sod and put it into extreme shock that could kill it.
How Long Does it Take for New Sod to Take Root
New sod will typically begin to grow roots around seven to fourteen days after it has been laid. Allowing your sod to have strong roots is the most important step to successful sod and a healthy yard.
If you have waited the fourteen days to mow and you are wondering if your sod is strong enough to be mowed there are a few steps you can take. You can take a corner of your sod and gently pull up on the corner. If you feel resistance, your roots have taken successfully and your sod is healthy enough to mow. If you pull up on the corner gently and the entire pieces of sod raise up, you will need to give your yard some more time to establish.
Can You Water New Sod Too Much
Yes, new sod has very shallow roots so the ground underneath your sod should never be soggy. If you have soggy soil underneath your sod, you risk the roots not taking or rotting before they even have a chance to take off properly.
You can prevent overwatering by setting a timer and watching how well your sod is soaking up the water. If you water your sod and the water does not seem to absorb very fast, you may need to stop watering for the rest of the day and allow your sod adequate time to absorb the water it has.
If you overwater your new sod you can prevent roots from establishing properly and therefore ruin your sod and you may have to start from scratch. If you notice overwatering soon after it happens, your sod can recover if you allow it enough time to absorb the water and hold off on watering until the previous water has been absorbed.
What Should You Do After You Lay New Sod
After you lay new sod, you should water your sod thoroughly. Water is an essential aspect of successful sod. Watering too much and watering too little can both be detrimental to the life of your sod.
Watering your sod a good amount the first day is crucial. After that, you should water your sod enough but don’t ever water so much that your sod is sitting in a puddle of water. When you water, you should also avoid watering late at night as the sunlight helps your sod absorb the water. Watering at night can lead to fungus issues which can kill off new sod quickly.
A general rule of thumb is watering around five times a day for 5 minutes at a time. You can simplify this process by utilizing a timer or a sprinkler system.
Another important step to take after you lay new sod is to not walk across it until it has had time to develop roots. Most times, people recommend waiting at least two weeks and after your first mow to walk across your sod. If you walk across the sod too soon, you will add an immense amount of stress to your lawn and can shock freshly laid sod.
After your sod has had some time to establish(around three weeks), you can wean off watering and water only one time a day. When you stop watering multiple times a day, you need to make sure that the one time you do water is a good amount of time that allows the water to penetrate deeply.
Once your sod is established, you can provide fertilizer to keep it on its track to form strong roots and provide you with a lush green yard.
Conclusion
New sod is a great way to add curb appeal to your home and provide your family with a lush yard to run around on. Because new sod is an investment for your yard, taking the necessary steps to protect it will save you money and time in the long run.
After you lay your new sod, you need to make sure it is established well before you can mow it successfully. Mowing your yard too soon can shock your sod and damage it severely. By waiting for ten to fourteen days, roots can establish, and your sod will be strong enough to mow over.
Another step you should take to make sure your yard is healthy and strong with new sod is to water your yard multiple times a day during the first few weeks. Ensuring your sod has enough water without overwatering gives your sod enough moisture to create rots and grow healthy.
You should also refrain from walking on your new sod until it is well established to prevent any damage that walking across it can cause. Lastly, after the first two weeks, applying fertilizer is a great option to help your sod continue to grow strong.
A healthy yard adds a beautiful touch of green that surrounds your home, and sod is a great option to have a beautiful yard year-round. While sod is a great option, you should always make sure that you are taking the necessary steps it takes to make sure it has a strong foundation to grow on.
