Once the grass is 1 inch tall, water the grass every other day until grass is established (approximately three weeks). We’ll help you develop a system to stay on top of the most important part of lawn care. You should not completely stop watering your lawn in the fall until the ground freezes. Carefully time afternoon watering so grass blades don’t remain moist overnight, which minimizes the threat of fungal diseases. As a general rule, keep the soil moist three inches below the surface when establishing. If you leave deep footprints in the sod, it has enough moisture. While it’s a good rule to generally run your sprinkler for about 20 minutes per zone, it can be hard to monitor if you’re not using an in-ground system or a hose timer. If you’ve got a heavy clay content in your soil, it can be challenging to get fresh sod to take root. How much should you water your lawn? After the ground freezes, it would be pointless to water grass because the frozen ground would act as a barrier, blocking the water's path to the roots. Watering new grass seed requires a great deal of attention and diligence to successfully grow a healthy lawn. Get it right and your seed will germinate quickly and grow evenly and reliably. She is co-founder of On Fiction Writing, a website for writers. Two weeks after sod is laid, reduce watering to once each day, and water long enough to soak the top one-quarter inch of soil. © 2020 Discovery or its subsidiaries and affiliates. Do not water your lawn in the evenings; allowing your lawn to remain damp overnight is an invitation to pests and to disease or fungus. Failing to Apply Fertilizers to Your Lawn. If you saturate your lawn’s root system with too much water it could actually damage your lawn. 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You can often find them with multiple zones so you can run multiple sprinklers, and they’ll shut off after the desired amount of watering time. Just remember to empty it out at the beginning of each watering. Naturally, as the lawn grows, it takes up nutrients from … With a little effort and some heavy tilling, you should be able to get your lawn going in no time. You can stop daily watering of new grass seed once it is fully established; that is, once it has germinated and the grass blades are about an inch tall. Typically, new sod should be watered two to four times each day for the first seven to 10 days. How to water new grass seed depends on the area you’ve seeded. The addition of a rain gauge to each zone you're watering will let you see how much water has been applied to an area throughout the day. Use this seasonal guide to keep your lawn and other outdoor spaces healthy throughout all four seasons. In fact, too much water during the fall months can actually harm your lawn more than help it. If you have no choice, be vigilant and accept the need to apply water more frequently as it dries out more quickly. Care of new sod in the first weeks -- especially irrigation -- is critical. For a 15' by 15' lawn, overseeded rye grass will use 1238 more gallons of water per season than a dormant Bermuda lawn. This can be achieved by watering the soil once or twice a week, soaking the soil to a depth of 1 inch at each watering. This is how long it will take to actually see the grass growing. During week three, you can reduce watering to every other day, but water longer so the soil is soaked to a depth of one-half inch. Sod is typically established four weeks after installation. Fortunately, watering a new Bermuda sod lawn is not difficult, but it does require the home gardener to frequently check the new sod's condition. If you adjust your watering program at the first signs of over/under watering, your grass will easily recover. At this stage, you can start a regular routine of watering once or twice a week for a total of around an inch of water. Avoid the hottest season or occasional heat-spells when planting. So is choosing the right type of sod for your region and environmental conditions. The morning and late afternoon are the best times to water your lawn but remember to adjust your watering schedule to account for rainfall. Once the lawn and soil are thoroughly wet, water 3 … If the sod is firm, pull back a corner. Don't miss HGTV in your favorite social media feeds. Tips for Watering New Grass Seed Water is the key to survival for any plant, and when it comes to new seed, there’s nowhere where it’s more critical. After your sod is established, it can be difficult to determine if it is thirsty, because symptoms don’t appear as quickly as they do with newly laid sod. The lawn will need water in order for the new grass seed to germinate, aid with root establishment and turfs to knit together. Germination times vary with different species, but most lawn seed will germinate within 3 to 21 days. A new sprinkler system from Reddi Irrigation can help lighten the workload by regulating water usage and timing. When you water at night, the moisture doesn't have time to soak in well before temperatures fall for the evening. New Sod Care. Watering new grass seed is enough of a challenge without taking on the heat as an enemy. Water the area for the new sod thoroughly 12 to 24 hours before the sod arrives, using a sprinkler. At this point you can stop watering as frequently and treat the sod as you would an established lawn. Renee Miller began writing professionally in 2008, contributing to websites and the "Community Press" newspaper. At the beginning, the grassy patch will require daily watering, but this can be reduced to two times a week and then to once a week. This is why the cold temperatures of northern winters are said to create desert conditions. When to Stop Watering Your Lawn If you live in an area that has four distinct seasons, autumn is a time when temperatures begin to drop, the days become shorter, and the growth of your grass begins to slow down. If your lawn appears to be holding water, or if you’re seeing evidence of puddles in your lawn, you need to stop watering and give it time to dry out. Test Your Soil (Optional) Fortunately, you can get beautiful results without a soil test as long as … Join the party! Week 1 - Keep Sod Wet. Established lawns usually require about 1 1/2 inches of water per week. This will reduce stress and soil compaction so your roots can take hold. In fact, laying fresh sod over an existing lawn is no shortcut and could kill your sod and cause you twice as much work. Instantly renew your lawn by installing sod. New sod needs more water during the early days because the roots must grow and establish themselves in the soil. If you’re just seeing poor results in one area, it’s a good indication that your sprinklers aren’t hitting the mark and that some adjustments are required. Patch up a spotty yard with a little compost and sod. No matter what time of the year you’re growing grass, brush up on your lawn care routine with these quick and easy tips. It’s the only time you should water several times a week. Occasional, deep watering encourages the grass to develop deep roots. Your lawn needs the most water during the first 14 weeks after being newly installed, so it’s important to be vigilant in your waterings. These are early indications that your lawn isn't getting enough water. This will reduce stress and soil compaction so your roots can take hold. 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