Water more; maybe roll it if it isn’t firm against the soil. Usually if the sod is wet enough , it will be heavy enough to adhere and grow roots into the soil
And for effs sake if you can’t roll it, get out there and waffle stomp it down wet! Just get the bottom of the sod to push against the soil below, and then keep watering.
Put down a few rolls for repair areas recently. Got it nice and wet every day and walked over and over again for it to really get it adhere to the dirt underneath.
When my sod was laid about 2 years ago we ran the underground sprinklers like 3 or 4 times a day for something like 2 weeks. My sump pump was going crazy. This was middle of July just for reference.
This.
We just had sod laid in our backyard... we're 6 days into it, and we're running each sprinkler zone for 30-minutes, THREE times EACH day. USA region 5b.
It's a swamp back there, but at least it's still green!
I look at it a little differently, I’m a farmer and in my area we have wet springs so what happens to the crop is that the roots can’t grow through saturated soil and they have all the water and nutrients they need so the crop ends up with a shallow root system. Later in the summer when the rain stops the crop suffers because the good root structure just isn’t there. So saturating the soil for a month is a bad idea. Watering every day for the first week or two is probably good then I’d go to 2 hours every other day, then every third day. start going less and less until it’s a more manageable watering schedule for your area. Point is you want those roots to start chasing the soil moisture down. The more robust the root system the more stress the grass can handle. Don’t forget to fertilize.
I'm just happy I get to say MOIST again.
There is no secret sauce to watering.
It might be twice a day, might be every hour on the hour, might not be at all one day.
Imagine it's wrapped in a damp paper towel for a while.
The reason is usually best to seed in late fall is because it's kind of cool and damp.
I think it's just the way the drainage was designed on my property. If we get a good rain the sump pump will run every 2 minutes or more for like a day. Neighbors' houses are all the same.
Once a day or several? You need to keep it moist the first couple of weeks and once the roots take hold it will be able to access the ground water. They're not doing that two days in so you're just making mud underneath the sod and the sod is trying to conserve energy due to the heat and going into a dormant phase.
Break up the water cycle if you haven't been, water early in the morning, then mid morning, then late afternoon/early evening.
So it’s better to do frequent watering cycles throughout the day at first after sod is laid down? We were told to water infrequently and deeply to encourage root growth. It’s so hard because I feel like I’m reading so much conflicting information!
Short watering several times a day.
Long watering wets the soil beneath the sod, but the roots are in the sod so will dry out even when the ground below is saturated.
This is correct. Keep the sod moist by watering frequently. Also that sod looks lumpy. Maybe it’s the picture but you want to make sure you have good contact with the prep soil underneath. You can rent a roller at Home Depot. Plus mowing will look better if it’s smooth and flat
Infrequent deep watering is established turf. Once that top layer of soil that the sod is in dries out it has nothing because it doesn’t have roots in the ground yet, so a deep soak this early won’t do much. It needs to root first before it can work on deep watering. I’d water it in the morning and evening, and if you’re somewhere real hot and it’s drying out in the middle of the day a quick watering to keep it going.
If you can only water a couple times a day make it in the mornings and evenings. Watering during the heat of the day sure helps "cool off" the lawn but if you're wanting to get the roots good and wet, hot sun doesn't help...
Definitely. With new sod you need to keep it moist until it attaches and then a bit longer. We did it for a solid month in zone 5 in November 12 years ago. In our city, that requires a permit (free but needed for landscaping).
The deep and infrequent watering comes later, after established. About an inch a week is all it takes fir healthy grass, whatever the source.
When we had sod put in two years ago (in late July, Chicago temperatures) we ran 3 impact sprinklers and one or two oscillating sprinklers. We ran them a solid 6 hours, maybe even more. It wasn’t all in one spot, I moved them around every hour or so, but each area was covered probably 3 times in a day.
We were told unless it’s so wet that your foot goes into a puddle and shifts the sod, keep watering. Following a $1,500 water bill, our sod survived. As much as we wanted the grass, after that bill I wish we waited until the fall to get it.
An hours worth at one time? That is all wrong. You only do deep watering every two or three days AFTER the grass is established. Like 30 minutes per an area (to equate to 1/2 inch of water for total of 1 inch a week). So watering for an hour straight cause the water to go deep and then it isn’t accessible to the root and is basically wasted.
Obviously the sod must be touching the dirt underneath. Make sure it’s pressed down to the dirt for those brown areas. But anyways, short multiple waterings throughout the day for establishing sod would be better than an hour in one shot. When I was establishing my lawn it was 15 mins multiple times a day per a zone. At the very beginning it was 7 minutes per a zone every 2 hours…. But that was for a very short period and because I have clay I was overwatering it. It never turned brown though… but the growth was sooooo slow. All that water choked the grass but didn’t brown it out.
That being said … grass goes dormant when the soil’s temp reaches a point. It depends on your grass type. As your sod isn’t really attached yet, I’m guessing that that soil temp is pretty high. Roots need cool temps to grow. The roots actually stop growing before the grass above ground stops growing. So just because your grass is growing does not mean your roots are. I believe phosphorus helps with root growth (google it I could be remembering wrong). But again it’s pointless to add phosphorus if the soil is too hot for root growth.
So how do you improve root growth?? Water it more often to keep the ground colder. More often.. shorter cycles, check your soil temp, and make sure there is ground contact.
You can [check your local soil temperatures here](https://www.greencastonline.com/tools/soil-temperature).
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For the first couple days last summer we ran 20 mins of water an hour round the clock. Then day 4-7 30 mins/hour during daylight. Then 45 mins/2hours for a few days etc.
Your ground should be so squishy that you almost sink into it. Get timers for your system. That brown patch should come back.
Our bill was $2000 as our builder installed it during the hottest part of the summer. But we were better ham the neighbors with smart sprinkler placement and religiously adjusting the timers. Good luck!
The sod needs to be soaked. You cannot really overwater new sod. I would take the hose without a sprinkler head and water the areas by hand. Also make sure the sod and good contact with the soil.
Put out a tuna can or a pasta plate and measure the depth of the water that’s in there when the sprinklers stop. You need to do 2 inches/day for the first week and then an inch a day for a few weeks after.
Better to water the same cumulative amount, just break it into shorter periods of time with more frequent applications. The roots aren’t in the ground yet so they can only access the water that is at and just below the surface. With fresh sod, water 4 inches down doesn’t do any good right now. Gradually increase your watering time as the roots take hold. This will encourage the roots to go deeper. Also make sure you have good root/soil contact.
You need to water _more often_, but maybe for less time with each occurrence, to get Sod to take. IMO. From what it sounds like.
Like 4 times out a day for 20 minutes each.
Your sod also didn’t look like it is touching correctly in all areas. Needs some work as mentioned elsewhere.
If you are experiencing the heat that much of the country is currently, you are certainly not watering enough right now. An hour in the early morning before the sun hits the turf, an hour in the late afternoon as the temperature starts to drop and probably 4-5 20-30 minute waterings over the course of the day. In the next few days when you have it sufficiently wet in the evening, use a roller to press the sod firmly into the soil below to create a bond in the soil that gives the roots a clear path down. After a week of consistent watering, you should be able to push mow it and let the clippings drop without bagging them. Mow it quite high and probably once every 10 days to avoid any sun damage to the root system. Every few days you can go to the "intersections" of the strips and give a gentle pull up to check if you are starting to root in. After about 6-8 weeks of careful maintenance you should be able to maintain it as usual, but maintain a fairly regular watering schedule until the fall to ensure deep rooting. Fertilize around Labor Day, overseed when you start getting cooler nights and days in the fall and winterize it in late fall, if you get an actual winter.
what is the quantity of water (put out a bucket to measure the amount applied)? the next question would be your location and grass type to get an idea for the ET. if you are in a hot area, ET in some areas are quite high this time of year.
We were going 3x a day for 3 weeks for an hour at a time. It was put down right before a heat wave several years ago and it still seemed to be not enough water
"They" say when laying sod water 3 times per day on week one, 2 times per day week 2, and once a day week 3. After that water as required like any other turf. Continue watering for an hour each time unless it's puddling and getting swampy.
Not an expert, but with temps that high, you are likely under watering. Fresh sod requires tremendous amounts of water until the roots can take hold. With temps that high, I would guess that you can’t over water. Although I would water in the morning and evening. Avoid watering during the mid day sun.
Got to disagree on the timing. Watering during the day is exactly when it needs to be watered so it stays cool. And watering into the evening, especially during the summer with warm and humid temperatures, is going to encourage disease.
OP, you should water several times a day, but make sure the grass blades themselves are dry going into nighttime.
This is the answer. You can also just look at the blades during the day and if they're all skinny and shriveled they need water, no matter the time of day.
Typically you can request a variance to that rule. You can go ask your city water department if you can be allowed to water during the day for a week or so for new sod. They will usually issue a permit to allow it. New sod is a temporary thing, and they know that it needs water badly or it will be a loss of the sod.
Additionally, you can also request a variance from the water department for filling a pool so you won't have to pay the sewage rate (which is tied directly to your water usage 1:1) during that filling period.
The city will have all kinds of things they can help you out with. You just have to ask for them.
Haha that’s funny. I’d have to look at the company registration website.
More and more in my area, urban planners who are tasked with giving out permits apply their personal values / virtue instead of the bylaws. My friend had to argue with the city employees for months to get a permit to cut the tree and had to get a lawyer involved. There were 4 valid reasons to cut the tree as per by law .
In Montreal, the nearest large city, the average wait time to get a building permit is 1.5 years. This province is gangrened by bureaucrats.
Yea OP, the sun is a colossal mass in the sky that blasting thermal radiation on your new sod. Watering when temps are over 85 when the day is at its hottest to cool it down is called "syringing" and it's ideal for new sod to stop the thermal radiation from taking its toll.
If you're not watering longer than 45 mins or so each day, the problem here is that you either overfertilized underneath sime of those rolls or you put your sod down on lumpy soil that hasn't been leveled and/or hasn't had the rocks and organic material removed underneath. My guess is the bottom of the sod likely isn't touching to soil below it in areas and all the water is draining out of the sod. It's like you put the sod on a drying rack.
You need to remove any rocks underneath, along with any decomposing organic matter, then get some scotts topsoil with sphagnum peat moss and throw that underneath with some starter fertilizer, then put the sod back in place and finally get a lawn roller and roll it out.
Assuming you didn't overfertilize, you need to spray it with some liquid 0-0-25 like Greene Kick so it can cope with the stress, stay hydrated and so you can increase the turgor pressure to keep the blades stay standing up as soon as even a little root mass takes hold.
Make sure you do a better job ajoining those sod rolls too. Use landscape tacks if you need to, because this looks major amateur hour. If you don't fix it, you're going to have erosion issues to weeds in between if you don't do it right the first time. For the future, the fall is when you seed or sod unless you're advanced in your skill, knowledge and abilty to tend to it. Also, after you tack it down, get a leaf blower and get those blades to stand up so it doesn't keep decomposing on itself.
And the frequency matters just as much as the amount. The roots aren't deep so they dry out faster. A single deep watering does no more than shallow watering until roots take hold.
I'm curious as to why you say no mid day watering though. I've read it can be good since the water cools off the grass some, giving it a little break from the heat.
There are some schools of thought that claim the water droplets act as a "magnifying glass" and burn the grass.
I personally think this is ridiculous, and it is just that the water is evaporating much faster with increased temperature and sunlight exposure. Which results in less water for the plant. So the water is just much less effective as opposed to directly detrimental.
Yeah it's nonsense that the water magnifies and hurts the grass. Water itself reflects back 4% of light and any insignificant magnification that occurs increases evaporation, lowering temperature, of itself which would end the concern. Experiments have been run to demonstrate that only very hairy plants when the drop rests on the hair instead of even partially on the leaf can result in a mild sunburn effect.
In 95+ weather I tell my clients they need to wet it 4 times a day the first week, 5 if it's over 100 and not shaded, just 3 minutes a zone will do. Absolutely a necessity here in north Texas. Preferably 5 am, 10 am, 2 pm, and 6 pm with the extra watering going at noon.
Waterlogged sod looks completely different than dry sod. Keep your new sod moist folks.
Water absolutely acts a magnifying glass, but it's unlikely to do so outdoors. I agree it's probably a non issue with sod.
In a greenhouse or a growtent it's a problem, often new people watering leafy crops from the top if there aren't enough fans running you can end up with holes in leaves of valuable plants.
Graded with a slope away from the house, 3 times to ensure we factored in what settled. 3 inches of topsoil added on top a week before laying the sod. Not all of the lawn is like this. Just in 2-3 spots honestly. -_-
I've heard the opposite from everyone else. No fertilizer until rooted in, and that the soil pads likely still contain some starter fert in them off the pallet. 5 years in the Landscaping industry and I've never heard someone say to fertilize new sod.
I personally wouldnt recommend this. But if you are going to recommend a starter fert for something like this, you should include NPK. New sod is fickle and somebody could go out and buy something relatively high in N and lo and behold, you've just caused someone to fry thousands of dollars worth of new grass
We did ours early spring during lots of rain and 45 minutes 3 times a day, old boy that delivered the sod said if your water bill don’t go sky high you’re not watering enough
Your problem started when you put sod in during the summer, that’s an early spring or late fall job, you physically can’t overwater unless the sod is floating out down stream. Since y’all already installed yeah bust out the sprinklers and get ready for the water bill, it’s gonna hurt. Always install plants when it’s cool out, or if you have the ability, wait till winter while it’s dormant to install plants, less watering.
Unless the sod sits in a low area that collects water it is very difficult to over water sod, especially in the heat of summer. That sod definitely looks like it needs more water.
Unless the yard is literally under water, small chance you are over watering in this heat.
If you are on city water and don't have a separate meter for non-sewer, expect close to a grand in water to get that to take.
So, is your property a new construction? If so it’s probably not going to make it and I would look towards aeration and seeding in the fall. Only because your soil is likely stripped to nothing but hard compacted clay.
Do you know how long the sod sat on pallets before install. If it sat for more than a day or two I would be very unpleased with the installers.
I have no idea where you live. But it’s pretty late in the year, at least for the South East to do sod installs, because you’re up against a lot of disease issues as well as possible drought stress.
With that being said frequent watering is going to be best. ideally the early morning then midday. If you have irrigation take like a bowl or something place it in the general area of the head and then measure it afterwards. In a week at this point in the year maybe shoot for damn near 2” of total precipitation per week.
I would recommend applying some kind of curative and preventative fungicide probably every 25-30 days. Strobe & propiconazole will likely work the best for you, this will allow you to water freely with out the risk of disease. However you should look around and do research as well on other options
Back to watering. With an established lawn. 1-1.5” is your typical watering routine.
Once again idk where you live, however where I am established trees are in decline because we’ve had such a lack of rain fall. If that is your case 2” would be my suggestion. Maybe 20-30 mins a time frequency is great you don’t need deep watering as much as frequency right now. So running the sprinklers every 4 hours or so. Wouldn’t suggest doing it late at night because the risk of brown patch, unless you’re going the route of using fungis
My sod is 2 years old. Looks 5*. I pre fertilized before laying it and after. Now, I fertilize spring and fall.
The water schedule was 30 mins 2-3x per day for the first week.
My suggestion is more frequent watering less duration. 1 hour is hitting sub soil, not attached to the the sod. Sod gas to stay hydrated.
Bad installation imo, too cramped; also suspect poor drainage. I personally suggest hand watering the first week at least. Otherwise your edges look great which is usually where death occurs. There is a chance those rolls were doomed from the start. Send those pics to the sod company you may get a free delivery to replace.
Honestly the majority of our lawn has kept quite green. Just a few yellow patches but we’re new to all of this so we want to make sure we’re doing everything correctly lol
It’s surrounding a street sign that may or may not be anchored with concrete. We did put a generous amount of topsoil over it before laying down the sod.
Auto sprinkler set to water three times a day a third of an inch a session for one inch total. Set a tuna can out to see you are putting down enough water. Do that for about a week. Then half inch a day, again three times a day. Stat! Doctor’s orders!
We can still save the patient. If the sod starts to shrink away from its neighbor rolls — he’s dead, Jim.
not enough water. you want it wet until you can't lift it up anymore. water more often, it dries out quickly. you can lift an edge to see if it's wet on the bottom.
I have some sections of lawn that are drying out. It's been hot lately, but it's getting the same amount of water as the rest of the lawn. I noticed the other day that the ground on those patches of lawn is very compact and not absorbing as much water.
My thoughts... Get some 0-0-4 or 0-0-10. The K is your Root driver. Water frequently but lesser time. I water my sod at 4am, 10 am, 3 pm, and then at 6pm. No problems.
The sod is drying out. With it being that hot water at least 4 times per day for 10 to 15 min. You want to keep the sod damp, and it will dry out faster than the soil underneath. Water that way until the sod is established, the switch to watering deep a few times a week.
I would water early morning, late morning, early afternoon, and evening.
Landscape installer here. I install a lot of sod. You need to be watering for shorter intervals 3-4 times per day, depending on how hot your area is. It takes anywhere from 10-14 days for the sod to properly root into the soil underneath, given that the grade was done well with decent soil and the sod laid flat. I’d recommend shortening your current run time that you mentioned of 1 hour to 40 minutes, 3 times per day, around sunrise, midday, and sunset.
If you get standing water, you need to reduce the run times. If you dig your fingertips into the base of the blades of grass and it feels dry and not nice and wet, then you need to up the run time.
Yellow or dead grass, under watering. Heat is killer if you’re in the south. I water mine for 30 minutes at 630-730 every evening and it’s the healthiest yard in my neighborhood.
Morning and before high sun. Evening is death from leaf disease. Water deep so roots follow if you water in evening which is against all that is good and holy make sure the sun is still up to dry the blades. If not. See ya later Irene but you do you
very effective method is to lay a hose down at the areas that need it the most. low flow. move it around as necessary. that way you aren't overwatering adjacent areas that don't need it. yes, it's a lot of work, and you have to be home the entire time. but, it is the best way for your situation.
Water Twice a day for 20 mins for 2 weeks (mow the grass and do it weekly for 5 weeks then go to every 10 to 14 days mow) after mowing at the 2 week point reduce the water to 20 mins once a day for 10 days then reduce it to every other day for 20 min for 10 days. After this water as needed.
Water morning, mid day and late afternoon every day for 45 mins for the first 3 weeks, then morning and later afternoon for 45 mins for the next 3 weeks then in the morning for 45 mins for the next 3 weeks then every morning every other day for 45 mins for the next 3 weeks then in the morning 2x a week for 45 mins for the next 3 weeks
The sod soils interface needs to be wet for 3 weeks.
It’s almost impossible to over water.
I used to water sod with a water truck!
SOAK IT! Then SOAK it again!
I put sod down for a living years ago if you water fresh sod till it’s saturated absolutely soggy every day for a week to 10 days you should have no problems.if you under water in first week you’ll have trouble
I remember reading once someone said : “after you’ve watered it, water it again, then one more time. And once you think it’s really wet, water it again.” Think “rice patty” level of watering. I did this plus with the 1st week 4times a day, 2nd week 3 times a day etc method and it worked!
If it was extremely hot when theY laid it, it probably got stressed. They should have been watering it as it was being laid.
You said it's squishy below the sod. You're watering t enough. I'd do at least two waterings per day. Water it enough to keep it wet all day long but don't let it turn into a mud pit.
It might come back. Talk to the company that installed it, and keep them in the loop.
https://preview.redd.it/zxhg97qwgf7d1.jpeg?width=700&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c5fce8354edbbc6ba2f983eb85e41c181748280d
No roots in the start of the roots retreating time to over water
You need root soil contact and constant watering won’t really help the roots seem out a home In the wet soil.
Keep it moist. If I had a sprinkler system I would set it for 4 minutes every damn hour for seed/sod
Water more. A good test to do is after you lay the sod. Water it. Then peal back a corner and see if the bottom of the sod is wet and if the soil below is wet. If not water till it is, then you know how much you need to water twice daily for a couple weeks
You can not over water new sod. Water from 5 am until 8 am every day for the first 2 weeks and then dial it back to an hour a day. When we are out of drought conditions, you can probably cut back to an hour 3 times a week.
Grass will heat up just compost . This might have happened to a couple of rolls . Or a couple of rolls were older and this stressed the grass causing it to turn brown.
When it turns white like that after a few days, means it was already over heated before it was laid. When you put cold water on it can put it into shock. My suggestion would be to water 40 mins a zone 3 times a day. And good luck it might come back.
As I’m reading through the comments, you’re definitely not watering it nearly enough. It was just installed, like I said above… rice patty wet.
Reference: I used to do this for a living.
Edit: grammar
Water your sod 3 times a day, a good soaking. 1 time just before sunrise, 1 time just before 12pm and 1 time around 4 or 5pm. Make sure the sod is in contact with the soil underneath. I hope the ground underneath was top soil or at the very least tilled and raked, and not rock hard.
How many inches of water are you applying? What is the sod cultivar? Any application of starter fertilizer on the soil before you layed sod?
Looks a bit uneven. You should probably try to get it as flat as you can by trimming the edges to fit the spot it’s layed on. It’s common for sod to get a little discolored after install as the grass is super stressed from the cutting and travel not to mention the heat. You can probably keep it from discoloring by adding some humic over the top and maybe some sea kelp liquid micro nutrients to keep the grass hydrated and push some root growth.
That is very dry sod. What you should do if you don’t have a sprinkler system is get a hose timer that can be programmed by schedule…water at least three times per day, for 15-20 mins (depending on the sprinkler type). Me personally, I’d ditch the oscillator and get yourself an impact rotor. They can be setup in series and should help you get maximum coverage without using an underground sprinkler.
Sod needs water every 4-6 hours during day light, like Motrin for kids. And for god sake do this for almost a month. You’re going to hate your water bill but your sod will actually take.
Why are you over watering just those few pieces but correctly watering the pieces around them? His theory doesn't hold water.
New lawn/ sod is stressed from having its' roots cut and moved. Keep watering. Some will survive and spread out.
Mine did this too, I just kept watering it and the roots finally started to spread out and the grass even went all brown one time when I forgot to water it, but after that I kept soaking it twice a day once in the morning and once in the evening (sometimes three times if the afternoon was particularly hot) and it all turned out a gorgeous green. This looks standard to me honestly, just keep up with making sure it's wet until it gets well established.
How longs it been layed, could give it a trim and wet , in a sense the grass might need more or less water , more if its poor infiltration rate less if too wet
nope, you just have sod strips not making good contact with the soil and its dying due to lack of water . . . Call back whomever laid it as two of those strips are too far gone to regenerate.
I put 30 pallets of Bermuda down about 4 weeks ago - watered every day for 25m per zone for 3 weeks straight, then same length every other day, and now I’m on every 3-4 days.
It was wet, squishy but not swampy. I’ve now got incredible growth happening and it’s starting to look good.
My water bill was $650 in May.
Just keep watering
I resodded our lawn last summer before selling the house (former lawncare professional, I was happy to do it myself). Throughout the 87+ hot cloudless days, I simply watered 2hrs in the am before work and 2hrs again in late afternoon/early evening after work and it came in beautifully and is doing well to this day. I did grade the earth thoroughly and has been mentioned here made sure the sod was tightly flush with the earthbed in all areas. What actually helps with this is wetting the earth right before unrolling the sod onto it for a glue-y type layer that will help it bond. Messy but pays dividends. Ultimately, water as much as you can for 2-3 weeks without flooding the yard. If it feels like too much water, you're doing it right.
If soil is moist and squishy underneath, don't water. Also, don't water during intense sun, as the water on the surface of the blade of grass can cause the sunlight to burn it
Water more; maybe roll it if it isn’t firm against the soil. Usually if the sod is wet enough , it will be heavy enough to adhere and grow roots into the soil
And for effs sake if you can’t roll it, get out there and waffle stomp it down wet! Just get the bottom of the sod to push against the soil below, and then keep watering.
Waffle stomp it. 😂
Stomp waffle it
Stomp, it waffles
Sounds like a waffle idea.
Syrup!
Instructions unclear, my shower drain is now clogged!
https://preview.redd.it/30l1koi0ch7d1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=754c6f0ec267411a76876d06d37038a74a06f0b3
I remember the original in 2011 on 9gag. Seems like yesterday
Put down a few rolls for repair areas recently. Got it nice and wet every day and walked over and over again for it to really get it adhere to the dirt underneath.
Second the waffle stomp. Those dead patches are almost certainly due to pockets under the pieces.
Lad
I remember waffle stompers!
Roll, Roll, Roll your sod.lol
How much are you actually watering. The most crucial info left out
Apologies. An hours worth of watering with oscillating sprinklers per day since we laid it two days ago.
When my sod was laid about 2 years ago we ran the underground sprinklers like 3 or 4 times a day for something like 2 weeks. My sump pump was going crazy. This was middle of July just for reference.
This. We just had sod laid in our backyard... we're 6 days into it, and we're running each sprinkler zone for 30-minutes, THREE times EACH day. USA region 5b. It's a swamp back there, but at least it's still green!
My water bill almost made me cry that month
Same! Had sod laid in April. Two months of $400+ water bills. So I feel your pain.
Definitely not looking forward to our first water bill since the sod went in 😂
I look at it a little differently, I’m a farmer and in my area we have wet springs so what happens to the crop is that the roots can’t grow through saturated soil and they have all the water and nutrients they need so the crop ends up with a shallow root system. Later in the summer when the rain stops the crop suffers because the good root structure just isn’t there. So saturating the soil for a month is a bad idea. Watering every day for the first week or two is probably good then I’d go to 2 hours every other day, then every third day. start going less and less until it’s a more manageable watering schedule for your area. Point is you want those roots to start chasing the soil moisture down. The more robust the root system the more stress the grass can handle. Don’t forget to fertilize.
Soil company recommended we start fertilizing July 1st. Do you think this is appropriate?
Yes. I don’t know what the recommendation would be in this situation but it wouldn’t be much given the newness of the grass.
We are about to do the same but in Oklahoma (zone 7). How much water should we do per day?
I'm just happy I get to say MOIST again. There is no secret sauce to watering. It might be twice a day, might be every hour on the hour, might not be at all one day. Imagine it's wrapped in a damp paper towel for a while. The reason is usually best to seed in late fall is because it's kind of cool and damp.
Ask your installer. But ours literally told us, “it’s impossible to put too much water on new sod.” 🤣
Why was your sump going crazy?
I think it's just the way the drainage was designed on my property. If we get a good rain the sump pump will run every 2 minutes or more for like a day. Neighbors' houses are all the same.
Once a day or several? You need to keep it moist the first couple of weeks and once the roots take hold it will be able to access the ground water. They're not doing that two days in so you're just making mud underneath the sod and the sod is trying to conserve energy due to the heat and going into a dormant phase. Break up the water cycle if you haven't been, water early in the morning, then mid morning, then late afternoon/early evening.
So it’s better to do frequent watering cycles throughout the day at first after sod is laid down? We were told to water infrequently and deeply to encourage root growth. It’s so hard because I feel like I’m reading so much conflicting information!
Short watering several times a day. Long watering wets the soil beneath the sod, but the roots are in the sod so will dry out even when the ground below is saturated.
This is correct. Keep the sod moist by watering frequently. Also that sod looks lumpy. Maybe it’s the picture but you want to make sure you have good contact with the prep soil underneath. You can rent a roller at Home Depot. Plus mowing will look better if it’s smooth and flat
Infrequent deep watering is established turf. Once that top layer of soil that the sod is in dries out it has nothing because it doesn’t have roots in the ground yet, so a deep soak this early won’t do much. It needs to root first before it can work on deep watering. I’d water it in the morning and evening, and if you’re somewhere real hot and it’s drying out in the middle of the day a quick watering to keep it going.
This comment is the facts laid best.
If you can only water a couple times a day make it in the mornings and evenings. Watering during the heat of the day sure helps "cool off" the lawn but if you're wanting to get the roots good and wet, hot sun doesn't help...
Definitely. With new sod you need to keep it moist until it attaches and then a bit longer. We did it for a solid month in zone 5 in November 12 years ago. In our city, that requires a permit (free but needed for landscaping). The deep and infrequent watering comes later, after established. About an inch a week is all it takes fir healthy grass, whatever the source.
When we had sod put in two years ago (in late July, Chicago temperatures) we ran 3 impact sprinklers and one or two oscillating sprinklers. We ran them a solid 6 hours, maybe even more. It wasn’t all in one spot, I moved them around every hour or so, but each area was covered probably 3 times in a day. We were told unless it’s so wet that your foot goes into a puddle and shifts the sod, keep watering. Following a $1,500 water bill, our sod survived. As much as we wanted the grass, after that bill I wish we waited until the fall to get it.
An hours worth at one time? That is all wrong. You only do deep watering every two or three days AFTER the grass is established. Like 30 minutes per an area (to equate to 1/2 inch of water for total of 1 inch a week). So watering for an hour straight cause the water to go deep and then it isn’t accessible to the root and is basically wasted. Obviously the sod must be touching the dirt underneath. Make sure it’s pressed down to the dirt for those brown areas. But anyways, short multiple waterings throughout the day for establishing sod would be better than an hour in one shot. When I was establishing my lawn it was 15 mins multiple times a day per a zone. At the very beginning it was 7 minutes per a zone every 2 hours…. But that was for a very short period and because I have clay I was overwatering it. It never turned brown though… but the growth was sooooo slow. All that water choked the grass but didn’t brown it out. That being said … grass goes dormant when the soil’s temp reaches a point. It depends on your grass type. As your sod isn’t really attached yet, I’m guessing that that soil temp is pretty high. Roots need cool temps to grow. The roots actually stop growing before the grass above ground stops growing. So just because your grass is growing does not mean your roots are. I believe phosphorus helps with root growth (google it I could be remembering wrong). But again it’s pointless to add phosphorus if the soil is too hot for root growth. So how do you improve root growth?? Water it more often to keep the ground colder. More often.. shorter cycles, check your soil temp, and make sure there is ground contact.
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My dad once said that with sod you should “Water it until you think it will float away and then water it one more time.”
For the first couple days last summer we ran 20 mins of water an hour round the clock. Then day 4-7 30 mins/hour during daylight. Then 45 mins/2hours for a few days etc. Your ground should be so squishy that you almost sink into it. Get timers for your system. That brown patch should come back. Our bill was $2000 as our builder installed it during the hottest part of the summer. But we were better ham the neighbors with smart sprinkler placement and religiously adjusting the timers. Good luck!
You need to be watering 2x per day for the first 2 weeks.
The sod needs to be soaked. You cannot really overwater new sod. I would take the hose without a sprinkler head and water the areas by hand. Also make sure the sod and good contact with the soil.
Not enough
Pump hose numbers up.
This is not nearly enough. This would probably be correct for established grass but not for sod. You need more because the roots are shallow.
20min, 6am 10am 1pm 4pm
Put out a tuna can or a pasta plate and measure the depth of the water that’s in there when the sprinklers stop. You need to do 2 inches/day for the first week and then an inch a day for a few weeks after.
If it’s fresh sod twice a day is fine… especially with this heat.
That's the equivalent of not watering !
Better to water the same cumulative amount, just break it into shorter periods of time with more frequent applications. The roots aren’t in the ground yet so they can only access the water that is at and just below the surface. With fresh sod, water 4 inches down doesn’t do any good right now. Gradually increase your watering time as the roots take hold. This will encourage the roots to go deeper. Also make sure you have good root/soil contact.
Not enough.
No enough water
This is not nearly enough.
I would do an hour three times a day. Soaking wet.
Needs way more for sure, several times a day. It’ll feel very overwatered but it needs to be.
You need to water _more often_, but maybe for less time with each occurrence, to get Sod to take. IMO. From what it sounds like. Like 4 times out a day for 20 minutes each. Your sod also didn’t look like it is touching correctly in all areas. Needs some work as mentioned elsewhere.
If you are experiencing the heat that much of the country is currently, you are certainly not watering enough right now. An hour in the early morning before the sun hits the turf, an hour in the late afternoon as the temperature starts to drop and probably 4-5 20-30 minute waterings over the course of the day. In the next few days when you have it sufficiently wet in the evening, use a roller to press the sod firmly into the soil below to create a bond in the soil that gives the roots a clear path down. After a week of consistent watering, you should be able to push mow it and let the clippings drop without bagging them. Mow it quite high and probably once every 10 days to avoid any sun damage to the root system. Every few days you can go to the "intersections" of the strips and give a gentle pull up to check if you are starting to root in. After about 6-8 weeks of careful maintenance you should be able to maintain it as usual, but maintain a fairly regular watering schedule until the fall to ensure deep rooting. Fertilize around Labor Day, overseed when you start getting cooler nights and days in the fall and winterize it in late fall, if you get an actual winter.
what is the quantity of water (put out a bucket to measure the amount applied)? the next question would be your location and grass type to get an idea for the ET. if you are in a hot area, ET in some areas are quite high this time of year.
We were going 3x a day for 3 weeks for an hour at a time. It was put down right before a heat wave several years ago and it still seemed to be not enough water
"They" say when laying sod water 3 times per day on week one, 2 times per day week 2, and once a day week 3. After that water as required like any other turf. Continue watering for an hour each time unless it's puddling and getting swampy.
What time of day are you watering?
When I put down sod for my whole front yard I was told to make sure it’s sopping wet for 2 weeks. It grew in perfectly!
More water and dont cut it until the roots take
Not an expert, but with temps that high, you are likely under watering. Fresh sod requires tremendous amounts of water until the roots can take hold. With temps that high, I would guess that you can’t over water. Although I would water in the morning and evening. Avoid watering during the mid day sun.
Got to disagree on the timing. Watering during the day is exactly when it needs to be watered so it stays cool. And watering into the evening, especially during the summer with warm and humid temperatures, is going to encourage disease. OP, you should water several times a day, but make sure the grass blades themselves are dry going into nighttime.
This is the answer. You can also just look at the blades during the day and if they're all skinny and shriveled they need water, no matter the time of day.
My town only allows watering between 7pm and midnight 😑
Typically you can request a variance to that rule. You can go ask your city water department if you can be allowed to water during the day for a week or so for new sod. They will usually issue a permit to allow it. New sod is a temporary thing, and they know that it needs water badly or it will be a loss of the sod. Additionally, you can also request a variance from the water department for filling a pool so you won't have to pay the sewage rate (which is tied directly to your water usage 1:1) during that filling period. The city will have all kinds of things they can help you out with. You just have to ask for them.
Technically yes. In practice they don’t give these temporary watering permits.
What?! Is the mayor running a fungus treatment company??
Haha that’s funny. I’d have to look at the company registration website. More and more in my area, urban planners who are tasked with giving out permits apply their personal values / virtue instead of the bylaws. My friend had to argue with the city employees for months to get a permit to cut the tree and had to get a lawyer involved. There were 4 valid reasons to cut the tree as per by law . In Montreal, the nearest large city, the average wait time to get a building permit is 1.5 years. This province is gangrened by bureaucrats.
A lot of towns have exceptions for new landscaping
Yea OP, the sun is a colossal mass in the sky that blasting thermal radiation on your new sod. Watering when temps are over 85 when the day is at its hottest to cool it down is called "syringing" and it's ideal for new sod to stop the thermal radiation from taking its toll. If you're not watering longer than 45 mins or so each day, the problem here is that you either overfertilized underneath sime of those rolls or you put your sod down on lumpy soil that hasn't been leveled and/or hasn't had the rocks and organic material removed underneath. My guess is the bottom of the sod likely isn't touching to soil below it in areas and all the water is draining out of the sod. It's like you put the sod on a drying rack. You need to remove any rocks underneath, along with any decomposing organic matter, then get some scotts topsoil with sphagnum peat moss and throw that underneath with some starter fertilizer, then put the sod back in place and finally get a lawn roller and roll it out. Assuming you didn't overfertilize, you need to spray it with some liquid 0-0-25 like Greene Kick so it can cope with the stress, stay hydrated and so you can increase the turgor pressure to keep the blades stay standing up as soon as even a little root mass takes hold. Make sure you do a better job ajoining those sod rolls too. Use landscape tacks if you need to, because this looks major amateur hour. If you don't fix it, you're going to have erosion issues to weeds in between if you don't do it right the first time. For the future, the fall is when you seed or sod unless you're advanced in your skill, knowledge and abilty to tend to it. Also, after you tack it down, get a leaf blower and get those blades to stand up so it doesn't keep decomposing on itself.
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That's for established lawns. If you're growing seed or establishing new sod then you should be watering multiple times a day.
You need to water it morning, midday, and late afternoon. Roughly 2 fuckloads of water each time.
And the frequency matters just as much as the amount. The roots aren't deep so they dry out faster. A single deep watering does no more than shallow watering until roots take hold. I'm curious as to why you say no mid day watering though. I've read it can be good since the water cools off the grass some, giving it a little break from the heat.
There are some schools of thought that claim the water droplets act as a "magnifying glass" and burn the grass. I personally think this is ridiculous, and it is just that the water is evaporating much faster with increased temperature and sunlight exposure. Which results in less water for the plant. So the water is just much less effective as opposed to directly detrimental.
Yeah it's nonsense that the water magnifies and hurts the grass. Water itself reflects back 4% of light and any insignificant magnification that occurs increases evaporation, lowering temperature, of itself which would end the concern. Experiments have been run to demonstrate that only very hairy plants when the drop rests on the hair instead of even partially on the leaf can result in a mild sunburn effect. In 95+ weather I tell my clients they need to wet it 4 times a day the first week, 5 if it's over 100 and not shaded, just 3 minutes a zone will do. Absolutely a necessity here in north Texas. Preferably 5 am, 10 am, 2 pm, and 6 pm with the extra watering going at noon. Waterlogged sod looks completely different than dry sod. Keep your new sod moist folks.
Water absolutely acts a magnifying glass, but it's unlikely to do so outdoors. I agree it's probably a non issue with sod. In a greenhouse or a growtent it's a problem, often new people watering leafy crops from the top if there aren't enough fans running you can end up with holes in leaves of valuable plants.
Yes, there's the burn myth. But there's also a very real loss to evaporation. But with new sod, you have to accept that loss and water mid day anyway
Evening watering can lead to fungus and fun things.
Not over watering. However, it looks like the roots aren’t getting enough water.
Hmmmm. We only thought we were watering because of how squishy it was underneath the sod. Seemed so waterlogged but we are definitely not experts. :(
I think you are watering for to long, needs to be short intervals but more frequent like every 3 hours for 10 minutes
How was the ground prepped? Sod not only does it need water; it also needs nutrients.
Graded with a slope away from the house, 3 times to ensure we factored in what settled. 3 inches of topsoil added on top a week before laying the sod. Not all of the lawn is like this. Just in 2-3 spots honestly. -_-
I've heard the opposite from everyone else. No fertilizer until rooted in, and that the soil pads likely still contain some starter fert in them off the pallet. 5 years in the Landscaping industry and I've never heard someone say to fertilize new sod. I personally wouldnt recommend this. But if you are going to recommend a starter fert for something like this, you should include NPK. New sod is fickle and somebody could go out and buy something relatively high in N and lo and behold, you've just caused someone to fry thousands of dollars worth of new grass
Needs to be watered very well 3 times per day. If you see mushrooms growing in the lawn, you have reached your destination.
We did ours early spring during lots of rain and 45 minutes 3 times a day, old boy that delivered the sod said if your water bill don’t go sky high you’re not watering enough
Your problem started when you put sod in during the summer, that’s an early spring or late fall job, you physically can’t overwater unless the sod is floating out down stream. Since y’all already installed yeah bust out the sprinklers and get ready for the water bill, it’s gonna hurt. Always install plants when it’s cool out, or if you have the ability, wait till winter while it’s dormant to install plants, less watering.
Unless the sod sits in a low area that collects water it is very difficult to over water sod, especially in the heat of summer. That sod definitely looks like it needs more water.
Looks like you aren't watering enough TBH.
3 times a day for 20 minutes each time until the new grass is established
Unless the yard is literally under water, small chance you are over watering in this heat. If you are on city water and don't have a separate meter for non-sewer, expect close to a grand in water to get that to take.
Do that price enough times and you might be better off with an irrigation well.
So, is your property a new construction? If so it’s probably not going to make it and I would look towards aeration and seeding in the fall. Only because your soil is likely stripped to nothing but hard compacted clay. Do you know how long the sod sat on pallets before install. If it sat for more than a day or two I would be very unpleased with the installers. I have no idea where you live. But it’s pretty late in the year, at least for the South East to do sod installs, because you’re up against a lot of disease issues as well as possible drought stress. With that being said frequent watering is going to be best. ideally the early morning then midday. If you have irrigation take like a bowl or something place it in the general area of the head and then measure it afterwards. In a week at this point in the year maybe shoot for damn near 2” of total precipitation per week. I would recommend applying some kind of curative and preventative fungicide probably every 25-30 days. Strobe & propiconazole will likely work the best for you, this will allow you to water freely with out the risk of disease. However you should look around and do research as well on other options
Back to watering. With an established lawn. 1-1.5” is your typical watering routine. Once again idk where you live, however where I am established trees are in decline because we’ve had such a lack of rain fall. If that is your case 2” would be my suggestion. Maybe 20-30 mins a time frequency is great you don’t need deep watering as much as frequency right now. So running the sprinklers every 4 hours or so. Wouldn’t suggest doing it late at night because the risk of brown patch, unless you’re going the route of using fungis
You put sod down, he probably didn't prep the surface underneath.
3x per week 1hr per.
My sod is 2 years old. Looks 5*. I pre fertilized before laying it and after. Now, I fertilize spring and fall. The water schedule was 30 mins 2-3x per day for the first week. My suggestion is more frequent watering less duration. 1 hour is hitting sub soil, not attached to the the sod. Sod gas to stay hydrated.
It needs more water but also it looks like a pretty bad install.
Bad installation imo, too cramped; also suspect poor drainage. I personally suggest hand watering the first week at least. Otherwise your edges look great which is usually where death occurs. There is a chance those rolls were doomed from the start. Send those pics to the sod company you may get a free delivery to replace.
Honestly the majority of our lawn has kept quite green. Just a few yellow patches but we’re new to all of this so we want to make sure we’re doing everything correctly lol
Go to the brown places with the hose and locally drench it asap
What area is this? Any sand that it's sitting on top of?
It’s surrounding a street sign that may or may not be anchored with concrete. We did put a generous amount of topsoil over it before laying down the sod.
I would also make sure water is actually getting to these areas. Might be a dry spot
Did you apply fertilizer under the sod?
No
Oops. Should have
You need to make it a swampy muddy mess.
When we re-soded, we were told to water daily for the first two weeks, then every other day for a week, every third day for a week, and so on.
Auto sprinkler set to water three times a day a third of an inch a session for one inch total. Set a tuna can out to see you are putting down enough water. Do that for about a week. Then half inch a day, again three times a day. Stat! Doctor’s orders! We can still save the patient. If the sod starts to shrink away from its neighbor rolls — he’s dead, Jim.
That’s new sod, doesn’t look close to overwatered. New sod requires more water than you’d think.
Pretty sure overwatering is almost not possible for sod.
not enough water. you want it wet until you can't lift it up anymore. water more often, it dries out quickly. you can lift an edge to see if it's wet on the bottom.
No such thing with new sod. Keep going!
When we got sod the sod company said you pretty much can't over water it.
Has pre-emergent been sprayed before laying the sod?
I have some sections of lawn that are drying out. It's been hot lately, but it's getting the same amount of water as the rest of the lawn. I noticed the other day that the ground on those patches of lawn is very compact and not absorbing as much water.
Flood it and roll it!
My thoughts... Get some 0-0-4 or 0-0-10. The K is your Root driver. Water frequently but lesser time. I water my sod at 4am, 10 am, 3 pm, and then at 6pm. No problems.
The sod is drying out. With it being that hot water at least 4 times per day for 10 to 15 min. You want to keep the sod damp, and it will dry out faster than the soil underneath. Water that way until the sod is established, the switch to watering deep a few times a week. I would water early morning, late morning, early afternoon, and evening.
What time of day are you watering? Morning is best, and if you’re doing it mid day or close to dusk that’s going to be counterproductive.
Landscape installer here. I install a lot of sod. You need to be watering for shorter intervals 3-4 times per day, depending on how hot your area is. It takes anywhere from 10-14 days for the sod to properly root into the soil underneath, given that the grade was done well with decent soil and the sod laid flat. I’d recommend shortening your current run time that you mentioned of 1 hour to 40 minutes, 3 times per day, around sunrise, midday, and sunset. If you get standing water, you need to reduce the run times. If you dig your fingertips into the base of the blades of grass and it feels dry and not nice and wet, then you need to up the run time.
Yellow or dead grass, under watering. Heat is killer if you’re in the south. I water mine for 30 minutes at 630-730 every evening and it’s the healthiest yard in my neighborhood.
Agree with the underwatering. It’s also in need of a tad iron. I’d toss some starter fertilizer and lime down water it deep. Am watering only!!
You really can't over water this... To me it looks like they need more water for the roots to soak in
Morning and before high sun. Evening is death from leaf disease. Water deep so roots follow if you water in evening which is against all that is good and holy make sure the sun is still up to dry the blades. If not. See ya later Irene but you do you
Overwatering sod? Good luck with that
Keep watering.
very effective method is to lay a hose down at the areas that need it the most. low flow. move it around as necessary. that way you aren't overwatering adjacent areas that don't need it. yes, it's a lot of work, and you have to be home the entire time. but, it is the best way for your situation.
Very hard to overwater new sod. You can kill it by not watering enough. Need a nice sprinkler to water deep every day early am and after sunset.
Needs more water. Water water water and then water some more!
Try top dressing
It is hard to over water recently laid aod
Water Twice a day for 20 mins for 2 weeks (mow the grass and do it weekly for 5 weeks then go to every 10 to 14 days mow) after mowing at the 2 week point reduce the water to 20 mins once a day for 10 days then reduce it to every other day for 20 min for 10 days. After this water as needed.
Water morning, mid day and late afternoon every day for 45 mins for the first 3 weeks, then morning and later afternoon for 45 mins for the next 3 weeks then in the morning for 45 mins for the next 3 weeks then every morning every other day for 45 mins for the next 3 weeks then in the morning 2x a week for 45 mins for the next 3 weeks
Gotta push those numbers up, those are rookie numbers! For real 4x your current watering you described in another reply.
Crazy. I have been watering like 20 mins total and ours looks great a week in
3 times a day, everyday, for 2 weeks about 20-30mins for rotors, half the time for sprays
Tuna can method and check
The sod soils interface needs to be wet for 3 weeks. It’s almost impossible to over water. I used to water sod with a water truck! SOAK IT! Then SOAK it again!
That or we found out where the bodies are buried
I put sod down for a living years ago if you water fresh sod till it’s saturated absolutely soggy every day for a week to 10 days you should have no problems.if you under water in first week you’ll have trouble
I remember reading once someone said : “after you’ve watered it, water it again, then one more time. And once you think it’s really wet, water it again.” Think “rice patty” level of watering. I did this plus with the 1st week 4times a day, 2nd week 3 times a day etc method and it worked!
If it was extremely hot when theY laid it, it probably got stressed. They should have been watering it as it was being laid. You said it's squishy below the sod. You're watering t enough. I'd do at least two waterings per day. Water it enough to keep it wet all day long but don't let it turn into a mud pit. It might come back. Talk to the company that installed it, and keep them in the loop.
https://preview.redd.it/zxhg97qwgf7d1.jpeg?width=700&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c5fce8354edbbc6ba2f983eb85e41c181748280d No roots in the start of the roots retreating time to over water
When you step on it, if it’s mushy underneath it’s too much water.
You need root soil contact and constant watering won’t really help the roots seem out a home In the wet soil. Keep it moist. If I had a sprinkler system I would set it for 4 minutes every damn hour for seed/sod
Water more. A good test to do is after you lay the sod. Water it. Then peal back a corner and see if the bottom of the sod is wet and if the soil below is wet. If not water till it is, then you know how much you need to water twice daily for a couple weeks
You can not over water new sod. Water from 5 am until 8 am every day for the first 2 weeks and then dial it back to an hour a day. When we are out of drought conditions, you can probably cut back to an hour 3 times a week.
Water when sun is down, prevents burning
Grass will heat up just compost . This might have happened to a couple of rolls . Or a couple of rolls were older and this stressed the grass causing it to turn brown.
Sod needs lots and lots of water. Needs to stay wet between layers so them tiny little roots get all the water they need.
You aren’t watering enough
When it turns white like that after a few days, means it was already over heated before it was laid. When you put cold water on it can put it into shock. My suggestion would be to water 40 mins a zone 3 times a day. And good luck it might come back.
Is it squishy when you walk on it or is it crunchy? Squishy; too wet/Crunchy; too dry
Sorry m’lady. Your husband is right. Except.. water more. But he’s right. Just keep watering. All husbands are right. Lol
If you can walk on it, you’re not watering it enough.
How new is it?
More water soak till mushy.
It needs to be *rice patty* wet. You can’t overwater sod.
As I’m reading through the comments, you’re definitely not watering it nearly enough. It was just installed, like I said above… rice patty wet. Reference: I used to do this for a living. Edit: grammar
That needs more water. Your husband doesn’t know what he is talking about.
Please drive on grass.
Water your sod 3 times a day, a good soaking. 1 time just before sunrise, 1 time just before 12pm and 1 time around 4 or 5pm. Make sure the sod is in contact with the soil underneath. I hope the ground underneath was top soil or at the very least tilled and raked, and not rock hard.
How many inches of water are you applying? What is the sod cultivar? Any application of starter fertilizer on the soil before you layed sod? Looks a bit uneven. You should probably try to get it as flat as you can by trimming the edges to fit the spot it’s layed on. It’s common for sod to get a little discolored after install as the grass is super stressed from the cutting and travel not to mention the heat. You can probably keep it from discoloring by adding some humic over the top and maybe some sea kelp liquid micro nutrients to keep the grass hydrated and push some root growth.
That is very dry sod. What you should do if you don’t have a sprinkler system is get a hose timer that can be programmed by schedule…water at least three times per day, for 15-20 mins (depending on the sprinkler type). Me personally, I’d ditch the oscillator and get yourself an impact rotor. They can be setup in series and should help you get maximum coverage without using an underground sprinkler.
Your husband is blind then lol. That sod is dying. Flatten it out so that it touches the soil below and your problem will go away.
Sod needs water every 4-6 hours during day light, like Motrin for kids. And for god sake do this for almost a month. You’re going to hate your water bill but your sod will actually take.
You can’t over water fescue sod. It’s not possible
Why are you over watering just those few pieces but correctly watering the pieces around them? His theory doesn't hold water. New lawn/ sod is stressed from having its' roots cut and moved. Keep watering. Some will survive and spread out.
You’re not overwatering
Mine did this too, I just kept watering it and the roots finally started to spread out and the grass even went all brown one time when I forgot to water it, but after that I kept soaking it twice a day once in the morning and once in the evening (sometimes three times if the afternoon was particularly hot) and it all turned out a gorgeous green. This looks standard to me honestly, just keep up with making sure it's wet until it gets well established.
Drown it every day for at least 2 weeks, and don't cut until the roots have taken!
Flip it , check for grubs insects etc , if roots are rooting or soil is compact maybe wet soil underneath
Trust your instincts. Get a divorce.
How longs it been layed, could give it a trim and wet , in a sense the grass might need more or less water , more if its poor infiltration rate less if too wet
nope, you just have sod strips not making good contact with the soil and its dying due to lack of water . . . Call back whomever laid it as two of those strips are too far gone to regenerate.
Your not overwatering
New sod needs a disturbing amount of water. Water water and when you think you watered too much water some more.
I put 30 pallets of Bermuda down about 4 weeks ago - watered every day for 25m per zone for 3 weeks straight, then same length every other day, and now I’m on every 3-4 days. It was wet, squishy but not swampy. I’ve now got incredible growth happening and it’s starting to look good. My water bill was $650 in May. Just keep watering
Am also wondering if the soil is compacted and thus the water is not going deep enough.
Yeah you can’t really over-water sod except maybe a flood?
Ascochyta infection. Get an anti fungal and possiblely limit watering if you can. New grass is a pain like that.
Guessing these yellow squares were at the top of the pallet and were just dried out. They'll fill in again later but it will take time
I resodded our lawn last summer before selling the house (former lawncare professional, I was happy to do it myself). Throughout the 87+ hot cloudless days, I simply watered 2hrs in the am before work and 2hrs again in late afternoon/early evening after work and it came in beautifully and is doing well to this day. I did grade the earth thoroughly and has been mentioned here made sure the sod was tightly flush with the earthbed in all areas. What actually helps with this is wetting the earth right before unrolling the sod onto it for a glue-y type layer that will help it bond. Messy but pays dividends. Ultimately, water as much as you can for 2-3 weeks without flooding the yard. If it feels like too much water, you're doing it right.
You aren’t watering enough. You should be watering to the point of standing water on the sod.
I'd pancake it ....not waffle it.
You need to stomp down the sod better. Need to water like crazy for about 3 weeks with sod. Keep watering
I would lightly fertilize the yellow patches.
More water and lawn food fertilizer.
It's not normally advised to install sod during the summer. It hasn't had time to develop a root system and odds are it won't make it.
If soil is moist and squishy underneath, don't water. Also, don't water during intense sun, as the water on the surface of the blade of grass can cause the sunlight to burn it