Installing sod, or pre-grown grass, is a quick way to turn your once-bare soil into a lush, green lawn. However, before you can enjoy your lawn to its full extent, there is about a month worth of maintenance that needs to be done in order to ensure the newly installed sod has everything it needs to grow strong, healthy roots in your soil. By following a strict watering schedule to combat the Tennessee heat and waiting until the 2-week mark to mow your sod for the first time, you'll be well on your way to a healthy lawn that you can use normally one month after installation.

The Ideal Watering Schedule for New Sod

Hand watering new sod installed in Piperton, TN.

Right after the installation process is finished, it is important to water your sod right away to ensure that it doesn't dry out. You should be soaking the lawn about 3-4 inches deep during this first watering. From there, water your new sod twice per day for about two weeks, but you don't have to water it as deeply as the first time.

After 14 days post-installation, you can cut down the watering to once per day for the next two weeks. Once you reach the 4-week mark, you can go back to your normal watering schedule.

It is best to use an irrigation system when watering your new sod to ensure even coverage.

Wait at least two weeks before you mow your sod for the first time.

Push mower in newly installed lawn ready for first mow in Germantown, TN.

As time goes on, your sod will begin to grow tall, and maybe even too tall for your liking. However, we highly recommend staying away from the mower until two weeks post-installation. Your sod needs to be established in the soil before you mow over it. Mowing too early may pull the sod out of the ground and damage the new grass.

When you do finally reach the two-week mark, you should set the mower deck to its highest setting to avoid cutting too low and stressing the grass. Doing so might result in grass that is still too tall for your liking, but it is crucial to pay more attention to the health of your grass rather than its appearance during this time. After the first mow, you can lower your mower deck, but always be sure that you are never cutting more than 1/3 of the height of your grass blades.

Wait at least one month before you use your sod normally.

Even though you may begin mowing your grass two weeks post-installation, we recommend not using your lawn like normal until at least one month has passed. Occasionally running the lawn mower over your sod is okay; however, once you add foot traffic to the mix, it might be too much for your sod to bear at such an early stage.

After one month has passed with your new sod, try a tug test. Gently tug on a piece of your sod. If it does not come up and feels strongly anchored to the ground, it is okay to begin using your lawn normally again. If it feels loose at all and not fully anchored to your soil, this means that it still needs some time to establish strong roots.

Call our team today to schedule our sod installation service!

At Picture Perfect Landscapes, we can install sod on your residential, commercial, or HOA property. Our team can walk you through exactly how to care for your new sod so that you will have a fully established lawn in no time! We serve the Memphis, TN area, including Midtown Memphis and East Memphis. Call us today at (901) 246-7656 to schedule our sod installation service.