Watering Instructions for New Seed and Sod

Watering instructions for new seed and sod

WATER OBJECTIVE:

Keep it moist. You never want the new seed to be floating (pooling) in water nor do you want it to dry out. Water needs will vary depending on evaporation rates and type of soil. Temperature, sun, wind, humidity, rainfall, sandy soil, clay soil all play a role in determining how much and how often you need to water. Initial watering objective is to get the soil in the planting area moist to a depth of 1 to 2”.Using a sprinkler and depending on water pressure 30 to 45 min. for new seed and 1 to 2 hours for new sod should be sufficient.

Subsequent watering for first 30 days: early morning watering between 5am and 8am is optimal; probably 15 to 30 min. (depending on water pressure and present moisture conditions). Obviously, if it rained heavy the night before or the same morning then you may not need to water. You will need to monitor all areas of the lawn throughout the day to determine if you need any additional watering. Avoid watering toward sunset (objective should be for grass blades to be dry going into nightfall). For seed: if the soil is drying up, then you probably should water that area again. For sod: if the root zone under the sod is drying up, then watering is needed immediately. Sod may or may not need watering every day since the evaporation rate is slower compared to new grass seed. After 30 days, the lawn needs to receive a minimum of 1”of rain and/or irrigation per week throughout the growing season.

Mow & mulch lawn after height reaches 4.5” to 5.5” in height. Keep leaves from building up on new grass areas (so the sun can do its job through photo-

synthesis). If straw shifts do to heavy winds or rains, then you should re-

distribute the straw evenly so it is comparably covered as the original

installation. You should not rake off straw before or after the grass seed starts

growing. It will decompose and it will act as a good insulator. Don’t worry,

you can mow right over the straw and grass. Do not cut more than 1/3 of blade off. Remove leaves &/or grass clippings if volume is heavy and dense. Mow height should be approximately 3”-3.5”. You can begin fertilization and weed control programs after your 4th mowing. Check with All-Care for weed and feed options.