Your Guide to a Gorgeous New Lawn

There’s nothing better than looking out at a lush, vibrant green lawn. Installing sod is the fastest way to make that dream a reality, giving you in just a few weeks what would take a year or more to grow from seed!

While sod gives you that “instant lawn” feeling, a little TLC is needed to help it settle into its new home. We’re here to walk you through the three most important steps for success: watering, mowing, and fertilizing.

Watering: Your New Lawn’s Best Friend

Think of water as the welcome mat for your new sod. It’s the most important ingredient for helping those grassroots get established. Since the roots are short at first, they can dry out quickly, so your main goal is to keep the sod and the soil underneath it consistently moist.

Weeks 1-3: The Soaking Phase

Right after it’s installed, give your new sod a nice, long drink. You want the water to soak deep into the soil to encourage the roots to grow down, not just sideways.

For the first two to three weeks, follow this simple schedule:

• Cool Days (Spring/Fall): Water 2-3 times per day.
• Hot Days (Summer): Bump it up to 5-6 short watering sessions per day.

Look for Clues: Is the edge of a sod piece curling up or looking a little dark? It’s just telling you it’s thirsty! A little extra water is all it needs to perk back up.

After Week 3: Building Strong Roots

Gently tug on a corner of your sod. If it feels anchored, the roots are taking hold! Now you can start adjusting your watering schedule to build a stronger, more drought-tolerant lawn.

• Start watering just once or twice a day.
• After 8-10 weeks, you can switch to watering just three days a week.

And remember, try to keep everyone (including pets!) off the new lawn for these first few weeks. The ground is soft, and you want to avoid any lumpy spots.

Mowing: The First Haircut

After about two weeks, your new lawn will be ready for its first trim. A proper cut is key to keeping it healthy and looking great.

The #1 Rule of Mowing

It’s simple: never cut more than one-third of the grass blade’s height. Cutting it too short can stress the new grass. If you notice the sod lifting at all, just stop and give the roots a few more days to strengthen up.

A Quick Mowing Checklist

• Prep the Lawn: Stop watering the day before you mow to let the soil firm up.
• Go Light: Use a lightweight push mower for the first few times to avoid ruts.
• Get Sharp: A sharp mower blade makes a clean cut, which is much healthier for the grass.

Fertilizing: Food for a Thriving Lawn

Fertilizer is the nutrient-packed meal your lawn needs to stay green, strong, and healthy.

Your Sod’s First Meal

About 30 days after installation, it’s time to feed your lawn. A balanced 16-16-16 fertilizer is perfect for encouraging strong root growth and giving the grass blades that beautiful color.

Keeping it Green All Year

A healthy lawn is the best defense against weeds and pests. To keep yours in top shape, we recommend fertilizing on a simple schedule:

• Early Spring
• Mid-Spring
• Summer
• Fall

Your Lawn Questions, Answered!

1. What’s the absolute fastest way to get a beautiful, fully established lawn? Without a doubt, installing sod is the quickest way. While growing a lawn from seed can take one to two years to fully mature, a sod lawn gives you a lush, green, and usable lawn in just a few weeks. You get the benefit of an “instant lawn” without the long wait and uncertainty of seeding.
2. I have some bare spots in my existing lawn. What’s the best way to fix them? For fixing bare spots quickly, nothing beats using pieces of sod. Seeding bare spots can be a slow process, and it’s often difficult to get the new grass to match the existing lawn. Using a sod patch gives you an instant repair that blends in seamlessly with the rest of your grass.
3. My yard is mostly hard, packed dirt. Is it difficult to start a new lawn? Growing grass from seed on hard dirt is very challenging. It requires significant work to till and amend the soil just to get the seeds to germinate. Sod is a fantastic solution for this because it’s professionally grown on high-quality soil. When we install it, we properly prepare the ground beneath it, so the new sod roots have a healthy foundation to grow into, giving you a beautiful lawn right from the start.
4. Will grass seed grow if I just throw it on top of the ground? Grass seed needs good seed-to-soil contact to germinate and grow properly. Simply scattering it on top of the soil, especially hard dirt or an existing lawn, results in very poor growth. For a successful lawn, you need to properly prepare the soil, which is a key reason why sod is such a popular and effective alternative.
5. How can I get a great lawn without breaking the bank? While seed might seem cheaper upfront, it can have hidden costs in terms of time, water, and the potential need to re-seed if it fails. Sod is an investment in guaranteed results. You get a healthy, professionally grown lawn immediately, saving you from the long-term effort and expense of trying to establish a lawn from seed.

Have more questions or need a hand with your sprinklers? Give us a call! At Kimberly Nurseries, we’re always happy to help.