Care for Newly Installed Sod

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I know it needs to be watered pretty heavily in the beginning, any suggestions on frequency and time of day to do the watering? I purchased an irrigation controller to help with this

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Just keep it moist. I usually preferred twice a day, around 7 AM and 3 PM for 30 mins each or so. It shouldn’t be a sloshy mud pit.

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Its laid pretty tight, but there are still some small gaps here and there between the pieces. Once the sod has started to take, would it benefit me to try and fill these gaps with soil / sand?

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Yes, if you can’t tighten it up now, you can fill with sand to close the gaps. My last house still had gaps from when the sod was first laid. This house the guy did a phenomenal job.

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Other than water, would it benefit from any fertilizer application?

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A starter fert before it was laid, but after it’s laid down give it time to establish before you put any feet on it.

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Any tips to get the edges to blend with the existing lawn?

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Elevation or grass type? For the elevation, you could get a sod roller and help the newly laid sod settle into place. Or just blend it with some sand later once it’s actively growing.

If different grass types, depending on which is more invasive, it’ll blend itself. However, it will be noticeable depending on what types are mixing. I have a section of Zoysia/Bermuda overlap and it’s particularly noticeable right now since the Zoysia greens up later.

Put all the water you can in the first 24-48 hours.

After that twice a day for 5 days or so.

After that once a day for about a week.

After that couple times a week. Deep soaking watering then let it dry up, want to train the roots to go deep.

Wait to cut it until you can't stand the height, then wait another couple days. When you do cut it just take the tops off, highest setting, then in another couple days cut it lower.