Advice, please - new sod is brown
pharmgirl
16 years ago
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pharmgirl
16 years agoRelated Discussions
New sod turning brown
Comments (17)Check the grass to see if the soil is moist. Do this throughout the day. If the soil is dry and hard it needs more water. You should water new sod at least twice a day long enough so it does not dry out. The amount of time watered is meaningless and depends on your sprinkler system. the edges and corners will dry out first. Also, is the grass getting enough direct sunlight for the type of grass you have?...See MoreNew Sod Browning (Please Help)
Comments (2)Thanks for the reply! No, they did not roll the sod, claiming it was such a small area (200 sq ft) and did not need it. They just graded, applied a topsoil+leafgrow mix, and laid down the sod. Unfortunately, I cannot water in the middle of my day due to my work schedule. A timer would not help since I have to move the sprinkler mid-watering. That is why I have been going a little longer twice a day. The ground does get squishy in some spots, so I guess I will try cutting back on the water. But is 15 minutes really enough with temps above 90? It seems like the grass will dry out, even if I were to get the midday watering in. Also, sorry if this is naive, but is some yellowing normal with new sod installations? Will the grass repair itself once it establishes?...See Morehelp with new installed Sod turning brown
Comments (7)Southern California, huh? Can I assume you live in Blythe? Big Bear? La Jolla? And if you tell me you're in LA, can I assume Pomona? Malibu? Pasadena? You're going to have to be a lot more specific about the location. All these places have different microclimates and soils. Judging by the mud under the sod, you are watering waaaaaaaaaaaay too much. All you need to do is moisten the roots and the soil right under the roots. It should not be so wet that it squooshes when you walk on it. By the appearance I'm guessing you have St Augustine, but check with your installer and even Lowe's for the specific variety of St Augustine. Also it has some disease in it. That is typical for a new install off the stack at Lowe's. I would have recommended St Augustine for almost all SoCal locations except Big Bear and La Jolla, but I still want to know more specifically where you are. Once you confirm you have St Augustine, I can help you get rid of the disease. The disease looks like this... That is easy to get rid of but you need to get your watering under control first....See MoreNeed advice on 1.5 year old sod that's brown with green spots
Comments (35)Wilting is actually not necessarily a demand or request for watering, it's a statement that water is leaving the system faster than it's being absorbed--or that the root systems are not up to supplying water as quickly as the leaf systems are transpiring it. It actually doesn't say anything about the state of moisture in the soil, which can be entirely adequate. Cool-season organisms will typically wilt when out of their temperature comfort ranges rather easily, so grasses would certainly be susceptible. It's not an issue for grass to wilt mid-day in 90-degree weather, any more than it's an issue for most plants to do so. One of my best photos of the garden is in hundred degree weather and the greenery is a bit wilted. The issue would be if the grass remains wilted after sunset when the roots have time to catch up and resupply the blades with water when the blade cools and the biological processing rates slow to something the roots can supply. Furthermore, day-wilting produces hormonal responses that spark root growth as temperatures fall in the soil to where root growth can resume. Constantly supplying water as temperatures cross that point mean that root growth never starts when temperatures are appropriate for said growth. Consistent coddling never produces the deep mat of roots that will support grass (or any plant) against wilting, which means it will continue to wilt in less-harsh weather than more harshly-treated lawns. There's a minor argument for syringing the lawn here, but that's not what we're discussing. That involves a drop of surface leaf temperature due to water contact and evaporative cooling, not a root watering....See Morebestlawn
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