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New Sod installed on Saturday. How much water?

16 years ago

Hi All,

I just had new St. Augustine installed on Saturday. The guys dug up the old lawn (weeds) and smoothed everything out. They also put down insect repellent and fertilizer under the sod.

My question is about water. They told me to water twice a day for 30 minutes each for the first month.

I have the timer set up to water at 5:00 am and 8:00 pm. Does this sound like an OK schedule?

Also, how long will it normally take before I see the 'lush green' lawn? I am in FL and we have had a lot of rain lately but the past few days have been dry. I see a few yellowish patches on some of the sod pieces that were laid down. How long will it take for this to go away?

Thanks everyone!

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Comment (1)

skoot_cat
16 years ago
Twice a day is correct, but not for a month. I would say 2 weeks.

I have the timer set up to water at 5:00 am and 8:00 pm. Does this sound like an OK schedule?

Yes and No. The 5:00am is perfect. The 8pm setting is too late. With the Florida heat/sun, your lawn would benefit from being watered in the afternoon, say between 2 and 4pm. Your main goal is to not let the sod/soil completely dry out between waterings until your lawn becomes established.

Here is a general guideline to follow. (this has worked for me)

Week 1 and 2: Water twice a day. 5am and around 2 or 4pm (don't let the sod get crispy)
Week 3 and 4: Water Once daily, around 10 or 11am.
Week 5: Water every other day around 10 or 11am.
Week 6 and ongoing: water early between 4 and 6am when lawn starts to wilt with 3/4 to 1 inch of water. About once or twice a week at most.

About the yellow spots. This is from lack of sun while sitting on the pallet. It will go away soon.

The link below has a ton of great info about watering, mowing, fertilizing and maintaining a FL lawn. I would suggest reading the Dealing with Drought section and Fertilization section now. Then bookmark this site and refer to later if problems arise.

Here is a link that might be useful: Your Florida Lawn
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