It will be fine. The only mistake you might of made is covering the edges with mulch. If it covered the grass up it might smother it.

On watering, what you really need to do is water a few times a day lightly rather than once a day. Don't let it get soggy, just enough to keep the soil moist, and not too late in the day so the grass blades can dry off before night so you don't any mold, mildew, or fungus problems. Hold off on fertilizer util the roots are set and you cannot pull any sod up

The mulch is at the edges - the sod isn't completely filled in in the yard, so along the edge it's 'exposed". There were also a couple of bare spots (we didn't try to fit it perfectly), so I filled in mulch there. It's not really on top of the grass at all.

I should have added that I usually water with a hand held spray nozzle, which limits the amount I actually do. The few times/day is what I've done yesterday and today....I'll keep at it for a bit.

Thanks for the advice! I'm so excited to actually have grass!

I know Texas-weed grows grass for a living. Yea...ok, whatever. Anyway, cjra , You did great by covering the edges. Not doing that is the number one mistake most people make with sod. With uncovered edges it dies back abut 4 inches and takes forever to recover. As far as watering goes. In this heat water like there's no tomorrow. Water till your neighbors think you broke a water pipe. Water till it runs down the street. Do this for a couple weeks then back off a little.

Do not water water till it runs down the street. This is a huge waste of water and will only cause problems. As with any sod the objective is to keep it moist, not soaking for a few weeks. Usually this can be achieved with 3 light to medium waterings a day. If you dont have an irrigation system and area not able to water by hand 3x/day, your new sod can and probably will die.

I suggest getting a oscillator sprinkler(or any kind) and place it where it can water the entire area. You can get an irrigation timer that hooks up to an exterior spigot. That way if you are not going to be around you can set the timer for multiple times to water while your away.

I watered mine twice aday..Not big soakers..To much water shallow roots,lighter watering deeoer roots..I watered mine around 5am and around 4pm..After a few weeks you can go to a watering every other day and keep it light...

Well, an irrigation system is not going to happen anytime soon, and wouldn't help much with today anyway. So I'll have to settle for watering myself.

I do have a sprinkler, but doesn't work well for one area (there are three areas where I've planted), so I use a handheld there. I'll keep doing early morning and late afternoon....my neighbor will do one stretch in the am (the area nearest her lawn, where her plantings are) and I'll do the other two, then all 3 when I get home. We're supposed to get some T-storms tomorrow from Tropical Storm Eduoard, so hopefully that'll help.

And not to worry, I won't be watering til it runs down the street. Whole point of planting bermuda was to conserve water. I know it needs extra water now, but there's a limit...

I usually recommend that the first watering should be a big slow soaking water to saturate the ground to 6 inches depth then water lightly-moderately from now on just to keep the sod moist while the roots go into the ground.

Lou Said:

I usually recommend that the first watering should be a big slow soaking water to saturate the ground to 6 inches depth then water lightly-moderately from now on just to keep the sod moist while the roots go into the ground.

Lou although you and I butt heads once in a while, you are pretty much on target. What follows is the exact instructions I give all customers in writing:

Your sod is an investment. As such should be treated that way and protected to ensure maximum return on your investment. Your sod was watered and fertilized early this morning before cutting and shipping to you.

Have the area prepared before arrival with a smooth flat surface with loose rich soil on the top 1 inch, free of debris, and lightly watered just before laying so the area is not so muddy to prevent walking on but damp and moist. This will prevent the underside of the sod from drying out while installing the sod. If the area is large requiring significant time to complete, water the sod that has been installed, the area yet to be completed, and the remaining setting on the pallets to keep moist during the installation process.

Once the installation project is completed, saturate the entire installation area with water to a 6-inch depth to the point the area is soggy and fells soft to walk on. This will take several hours of irrigation. DO NOT SKIP THIS PROCEDURE. For the next 2 weeks the area will need watered from 2 to 6 times a day with light to moderate watering depending on weather conditions to keep the soil moist but not soggy. The last watering of the day during this period should be a hour or two before sunset to allow the grass to dry out a bit to prevent fungal problems. Avoid walking on the grass during this period to the extent possible. If any browning, yellowing, or discolorations occurs check that area by digging fingers into the soil to check for moisture.

After the two week period you should mow when the ground is firm enough and when the sod is rooted. You can simply pull at the edges and corners to determine if the sod is rooted or not. Mow no more then 1/3 of the grass depth, and continue mowing every 3 days until the desired height is reached between ½ to 1-1/2 inches.

Cut back on watering after first mowing to once a day in the mornings for the next week until desire height is reached, about a week to 10 days. Then water once every 3 days for two weeks. After that water only when needed. Wait until 30 days after installation for the first fertilizer application, then fertilize as instructed for normal care and maintenance.

If you have any questions or problems please call us on our hot line @ XXX-XXX-XXXX

There ya go...water till the ground is wet 6 inches deep. My reply above about watering till it looks like a broken water pipe or till it runs down the street was "tongue in cheek". Good grief.

rdaystorm said:
As far as watering goes. In this heat water like there's no tomorrow. Water till your neighbors think you broke a water pipe. Water till it runs down the street. Do this for a couple weeks then back off a little.

What was tounge in cheek about it? I said soak it after the installation, and then keep moist with LIGHT WATERING. You said for two weeks. What was miss-uderstood?

Well, I watered the heck out of it before during and after installation, but didn't measure 6 inches. Well, I didn't measure it at all.

It seemed to do well today - it perked up a bit. It was rather yellow when it arrived and I laid it. Now some of it at least has the beginnings of green. With this heat it dries out pretty fast. Today I had 2 good long waterings. Will water in the am tomorrow and see if Eduoard brings us any rain.

The tongue in cheek part is "water running down the street". This little bit of humor represents the fact that I'm trying to emphasize that one should water a lot with new sod. Don't agree? Well, what I said was almost a direct quote from a well established sod farm near here. Probably one of your competitors. Go to this link and read the sod installation tips and then tell this experienced professional how to water sod.
http://www.fultongrass.com/howtomeasureandinstallationtips.nxg

Here is a link that might be useful: Sod installation tips

The tongue in cheek part is "water running down the street". This little bit of humor represents the fact that I'm trying to emphasize that one should water a lot with new sod. Don't agree?

Yes to a point. The sod does need a good soaking immediately after installation to the point it is soggy. But after that point it needs to only be kept moist on the surface. If it were soaked initially, all the soil below the surface will stay good and hydrated by just keeping the surface moist. Well in this heat that may mean watering 6 times a day. But you left the impression I did not know what I was talking about and to keep the area soggy wet which can lead to more problems.

Back to the OP, if your grass is responding, then you are doing the right thing, keep it up. As long as it is turning green and growing, you are putting enough water down