New sod browning after 3.5 weeks
Kyle
5 years ago
I had new sod installed in Virginia 3.5 weeks ago. It hasn't been very hot during that time. For the first 2 weeks, I watered twice a day for 30 minutes each. After 2 weeks, I stopped watering and we got a lot of rain for a couple days. I let it dry for a day and a half to mow since it was at about 7-8" tall. The grass had rooted at that point. For the last few days, I've watered less, about 15 minutes a day. After cutting, the grass began to brown, and really hasn't changed in the last few days. Did I over water? Did I underwater? Is it correctable?
I would also note that I checked the ground and pulled up corners for the first 10 days or so, while I could. The ground wasn't spongy, but it was well soaked through. It's not like water pooled when I stepped anywhere, but it was noticeably wet.
Thanks in advance. I've looked online and I just don't really know.
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danielj_2009
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoKyle
5 years agoRelated Discussions
New Sod Lawn half brown after 4 days
Comments (4)Since zygolia is not a word in the English language, and since RTF is associated with fescue, I'm going to assume this is fescue because you have too much shade for anything else except St Augustine - and this isn't that. Apparently your sprinkler puts out way more water than your sod installer was expecting. The idea of watering new sod is to just keep it moist, not to make it soggy. Try running the sprinklers for 3 minutes, 2x per day for a couple days to let the soil dry out some. It should be moist but not soggy. I'm guessing the wall with the fireplace on it faces west. That would account for the dead looking grass up against the hot wall. Where do you live in California? Please be specific - SoCal is not nearly specific enough....See MoreNew sod turning brown
Comments (2)I would water 15 minutes at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Watering in the middle of the day will not burn the grass. It will cool the grass. Water like that for a month. Then start to back off on the frequency and increase the duration until you are more toward once per week for 45 minutes to an hour (approximately 1 inch of water per week - all at one time). Are you sure the spot in the middle is not a low spot? If water is puddling under the sod, you might have a disease problem under there. Is there an obvious crown in the middle or could it be low? Not rolling may have been a mistake. Rolling is the most important thing to do once sod is down. YES! Walk all over it especially if it was not rolled down. Don't play soccer on it but walk on it....See MoreNew sod browning -- too much water?
Comments (6)This is the second time I've seen this this year. It was not 45 minutes, it was 4 to 5 minutes. Big difference, huh!? All you have to do is moisten the sod, not drench the soil 2 feet down. At this point you should probably not water until the grass looks dry. It's already knit into the underlying soil with all that moisture. Just let it go until you see the blades fold together. Then water it...for 45 minutes. Actually get some cat food or tuna cans and place them around the yard. Time how long it takes to fill those. Then water for that time next time you need water. It should be at least a week. The idea with watering mature grass is to do it deeply and infrequently. Deeply is 1 inch. Infrequently is once a month in the cool months changing gradually to once every week in the hottest heat of summer. You do have a fungal disease in the older grass. Those are disease lesions on the blades (excellent pictures, by the way). This is going to sound crazy, because it still sounds crazy to me, but down here people have good results simply washing disease spores down into the soil with soap. The microbes in the soil take care of the spores. The treatment is to spray with 3 ounces of baby shampoo or any clear shampoo. That is 3 ounces per 1,000 square feet. This is the same treatment as for hard soil. Spray it now and make that the last time you water for several days. But watch it very carefully. If new grass shoots get the disease after you stop watering, then you'll have to treat it. If your soil was graded, that is the perfect preparation for new seed or sod. Rototilling is the worst thing you could do in prep for grass. I disagree with doing it for a veggie garden, too, but for different reasons. Definitely grade instead of rototill....See More4 Week old Zoysia sod looks tufted and brown
Comments (6)You definitely did not water too much. A more normal schedule for new sod would be 5-10 minutes but 3x per day for 2-3 weeks or until the roots knit into the soil. Did the installer roll the sod down? I suspect not., and I say that because he rototilled first. Someone who knew about the need for rolling would also know about the issues with rototilling. Before I get ugly with you, why zoysia and not St Augustine? At this point, I assume the grass knit down anyway despite the not rolling and the slightly imperfect water. There are several reasons why the grass might look like that. One is not rolling. Rolling is necessary to ensure the bottom of the sod contacts the top of the soil. Roots won't grow through the air to reach the soil. Another reason is the grass might have been stressed on the pallet. Did the grass sit on the pallet longer than a day before he put it down? But no matter the cause, it will have repaired itself and look normal next April when it comes out of winter dormancy. Zoysia does not fix itself quickly, but some sort of magic happens over the winter. I had some get damaged by fungus in May, and it remained dead looking for the entire season until the following April. It came back very normal looking; however, by that time it had to compete with the bermuda grass that came in for 9 months while the zoysia sat it out. I have seen many zoysia installations in San Antonio do the same thing. Once damaged during the growing season, bermuda comes in and it's all over. You have the advantage of it being late in the year with cooler soils, so the bermuda may not get a foothold on yours. Those other zoysia lawns I saw converted to St Augustine after the first bout with disease. With the shade you have I never would have considered anything but St Augustine, but hang in there and give this grass a good try next season. Here's what to do until the grass stops growing. Watering: You'll have to ease into this with new sod, but it is important. Deep and infrequent is the mantra for watering. This is for all turf grass all over the place. Deep means 1 inch all at one time. Put some cat food or tuna cans around the yard, and time how long it takes your sprinkler(s) to fill all the cans. Memorize that time. That will be the time you water from now on. My hose, sprinkler and water pressure takes 8 full hours to fill the cans. Your time will likely be less. I like gentle watering. As for watering frequency, that depends on the daytime air temperature. With temps in the 90s, deep water once per week. With temps in the 80s, deep water once every 2 weeks. With temps in the 70s, deep water once every 3 weeks. With temps below 70, deep water once a month. Note that you have to keep up with quickly changing temps in the spring and fall. This deep and infrequent schedule works in Phoenix and in Vermont, so it should work for you. The reason for deep and infrequent is to grow deeper, more drought resistant roots and to allow the soil to dry completely at the surface for several days before watering again. If it rains, reset your calendar to account for the rainfall. Mulch mow at the mower's highest setting. This helps to develop deep roots as well as fight off weeds. Fertilizer: I assume you're going organic since you already used the Dillo Dirt. For readers who are not from Austin, Dillo Dirt is Austin's answer to Milorganite. DD is more of a compost product than a baked microbe product. You can use the Dillo Dirt as often as you can afford it. Apply at a rate of 15 pounds per 1,000 square feet. As an alternative you can use corn meal, corn gluten meal, or alfalfa pellets from any feed store. App rate is 15 pounds per 1,000. After the grass stops growing but is still green, make one last fertilizer app. Then do not fertilize again until Washington's Birthday. If you are not going with organics, then skip the Feb fertilizer application. But in either case, fertilize again in late May (Memorial Day is good). The grass should awaken in late March. Spot spray for weeds in mid April....See Moredanielj_2009
5 years agoKyle
5 years agoKyle
5 years agodanielj_2009
5 years agoKyle
5 years agodanielj_2009
5 years ago
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