Whether you’ve just moved into a newly constructed home or decided to start from scratch on a trouble-plagued lawn, there are some secrets to enjoying easy to manage sod grass. If you have a lawn maintenance service care for your grass, you may want to review these tips with them to make sure they tend to your investment properly. If you’re taking care of your yard yourself, it’s a good idea to print and post these tips near your mower until you’re completely familiar with them.


When your sod is first installed:
•    Water the sod twice a day during the first two weeks. Keep the sod moist – not drenched, not with water puddles.
•    Stay off the grass! Any traffic that treads on your sod risks seam separation and root detachment. If you must cross your yard, walk as gently as possible.


When you first mow your sod:
•    You can usually mow your sod three weeks after it is installed, or when it grows to a height of about three inches tall – whichever happens first.
•    Set your mower height to two and a half inches so you don’t cause distress by cutting the grass too short.
•    Never cut the sod if it’s wet. Cutting wet sod puts the yard at risk for developing a matting problem, which leads to an ailing root system.
•    Mow once a week as long as the sod is growing. Never cut more than a third of the grass blade’s height during a single mowing.


How to weed and feed:
•    After you first mow your sod, feed it with a nitrogen concentrated fertilizer. In subsequent years, use a pre-emergent each spring and fall. This should help keep any weeds from getting out of hand.
•    Fertilize every six to eight weeks during the growing season. Be sure to follow all the directions so you don’t use too much nitrogen. A light application of fertilizer is far more beneficial than applying too much.  Try using organic fertilizers that are generally lower in nitrogen content.
•    Combat crabgrass with a post-emergent herbicide, not with weed and feed. Weed and feed will only make crabgrass grow and spread.


Water smart:
•    Water your sod less frequently, but for a longer period of time. This promotes healthy roots that are able to grow deep and keep your grass looking healthy.
•    Water in the winter. When your sod is first planted, watering is especially crucial – even in areas that don’t experience a freeze.  Once a week if it doesn’t rain is a good rule-of-thumb.
•    Water in the morning. Watering early in the day helps you avoid evaporation. It also helps to prohibit the growth of yard fungus, which often happens in yards that are watered in the late afternoon and evening.


By following these tips, you can enjoy easy-to-manage sod grass that’s the envy of your neighborhood. With a little maintenance, your grass can become healthy, hardy, and lush – just the kind of yard you hoped for when you first planted your sod.

To learn more about the high quality sod grass that Modern Turf grows in South Carolina visit their website at http://www.moderntuf.com. Schedule a consultation today to end your search for the perfect high-quality sod- the most durable grass you have ever worked with, guaranteed.