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Watering New Turfgrass Sod
When ... How ... How Much
Water is essential to all life ... to little water and we
die, too much and we drown. The same is true of the grass in our lawns. Water
makes up 70% to 80% of the weight of our lawn grasses and the clippings alone
are nearly 90% water. While most people are concerned about not watering their
lawns enough, the fact it that more lawns are damaged or destroyed by
over-watering.
The below information is for New Turfgrass Sod
watering care
It is essential to begin watering new turfgrass
sod within a half hour after it is laid on the soil. Apply at least 1" of water
so that the soil beneath the turf is very wet. Ideally, the soil 3 to 4 in below
the surface will be moist.
 | Watering Tip #1: Pull back
a corner of the turf and push a screwdriver or other sharp tool into the
soil. It should push in easily and have moisture along the first 3 or 4
in, or you need to apply more water. |
| Watering Tip #2: Make
absolutely certain that water is getting to all areas of your new lawn,
regardless of the type of sprinkling system you use. Corners and edges are
easily missed by many sprinklers and are particularly vulnerable to drying
out faster then the center portion of your new lawn. Also, areas near
buildings dry out faster because of reflected heat and may require more
water. |
| Watering Tip #3: Runoff
may occur on some soils and sloped areas before the soil is adequately
most. To conserve water and insure adequate soak-in, turn off the water
when runoff begins, wait 30 minutes to an hour and restart the watering on
the same area, repeating as needed. |
For the next two weeks (or until the turf is well rooted), keep
the below-turf soil surface moist with daily (or more frequently) waterings
of approximately 1/4 in each. Especially hot, dry or windy periods will
necessitate increased watering amounts and frequency.
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| Watering Tip #4: As the
turf starts to knit its new roots and in to the soil, it will be difficult,
impossible and /or harmful to pull back a corner to check beneath the turf
(see watering tip #1), but you can
still use a sharp tool to check moisture depth by pushing it through the
turf an into the soil. |
| Watering Tip #5: Water as
early in the morning as possible to take advantage of the daily start of
the grass's normal growing cycle, usually lower wind speeds and
considerably less loss of water because of high temperature evaporation. |
| Watering Tip #6: If the
temperature approached 100 degrees, or if high winds are constant for more
then half of the day, reduce the temperature of the turf surface by
lightly sprinkling the area. This sprinkling does not replace the need for
longer, deeper watering, which will become even more critical to continue
during adverse weather conditions. |
During the remainder of the growing season, most lawns will do
very well with a maximum total of one inch of water a week, coming either
from rain or applied water. Soil conditions may dictate that the amount be
applied in two settings, approximately two to three days apart. This amount
of water, properly applied, is all that is required for the health of the
grass, providing it is applied evenly and saturates the underlying soil to a
depth of 4 to 6 inches.
| Watering Tip #7: Infrequent
and deep watering is preferred to frequent and shallow watering because
the roots will only grow as deeply as their most frequently available
water supply. Deeply rooted grass has a larger "soil-water bank" to draw
moisture from and this will help the grass survive drought and hot weather
that rapidly dries out the upper soil layer. |
Proper watering techniques are a critical aspect of lawn
watering, equal in importance to the issues of when to water and how much to
water. Here are several key factors to proper technique:
Avoid hand sprinkling because it cannot provide the
necessary uniformity. Most people do not have the patience, time or "eye" to
adequately measure what is being applied across any large areas of lawn. The
only possible exception to this guideline would be the need to sprinkle the
surface of the grass to cool it, or to provide additional water near buildings
or other heat-reflecting surfaces.
Understand the differences between sprinkler designs
because each type has it's advantages and disadvantages. It's proper use will be
determined by the type of sprinkler you select.
- In-Ground Systems
require professional design and installation and they require routine
adjustments and regular maintenance to be most efficient and effective. The
greatest mistake made with most in-ground systems is the "set it and forget
it" philosophy that fails to account for the changing season water
requirements to maximize turf growth or even allowing the system to operate
during or following a multi-inch rain storm. Another frequent problem is when
heads get out of alignment and apply water to the sidewalk, street or
house-siding, rather then to the lawn.
- Hose-End Sprinklers
range in complexity, cost and durability, but are highly portable and can
provide uniform and consistent coverage, when properly placed on the yard and
adequately maintained.
Sprinklers that do not throw the water high into the air are usually more
efficient, as are larger drop generators because prevailing winds are less
disruptive of distribution patterns, the potential for evaporation is reduced
and trees, shrubs and other plants do not block the pattern (or are very
noticeable if they do).
Several times during the growing/watering season, routine maintenance is
important to check for blocked outlets, leaking or missing gaskets, or
miss-aligned sprinkler heads, regardless of the sprinkler design.
- Verifying watering uniformity
can be accomplished with a very simple and inexpensive method that uses
only 4 to 6 flat-bottomed, straight-sided cans (tuna fish, cat food, etc.), a
ruler and a watch.
- Follow these steps:
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Step #1: Arrange the cans at random distances away from any sprinkler,
but all within the area you assume is being covered.
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- Step #2:
Run the sprinkler for a specific amount of time, say a half-hour or run the
water until a specific amount of water is in at least one can, say 1/2 inch.
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Step #3: Measure the amount of water in each can, checking for
uniformity. Some variation is expected, but a difference of 25-30% or more
between any two cans must be addressed by replacing or adjusting the sprinkler
or relocating the system.
This measuring method should be used across an entire lawn that has an
in-ground irrigation system to assure maximum coverage and uniformity.
Watering difficult areas such as slopes and under trees requires some
special attention to achieve maximum benefit and a beautiful lawn.
- For Slopes, see Watering Tip #3
For Areas Under and Near Trees you need to know the water requirements
for the specific trees, as well as for the grass. Despite having deep "anchor"
roots, trees take-up moisture and nutrients from the top six inches of soil
... the same area as the grass. Trees and turf will compete for water.
Watering sufficiently for the grass may over-water some varieties of trees and
under-water others. A common solution is to not plant grass under the
drip-line of trees, but rather to use that area for perennial ground covers,
flower beds or mulch beds.
The amount of water your lawn requires and receives will determine
it's overall health, beauty and ability to withstand use and drought. Keep in
mind that too much water can ruin a lawn just as fast as too little water.
Use these tips to help gauge your lawn's water needs:
| One inch a week is a watering "rule of thumb" suggested for most
lawns; however, this will vary between different turf species and even
amoung cultivars within a specie. There will also be varying water
requirements for seasonal changes and still more differences brought about
because of different soil types. |
| Look at your lawn to determine its water needs. Grass in need of
water will have a grey-blue cast, rather then a blue-green color. Also, foot
prints will still appear after a half-hour or more on a lawn in need of water,
while on a well watered lawn, foot prints will completely disappear within a
few minutes. Inspecting your lawn frequently will help you detect water
requirements and to avoid over-or under-watering. |
| Verify watering quantities with the same
measuring can method described
above, except you will want to note the time it takes for the cans to collect
a specific amount of water. For example, if 1/4 inch collects in 30 minutes,
you can easily calculate that it will take one hour to apply 1/2 inch of water
and two hours to apply 1 inch of water. |
| Water timers can help provide consistency and even be programmed or
set to turn on and off when no one is awake or at home. Some timers measure
just the amount of time water is flowing through the device, while others
measure the number of gallons of water following through it. Read the
directions with the timers to determine how your operates. |
Information contained on this page was compiled by Turfgrass
Producers International, a not-for-profit association.
Specific requirements for your turfgrass sod can be obtained
by contacting a TPI member in your area
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