Fresh sod is the one time a lawn needs frequent watering. Until the roots grow into the soil underneath, the grass is living on what is in a thin slab of soil, and it dries out fast. That runs straight into the watering rules in Dallas, University Park and Highland Park, which limit sprinklers to two days a week.
All three cities have a way to handle this, but they are not the same. This article covers how to water new sod, what each city allows, and how to set your controller.
How much water new sod needs
Texas A&M AgriLife’s publication How to Select and Install Sod gives the basic plan:
- Right after laying it, water thoroughly until the soil is wet to a depth of 4 inches. Lift a few pieces to check.
- Until it roots, water every 2 to 3 days, or just often enough that the soil stays moist, not wet, to a depth of 3 to 4 inches.
- In weather above 80 degrees, new sod may need water daily until it is well rooted.
- Once it is rooted, switch to deep, infrequent watering, which helps roots grow deeper and makes the lawn more drought tolerant.
- Mow once the sod is rooted and you are watering less often.
The same publication says sod performs best when installed within 36 hours of harvest, and laid tightly in a staggered, brickwork pattern, then rolled for good soil contact. Gaps and air pockets dry out first.
Clay soil changes the details
Park Cities clay takes water in slowly. If you run a long cycle on new sod, water runs off the surface and down the seams before it soaks in. Split each watering into two or three short cycles, an hour or so apart, so the soil can absorb it. That is the cycle and soak method, and it matters even more on new sod.
Also, do not keep new sod soggy. AgriLife says moist, not wet. Saturated clay under new sod can rot roots and invite disease.
University Park: a 30-day exemption
University Park’s watering restrictions let automatic sprinkler systems irrigate newly planted landscapes within 30 days of installation. The city also allows hand watering, drip, soaker hoses and watering cans at any time.
In practice, that means you can water new sod as often as it needs for the first 30 days without a variance. After that, the normal twice-a-week schedule applies: Sunday and Thursday for even addresses, Wednesday and Saturday for odd. From April 1 through October 31, no sprinklers between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.
Mark the 30-day date on the calendar and on the controller, and set the schedule back.
Dallas: apply for a variance
The City of Dallas says variances will be granted to water new seed or sod during restricted days and hours, and asks applicants to be prepared to show proof of sod, seed and soil amendment purchase, according to its watering FAQ. The same FAQ notes that sprinkler systems must have a permit under the city’s irrigation systems ordinance, that applications are on the city’s variance webpage, and that hard copies are available by calling (214) 670-3155.
So in Preston Hollow, Bluffview, Devonshire, Greenway Parks and the M Streets:
- Keep your sod receipt.
- Apply for the variance before you start watering outside the schedule.
- Until you have it, hand water new sod, which is allowed any day.
The FAQ also says that if Dallas enters its drought contingency plan, variances to establish cool-season grasses like winter rye will not be considered.
Highland Park: use the variance form
The Town of Highland Park limits sprinklers to two days a week and prohibits sprinkler watering from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. from April 1 through October 31, allowing hand watering and soaker hoses. Its water conservation page links a Watering Variance Request form, and describes conditions under which the town may grant a variance. If you are laying new sod in Highland Park, contact the town about a variance before you start, and hand water in the meantime.
Our watering rules guide compares all three cities’ regular schedules.
Setting the controller for new sod
- Check coverage first. Run every zone in the new sod area and make sure heads are at the right height, pop up above the new grass and reach the next head. New sod raises the grade a little, so heads that were flush may now be low. Our spring start-up checklist has a coverage walk.
- Set a separate program for the new sod zones, so you do not change the schedule on the rest of the yard.
- Use short cycles. Several short starts in the early morning, with a soak period between them.
- Water early. Before 10 a.m. Less evaporation, less wind, and the grass dries during the day.
- Check the soil daily for the first week. Lift a corner. If the soil underneath is dry, add a cycle. If it is soggy, cut back.
- Taper off as the sod roots. Tug a piece: once it resists, it is rooting. Move to every few days, then to the normal twice-weekly schedule.
- Set a reminder for the end of your exemption or variance period.
Common mistakes with new sod
- Laying sod over buried heads. Raise or extend heads before the sod goes down, not after.
- Watering only once a day in the afternoon. Too much evaporation, and in Dallas it is outside the allowed hours without a variance.
- Not watering the seams and edges. Edges along walks and beds dry out first. Hand water them if needed.
- Leaving the new-sod schedule on for months. It wastes water, keeps roots shallow, and in Dallas and the Park Cities it will eventually break the rules.
- Mowing too soon. Wait until the sod is rooted and the soil is firm, or the mower will leave ruts.
When the system is the problem
If one area of new sod keeps browning while the rest is fine, it is usually a coverage gap, a low head or a clogged nozzle, not the sod. That is when to call us. See our sprinkler repair service, or contact us before the sod goes in, so heads can be adjusted first.
Sources
- Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, How to Select and Install Sod (PDF)
- City of University Park, Watering Restrictions
- City of Dallas, Save Dallas Water FAQ
- Town of Highland Park, Water Conservation
Have a question this did not answer? Call 469-902-9800 and ask. More articles on the blog.
