New Sod Care Guide - Etobicoke, ON

So you just got new sod installed and want to ensure it has the best chance of survival. Installing new sod is a great way to eliminate previous issues with weeds, grubs, poor quailty grass types, and grading problems in your yard. Its a great alternative to seeding, but comes as a big investment. How do you ensure the new sod has the best chance of surviving in Toronto's climate?

Process of rolling out new sod after grading the yard

1. Proper Watering Schedule;

Improper watering is the most common cause of damage to new and existing sod. We recommend watering new sod daily in the late evening or early morning for the first 2 weeks after having it installed. Following this, watering 3-4 times per week is recommended through the summer months and can be reduced to 2-3 times per week in the spring/fall depending on how much rainfall we receive.

If running a sprinkler system, have each station run for 15-20 minutes. If watering manually, get a rotary or side to side sprinkler for the hose and leave it in each location for 30 minutes ensuring it reaches all of the edges of the lawn. If any areas are missed, ensure to water by hand or these areas will be the first to burn up and die.

Overwatering is possible, and oversturating the ground below the sod can cause root rot. Do not water more than 30 minutes per day in any area of the lawn to avoid this.

2. Do Not Trample The New Sod;

Do not walk on the lawn other than when absolutley necessary to do so for at least 2 weeks from when it was installed. This will compact the soil below the sod making it harder for the roots to penetrate the soil, and can cause unevenness and rutts. Allow for the sod to take and the soil beneath to settle before walking on it.

3. Cutting The Sod;

Do not mow the lawn for two weeks or until you can not easy lift the corners of the sod by hand. Once the sod has taken, you should mow between 3-4 inches in height to ensure it does not burn out in the Toronto summer heat. You should also bag all clippings to ensure no clumps are left on the surface that will suffocate the sod.

4. Fertilizer and Chemical Applications;

You should wait 4 weeks from the time the sod

Recently completed front lawn sod installation in Etobicoke

was laid to apply any lawn fertilizers or weed control products to ensure it is fully established and treatment will not damage the new sod

5. Yearly Maintenance;

Sod must be maintained to ensure it remains weed and disease free. We recommend treating the lawn with liquid weed killer regularly to ensure all weeds are dealt with before spreading to the whole lawn. Alternativly, spending 1-2 hours per week hand pulling weeds would yield the same results. Fertilizing the lawn twice year in the spring and fall is also recommended to ensure the lawn has all the nutrients it requires to survive the Southern Ontario heat as well as the winter freeze cycles. Finally ensure to keep up with regular mowing (weekly at least). You should only be cutting 1/3 of the total height of a blade of grass each cut, so mowing more often in the spring growing season is always recommended.