Rooting time for Sod varies from place to place. You can’t have a beautiful, lush sod lawn if your grassroots aren’t established. At best, you’ll get a lawn patchwork quilt of different colours, or, at the worst, you’ll have dead patches on your lawn.
With that in mind, grassroots are essential for the water and nutrients to move into the living portion of the turfgrass, and from there, into the soil. Without complete root development, grass will have trouble getting water and nutrients during drought conditions.
However, new sod lawns need rooting time to establish. When you first lay new Sod, it’s almost impossible to walk on it without damaging the grassroots. Even mowing the new sod lawn too soon can cause issues with root development if you don’t take some precautions.
Preparing Your Soil for New Sod: Steps to Consider and How Long It Develops
1. Shallow Roots (Up to 14 Days)
New sod installed in soil that’s too compacted or doesn’t have enough nutrients will have shallow roots.
This will, in turn, lead to a lawn that loses its colour and becomes patchy. Grassroots need nutrients and water to develop, and these won’t be able to reach the living portions of the grass if the roots are shallow.
Also, the lack of nutrients will lead to a weakened lawn that’s susceptible to pests and diseases. To help your new sod lawn develop deeper roots, be sure to water the grass as soon as they are placed.
2. Deep Roots (After 14 Days)
After 14 days, new sod should have developed deep roots and be ready to start the growing season. At this point, it will be safe to begin mowing your new sod lawn. It will also be able to take much more abuse without damage. As long as there’s no drought, the water and nutrients can get to the roots.
Your sod should also be able to support more traffic. Because the roots have become well established, your sod will have a much better chance of staying green and alive during the dry summer months.
How to Improve Rooting Time for Your Sod Lawn
To improve the rooting time for your sod, you need to help your new sod lawn develop deeper roots, be sure to water the grass as soon as you lay the sod. Be sure to do this for about 10 to 14 days until you start seeing the grass grow deep.
While your sod is developing, it’s also an excellent time to fertilize. Fertilizer will help the grass establish itself as quickly as possible, and it helps the roots develop more rapidly.
If you don’t have time to fertilize, you can also add sand or soil amendments. The sand helps with water drainage, which will allow the roots to get established much more quickly. Soil amendments will help with water and nutrient absorption, which will help the roots get established rapidly.
The Bottom Line: Caring for Your Sod by Paying Attention to its Roots
New sod would be laid flawlessly in a perfect world without any issues. However, this rarely happens. If you want to ensure your sod keeps its lush, green color and can handle drought and foot traffic without damage, keeping the rooting time in consideration is necessary; making sure the roots are healthy is also essential.
Do You Need Lawn Care?
At Clear Cut Group, we offer complete lawn care services along with sod installation and more. We help residential and commercial properties improve their lawns so that their spaces look their best. Contact us today to learn more about our services!
