Steps to a Healthy Lawn
Step 1
Pre-Project Planning
Ensuring you have chosen the right grass for your lawn is the first step to a healthy lawn.
-Is your area to be grassed in the sun or shade?
- Certain grasses grow better/worse in sun or shade.
-Do you have irrigation?
- Some grasses like water and others are more drought resistant such as Bahia or Centipede.
-Are you going to maintain your yard or hire someone?
- Each grass requires some level of care besides mowing such as proper watering & fertilization.
Step 2
Removal/Preparation
Make sure soil is prepped which includes:
- Removing all debris, old roots, sticks, rocks, etc.
- Add topsoil or organic fertilizer for proper nutrition.
- Level with a rake
- Dampen the prepped soil prior to laying sod.
Step 3
Sod Installation Day
The day the sod is laid, hand water, saturating your new sod until it is soaked. When getting sand based pallets, pieces tent to shrink a little, causing gaps. This is ok! continue to water accordingly.
Step 4
Post Installation
For the first two to three weeks, water every day for 30-45 minutes in the morning around 7am, and then again in the afternoon around 2:00 p.m. for 30-45 minutes.
Continue watering daily until the initial mowing. two weeks, drop the irrigation cycle to normal watering schedule to.
Watering schedule for newly planted shrubs, trees, and sod
Week 1
- Material should be watered 2x per day for no less than 25 minutes for shrubs and trees.
- Sod shoud be watered no less that 2x per day for no less than 30-45 minutes.
Week 2
- Material should be watered 1x per day for no less than 25 mintues for shrubs and trees.
- Sod should be watered no less than 2x per day for no less than 30-45 minutes.
Week 3
- Material should be watered 1x per day for no less than 25 mintues for shrubs and trees.
- Sod should be watered no less than 1x per day for no less than 30-45 minutes.
Week 4
- Material should be watered 4-5 times per week for no less than 25 mintues for shrubs and trees.
- Sod should be watered no less than 1x per day for no less than 30-45 minutes.
Week 5
- Material should be watered 4-5 times per week for no less than 25 mintues for shrubs and trees.
- Sod should be watered no less than 4-5 times per week for no less than 30-45 minutes.
After Week 5
- Continue to water as needed as material should be rooted at this time.
- Should the material look in distress, continue week 5 watering schedule until no longer in distress.
*** Please note that at any time during the first 30 days that your newly installed material should look as if it is distress, please call a DCN representative immediately. A watering consultation will be set up within 48 hours. ***
