Watering and Maintenance
For sod and alternative lawns
Watering Instructions for Newly Installed Sod
Proper watering of your new sod is the MOST important thing you can do. Test your sprinkler system prior to installing the sod to make sure all parts of the area are receiving ample water. The following schedule should help outline general guidelines for watering. Frequency and times will need to be adjusted per your location, based on time of year, soil type, sun exposure, etc.
SPRING: (February, March, April) 3 times a day; morning, midday, and afternoon, for 4 – 7 minutes. Sod should be moist, not soggy. Once established, irrigate longer but less frequent by eliminating the midday watering. This should only be after the sod is rooted and in turn will encourage deep rooting.
SUMMER: (May, June, July, August, and first part of September) Keep soil moist by watering more frequently. Reset sprinkler clocks to water approximately 4 – 7 minutes, 3 times a day at 7:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Shorter and more frequent watering is best. Watch sod for signs of stress and disease. Keep sod moist NOT SOGGY.
NOTE: July and August are the monsoon season and over watering, high humidity, and high heat can lead to a disease outbreak during these conditions. During these times the water should be reduced to compensate for these conditions.
FALL: (Mid-September, October, November) Similar watering to spring conditions.
WINTER: (December, January) Water sod in mid-day to prevent freezing. Water as needed but avoid watering sod after 3:00 p.m. Sod requires watering a couple of times a week until established then once a week until spring.
*For Bermuda grasses, the irrigation times can be reduced.
Spring & Fall
Water 3 times a week, adjusting as sod establishes.
Summer
Water 3 times daily, monitor for stress.
Winter
Water midday, once a week once established.
Monitor
Avoid over-watering during high heat or humidity.
Watering Instructions for Newly Installed Sod
Proper watering of your new sod is the MOST important thing you can do. Test your sprinkler system prior to installing the sod to make sure all parts of the area are receiving ample water. The following schedule should help outline general guidelines for watering. Frequency and times will need to be adjusted per your location, based on time of year, soil type, sun exposure, etc.
SPRING: (February, March, April) 3 times a day; morning, midday, and afternoon, for 4 – 7 minutes. Sod should be moist, not soggy. Once established, irrigate longer but less frequent by eliminating the midday watering. This should only be after the sod is rooted and in turn will encourage deep rooting.
SUMMER: (May, June, July, August, and first part of September) Keep soil moist by watering more frequently. Reset sprinkler clocks to water approximately 4 – 7 minutes, 3 times a day at 7:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Shorter and more frequent watering is best. Watch sod for signs of stress and disease. Keep sod moist NOT SOGGY.
NOTE: July and August are the monsoon season and over watering, high humidity, and high heat can lead to a disease outbreak during these conditions. During these times the water should be reduced to compensate for these conditions.
FALL: (Mid-September, October, November) Similar watering to spring conditions.
WINTER: (December, January) Water sod in mid-day to prevent freezing. Water as needed but avoid watering sod after 3:00 p.m. Sod requires watering a couple of times a week until established then once a week until spring.
*For Bermuda grasses, the irrigation times can be reduced.
Spring & Fall
Water 3 times a day, adjusting as sod establishes.
Summer
Water 3 times daily, monitor for stress.
Winter
Water midday, once a week once established.
Monitor
Avoid over-watering during high heat or humidity.
Alternative Lawn Watering Schedule
New plants need extra attention and watering as they take root in your yard. Mandatory watering restrictions allow for the extra watering of new plants for the first 14 days and hand-watering is allowed anytime. Water the plugs daily for the first two weeks, carefully monitoring their condition.
Exact watering instructions are difficult to nail down because every home has different sun exposure, shade exposure, soil types, backyard structures, etc. These are recommended guidelines that you will need to adjust off of to find the sweet spot for your yard.
Plugs are young, immature plants that need to be kept moist through the heat of the day and dry out in the evenings. The water savings don’t typically kick in until the plants are knit together into one lawn and there is no exposed surface soil. Then you can transition to the sod water cycles.
Recommended Watering Days per Week:
• Winter: 1 day a week or less
• Spring and Fall: 2–3 days a week
• Summer: 5–6 days a week
Watering Times by Plant & Season:
| Plant | Spring | Summer | Fall | Winter | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Watering Days | Watering Time | Watering Days | Watering Time | Watering Days | Watering Time | Watering Days | Watering Time | |
| Kurapia | 3 | 8–10 min. | 5 to 6 | 8–10 min. | 3 | 8–10 min. | 1 | 8–10 min. |
| Dichondra | 3 | 9–12 min. | 5 to 6 | 9–12 min. | 3 | 9–12 min. | 1 | 9–12 min. |
| Micro-Clover | 3 | 10–14 min. | 5 to 6 | 10–14 min. | 3 | 10–14 min. | 1 | 10–14 min. |
Prior to laying down sod, we recommend running your subsurface irrigation system to see how long it takes for the circles of water from each emitter to overlap. This should tell you how long your watering cycle should run, and how long it takes for the ground to fully dry out before the next watering.
| Subsurface Irrigation (.9 GPH) | Kurapia & Micro Clover Sod Stage of Establishment | Length of Each Watering |
|---|---|---|
| 1st two weeks of New Kurapia or Clover sod | When combining sod from alternative lawns with subsurface inline drip, you must supplement with overhead watering, 2–3 times per day, for the first 2 weeks. | 2x a day for 12–18 minutes or less + supplemental hand-watering |
| Week 3 since installed | Stop overhead watering. Begin to rely wholly on subsurface irrigation. Begin reducing watering days down by 2 days per week until you reach the desired schedule. | 2x a day for 8–12 minutes or less For 5 days a week |
| Once you’ve reached desired days per week | Once you’ve worked down to the desired water schedule (5 days in summer, 3 days in spring & fall, 1 day in winter) you can begin to transition from more frequent shorter water cycles to one longer soak per day. | 1x a day for 16–24 minutes or less |
Being as the irrigation is underground, it is easy for watering to be “out of sight, out of mind”. Don’t forget to change your clock with the seasons!
Winter
1 day a week or less
Spring & Fall
2–3 days a week
Summer
5–6 days a week
Subsurface Tip
Don’t forget to change your sprinkler clock with the seasons!
Alternative Lawn Watering Schedule
Exact watering instructions are difficult to nail down because every home has different sun exposure, shade exposure, soil types, backyard structures, etc. These are recommended guidelines that you will need to adjust off of to find the sweet spot for your yard.
Plugs are young, immature plants that need to be kept moist through the heat of the day and dry out in the evenings. The water savings don’t typically kick in until the plants are knit together into one lawn and there is no exposed surface soil. Then you can transition to the sod water cycles.
Recommended Watering Days per Week:
• Winter: 1 day a week or less
• Spring and Fall: 2–3 days a week
• Summer: 5–6 days a week
Watering Times by Plant & Season:
| Kurapia | ||
|---|---|---|
| Season | Watering Days | Watering Time |
| Spring | 3 | 8–10 min. |
| Summer | 5 to 6 | 8–10 min. |
| Fall | 3 | 8–10 min. |
| Winter | 1 | 8–10 min. |
| Dichondra | ||
|---|---|---|
| Season | Watering Days | Watering Time |
| Spring | 3 | 9–12 min. |
| Summer | 5 to 6 | 9–12 min. |
| Fall | 3 | 9–12 min. |
| Winter | 1 | 9–12 min. |
| Micro-Clover | ||
|---|---|---|
| Season | Watering Days | Watering Time |
| Spring | 3 | 10–14 min. |
| Summer | 5 to 6 | 10–14 min. |
| Fall | 3 | 10–14 min. |
| Winter | 1 | 10–14 min. |
Prior to laying down sod, we recommend running your subsurface irrigation system to see how long it takes for the circles of water from each emitter to overlap. This should tell you how long your watering cycle should run, and how long it takes for the ground to fully dry out before the next watering.
| Subsurface Irrigation (.9 GPH) | Kurapia & Micro Clover Sod Stage of Establishment | Length of Each Watering |
|---|---|---|
| 1st two weeks of New Kurapia or Clover sod | When combining sod from alternative lawns with subsurface inline drip, you must supplement with overhead watering, 2–3 times per day, for the first 2 weeks. | 2x a day for 12–18 minutes or less + supplemental hand-watering |
| Week 3 since installed | Stop overhead watering. Begin to rely wholly on subsurface irrigation. Begin reducing watering days down by 2 days per week until you reach the desired schedule. | 2x a day for 8–12 minutes or less For 5 days a week |
| Once you’ve reached desired days per week | Once you’ve worked down to the desired water schedule (5 days in summer, 3 days in spring & fall, 1 day in winter) you can begin to transition from more frequent shorter water cycles to one longer soak per day. | 1x a day for 16–24 minutes or less |
Being as the irrigation is underground, it is easy for watering to be “out of sight, out of mind”. Don’t forget to change your clock with the seasons!
Winter
1 day a week or less
Spring & Fall
2–3 days a week
Summer
5–6 days a week
Subsurface Tip
Don’t forget to change your sprinkler clock with the seasons!
Important Notes
1. You are exempted from the SNWA watering schedule for the first 30 days after installation to allow for the rooting of the turf.
2. Grass irrigation amounts are based on ET (evapotranspiration), not necessarily the time of the year. Above guidelines need to be adjusted up or down based on these factors.
3. A good way to monitor the amount of time you are irrigating is to check the moisture by feeling the grass just before the next watering. IE: Check the moisture in the grass at 2:45 PM before the 3:00 PM watering.
4. Grass needs watering once the existing supply has transpired through the leaves and soil. This often means a mid-day irrigation as there is no longer moisture in the soil to support the turf. Do not worry about irrigating in the middle of the day or burning the grass during establishment, as this can be one of the most critical irrigation times. Think of it as if you are outside at 3:00 PM. You will consume more water at that time than 8:00PM.
5. A dark green or blue area in your sod is usually associated with drying turf. This appearance is due to the leaf rolling up to protect the root. Catch it immediately with irrigation and the grass blades will open up. Allow this to continue and the dark areas will brown out. Do not panic, grass grows like hair and if the root survived then the grass will continue to grow and the brown area can be mowed off once the grass is higher.
6. Remember, 95% of all turf problems during the first 30 days of establishment are due to irrigation issues.
Place an Order and Schedule Your Delivery
Place your order by phone at our Las Vegas office, Mon-Fri, 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM PST
For next-day delivery, orders must be placed by 11:00 AM.
Payments are accepted in person at our sales office or by phone using VISA, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover. All orders must be prepaid before shipment.
Valley Sod Office
3725 W. Teco Avenue, Suite 9
Las Vegas, Nevada 89118
