I just laid sod about 5 days ago and it is already turning brown. Is this normal? What should I do?

Question

I water the grass really good practically soak it twice a day, once in the morning and again in the late afternoon.

The sod is fescue and bluegrass. There are some patches that are completely brown. My husband rototilled the dirt first. Then he added topsoil and maneur. He didn't press down the sod with a roller. We figured since it was pretty level and we got all the trash out that it wasn't necessary to roll it. I am not debating whether we should go get more sod to finish the rest of the yard or wait about another week to see how the sod takes.

Answer 1

My concern would be initially that the sod got dry before you were able to get it set. When we bought ours it was definitely looking sad, and I lost a couple of squares, but it is lush and green and filling in nicely now, although it just really didn't at first.

Our grass went into some transplant shock when we laid it, but we kept it watered quite thoroughly till the roots began to take hold of the soil. It was set in March, and now I water only once a week, for a good soaking of a couple of inches. I've fertilized it only once, after it was well established.

(Oh, and when you mow, they recommend that you not scalp it, and never cut off more than 1/3 of the growth.)

Here are a couple of websites that may help:

Answer 2

What sort of grass is it? Did you use a high nitrogen fertilizer in the soil before you laid the sod? Is the brown appearing in circles? Is it all turning brown? In order to answer your question, it is important to know more about it.

Answer 3

Please add some details for us about what kind of grass it is. I know for a fact that Buffalo grass sod will completely brown after it's put in place. Then, in a couple weeks, it perks up and greens again. It's kind of strange!

Answer 4

Sounds as though you need to tone down the watering, no more than 1" a day,and that still may be to much, depending on drainage and exposure. Good Luck

Answer 5

your grass seed will come with instructions on how to take care of it. on the bag it will tell if it needs full sun or shade or part sun and shade. it will tell if it is an annual grass which will eventually din and never grow back or a perennial grass which will survive and grow back eack year. it will tell how much water and like when to mow during its growth period. it will tell you what you need to do before planting the grass. for more information any nursery website will provide more information that whats on the bag.

Answer 6

Did you lay it on a hard packed surface? I did that mistake myself last year, I would water and water but to no avail... However, I solved my problem by removing it completely and then turning over the soil with a shovel, then evening it out with a rake.

Answer 7

I think Rachel is right, the fact that it is only the edges suggest that the sod didn't make contact with the soil. But I don't think the fertilizer is an issue,,, but water regularly..

Answer 8

brown that soon is usually a sign of burning. you shouldn't cut it for one to two weeks, don't water in the middle of the day, if you're soaking it try less water or even skip a day. and stay off it.

Answer 9

It needs sunlight too... is it getting enough? Don't overwater... only water when it is dry otherwise you water down the minerals and can promote mold growth.

Answer 10

Less water