Can dried out, yellowed sod be brought back to life?

Question

My new house had sod put down a couple of weeks before closing, and it went a hot and sunny week without water. I moved in yesterday and the lawn is in pretty rough shape. the builder said that if I water alot it should turn green again, but isn't dead grass dead grass?

Answer 1

Keep watering, you'll soon see improvement.

Answer 2

Yes and no. In Florida, there are two main sod applications, Floritam (which is a hybrid St. Augustine) and Bahia. Floritam needs lots of water, and will generally not recover after it appears dead. Bahia, which is what is found in our cow pastures, can be brown as can be for months, and spring back to life after a good downpour.

Usually, there is an agricultural department at a university that will give you all the info you need. I would take a sample to them, or if closer, a local nursery. They'll be able to tell you in a heartbeat if you have a viable lawn, or as Judge Judy would say, the contractor is peeing on your leg and telling you it's raining.