mister – posted 29 May 2004 12:58
I just laid down new St. Augustine sod, and I have questions about watering. I’ve gotten some mixed answers from different people i know, and different existing posts on this site. My house is Western Exposure(full sun, no shade) in Tampa Florida(about 95 degrees today) how long, and how often should I water for the first month. I’ve heard everything from once a day for 30 minutes, to 3 times a day for an hour per sprinkler zone. I know that there are other factors that come in to play and a rain gauge would help, but in general how often should I water? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
ted – posted 29 May 2004 13:43
i would say a good soaking once a day to keep the soil moist under the sod would work. also be aware of the condition of the new sod- do the edges look dry? pay particular attention to the “hot spots” around driveways, houses, and sidewalks. i would also try to water only during the early morning. i would probably not water it heavy for over two weeks. after that, do normal watering of around an inch a week. get a rain guage and figure out how long it takes to fill it up to an inch, and then how long it takes for it to evaporate back down to empty- then you’ll know how much and how often to water.
y2b – posted 31 May 2004 17:35
Water twice a day, everyday, early morning, like 4 am, and late evening, like 6 pm. I’d start with 25 minutes each time.
How much depends on what you see your grass doing, you don’t want the edges to dry out.
I lived in Tampa last year, and a few years ago pulled up a part of my yard and laid down 6 skids of sod in the summer.
It’s new, so chances of fungus is highly unlikely…so too much water would be better than too little.