Rain after new turf?

wonderlyeric – posted 02 November 2006 19:47

I just laid new sod at my house. The next day it started raining, hard. It is supposed to rain for the next week. Will this hurt the root development? I know you are supposed to water lots after instalation but not very deep Did I just ruin all the sod?

tommy – posted 03 November 2006 14:59

It should be ok if the drainage is good!

cohiba – posted 03 November 2006 16:13

You may need to stay off until the water drains through. Usually, after sod is laid the lack of roots underneath will cause the soil to become destabilized. Keep off the area even foot traffic could cause the ground to sink below the sod. If this happens it is very tough to repair.

Be patient and be cautious. Even if the sod grows to great lenghts….wait until its stable……..

wonderlyeric – posted 05 November 2006 18:43

OK so I am staying off the new turf, but I woke up this morning and found that some kids had ran thru the yard creating a few large divits. Should I try and repair those now or wait till the ground is dry? Also how do you repair it? Should I cut out the sod in the divit and fill with top soil then seed?

tommy – posted 05 November 2006 22:43

You can try lifting the areas with a pitch fork- similar to the way a ball mark is lifted on a putting green. Stick the fork on the outside edge of the damage- gently lifting until the turf is level with surrounding turf. The soil must be moist, but not soggy!