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| We just put down new Marathon sod. I was wondering how much watering I should do in the first few weeks to get the root system established. Some websites suggest up to three times per day (at about 15 minutes per watering), seven days per week, which to me seems a bit extreme. Then again, maybe it's fine. I do live in Los Angeles, and the area where the new sod is does get a lot of sun exposure, especially now that summer has come. That being said, I am afraid of over-watering, as that can be pretty detrimental as well. We put the sod down on Saturday. I was going to run the sprinklers (360 degree non rotating heads) for 15 minutes per day at 5am. I figured that 5am is still early enough (the sun is still asleep) for the soil to get soaked thoroughly and for the roots to get enough water before the sun comes out. As I noted, some websites suggested to do another watering around 11am, and a final watering around 2pm. Would 15 minutes per day for the first 2-3 weeks, around 5am, be enough to establish a root system? |
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- Posted by dchall_san_antonio 8 San Antonio (My Page) on Mon, Jun 11, 12 at 0:44
| It depends on where you live. If you really live in downtown Los Angeles, then that is too much water. However, if you live east of there, say in West Covina, then it might be the right amount of water. Every time someone writes in from "Los Angeles," it turns out they live somewhere else. There has only been one person who actually lived in LA. He described where he lived and I did not realize it was in the city limits. Anyway in LA it is most important to know where you really are. Marathon, Marathon II, or Marathon III? Generally you need to keep the sod moist for 2-3 weeks until the roots from the sod knit into the underlying soil. Watering at breakfast time, lunch, and dinner is usually good. If you live west of PCH, that's too much. You might be able to go to once a day in the middle of the afternoon. If you live west of the 405 you can probably back off to 2x per day at lunch and early evening. Any place else and I would water three x per day at breakfast, lunch, and dinner times. Then the trick is how long to water. Measure the output of your sprinkler with a tuna can. Time how long it takes to fill the can. If you can fill the can in 15 minutes, then watering for 15 minutes is WAAAAAy too long. If it takes 8 hours, then you will need to water longer than 15 minutes. Start at 30 minutes. The problem with watering in the very early morning is the afternoon heat will dry up the sod. Watering in the afternoon cools the sod and moistens it just when it needs it most. Once the lawn is established and the roots are deep in the soil, then you can usually go with morning watering. It really makes a difference where you live. Did they roll the sod down? If not you still can do that. If you don't have much sod you can just go out and walk on every square foot of it to tamp it down. Roots will not grow through the air to reach the soil below. If your soil is so soggy or soft that you cannot walk on it without sinking, then you have other problems. We would need to know what caused that. It is very common which is why I bring it up. |
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