Summer is a good time to lay sod in Florida, not a bad one. Warm-season grasses root fastest in the heat, and afternoon rain does part of the watering. The risk is the first two weeks, when the sod has no roots of its own and the sun can dry a piece out by noon. Here is what to do, week by week.
Water: Every Day for 30 Days, Then Step Down
New sod has to be kept moist, not soaked, until its roots grow into the soil beneath it. In summer that means watering every day for the first 30 days, early in the morning, when evaporation is lowest and the grass has the whole day to dry, which also discourages fungus. Water long enough that the soil under the sod is damp when you lift a corner, and no longer; water standing on the surface is too much.
The exception is rain. A real summer storm, half an inch or more, counts as that day’s watering. Back off the irrigation after heavy rain, because waterlogged sod rots as surely as dry sod dies. The goal is moist soil under every piece, every day.
Days 31 to 60, cut back to three days a week, and after day 60 the lawn goes on a normal schedule. That schedule is the same one Manatee and Sarasota counties allow under the current water restrictions; a new lawn can be watered daily for 30 days and three days a week for the next 30 if you register the establishment variance first. Our Manatee County and Sarasota County guides have the contacts.
Mow: Not Until It Roots, Then Never More Than a Third
Do not mow until the sod has rooted. Check at about two weeks by pulling on a corner of a piece; if it resists, the roots have taken, and if it lifts, wait and keep watering. Rooting usually takes two to three weeks in summer.
For the first cut, and every cut after, use a sharp blade and take off no more than a third of the blade height. Cutting more than that stresses the grass and opens the canopy to weeds and sun. Keep St. Augustine tall, 3 to 4 inches, which shades its own roots and holds moisture; EMPIRE Zoysia is kept shorter, around 2 inches. Mow consistently once you start, because letting the lawn get long and then cutting it back hard is the same one-third problem in a single afternoon.
Three More Things That Matter in Summer
Stay off it. Keep foot traffic, dogs, and furniture off new sod for the first two to three weeks so the pieces are not shifted before they root.
Hold the fertilizer. New sod comes off the farm fertilized. Wait until it has rooted, about 30 days, before the first application, and then follow a soil test rather than a calendar; see our guide to soil pH.
Watch for pests. Summer is sod webworm season, and chinch bugs favor hot, sunny St. Augustine. Brown patches that spread in a rooted lawn are worth a close look before you blame the water.
Bayside Sod has grown sod in Bradenton since 1987, and our Turf Care plans take the watering, feeding, and pest questions off your list after the install. If you are planning a summer lawn, request a quote or call (941) 702-1746, and we will cut it the day it ships.