Sod is a type of grass seed that has already been grown within patches of dirt, which can be installed directly onto a dirt lawn to provide an instantly lush yard. However, sod is not maintenance free: in the period immediately after laying it down, constant care and attention must be paid to your sod to ensure that the grass is able to grow and incorporate its roots into the soil of your yard.

Watering

Sod requires a significant amount of water in order to properly grow and adapt to its new environment. Sod that is allowed to dry out will shrink and shrivel up, and the grass will die rapidly. As a general rule of thumb, watering throughout the day is the best way to avoid drying out: watering in the morning, around the middle of the day, and in the afternoon well before the sun sets ensures that your grass has enough moisture to continue growing. Avoid watering at night, since this can cause flooding and soaking to occur, and can actually leave your sod waterlogged and have the opposite intended effect. After the second week, you can cut down the watering to once a day and slowly reduce it so that by the end of the fourth week you are only watering two to three times a week, depending on your local climate.

Fertilizer

Applying natural fertilizer to your sod is a great way to ensure that it maintains healthy growth and lays down its roots, but you don't want to apply it too early because you risk damaging the roots and causing fertilizer burn. Instead, wait until after the fourth week, when you've successfully watered your sod enough to the point where it has put down roots and has adapted to the climate.

Avoid Walking and Weight

You don't want to put any weight on your sod for about the first month or so of it being laid, since the root networks are still fairly fragile and can become damaged. You may want to consider putting up temporary fencing around your yard to keep dogs and other animals off of the grass as well.

Mowing

After the first month has passed, as long as there are no signs of damage to the grass or sod and it has grown in excess of three inches long, you can go ahead and mow it. This can encourage further grass growth, and will give your lawn a well-kept look. Be sure to only cut your grass by a small amount, maybe half an inch or so, since cutting too close to the ground can cause permanent damage and affect the health of your grass.

Contact a service, like Nature's Design Landscaping, for more help.