You’ve done your research and decided to invest your money in a beautiful fescue sod lawn. Knowing how to properly care for and maintain your new sod will ensure that your lawn remains beautiful and problem free for many years.

First Things First

The first and most important thing to know is the proper time to lay the sod. Laying sod in the wrong season can create unnecessary extra work for you. Fescue is a cooler weather grass and will fare better if it is laid in the spring between April and May or in the autumn between September and October. The cooler night-time temperatures encourage the grass to grow a strong, healthy root system.

Care For A Newly Sodded Lawn

The first three weeks are the most critical time to your new lawn. The grass will spend its first weeks extending its root system down into the soil. For these first two to three weeks, you’ll need to water the sod every two or three days. This deep watering is critical for encouraging the roots to reach deeper into the existing soil. Watering early in the day will ensure that the surface of the grass has plenty of time to dry before nightfall. Wet foliage after dark can sometimes encourage fungal growth.

You should not walk on or mow your new sod for the first week. After that, light foot traffic is fine. Your new lawn should be kept mowed at a height of one to two inches.

Ongoing Care and Maintenance

Although fescue requires less maintenance than most other types of grass, it does require regular mowing and watering to keep it at its best.

After the first three weeks, you’ll need to supplement watering if you do not receive at least one to two inches of rain per week. Remember to water in the early part of the day to discourage fungal growth.

Regular mowing not only keeps your lawn looking its best, but is also necessary to keep your grass strong and healthy. Fescue should be kept at a height under three inches. When fescue is left to grow taller than three inches sunlight cannot reach all the way through, causing your grass to become weakened over time. Make sure that you keep your lawnmower blades very sharp. Dull blades cause the grass to be torn rather than cut, which also weakens the plant.

Fertilizing Your Lawn

Once your lawn is established it will benefit from a light application of high nitrogen fertilizer in the early spring and again in the fall. These are the periods of fastest growth for your fescue. Providing fertilizer at the right times will reward you with a lush lawn.

Fescue sod is a great choice for a trouble free and low maintenance lawn. Following these tips and instructions will ensure that you have that lush, green, healthy lawn that will be the envy of the neighborhood.