# Did I water my new sod enough



## daganh62 (May 4, 2018)

In mid March i put down 2500 square feet of new sod. Its tifway 419 overseeded with rye. I watered 3 times a day for 10 minutes and checked the grass and it was staying wet. After 2 or 3 weeks i backed the watering down to 3 times a week for 15 minutes. After notice a few urine burns from the dogs i went back to watering everyday but for just 7 minutes a day. It has helped with the urine burns. 2/3 sits on a hill about 20% grade. Today i noticed that the bermuda at the top is dead and the rye seems to be thinning(the rest of the lawn the rye is very thick and hard to see the Bermuda). It got me thinking was i suppose to water more or over a longer period of time since it was overseeded? Will the bermuda underneath be ok? Am i just being paranoid? Any insight and advice would be appreciated. Thanks


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## Rockinar (Jul 21, 2017)

I dont know anything about Rye or why you overseeded Bermuda with it in March. But Bermuda is tough as coffin nails. It does not just drop dead like that. You have to severely abuse it.

Where you checking the sod to see if it was rooting?

I dont know if your Bermuda is dead or dormant. Water the hell out of it and see if it responds. Thats my only guess. Dormant bermuda seems to have a tan color, and dead looks yellow....from my experience.


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## daganh62 (May 4, 2018)

I believe the Bermuda was tan not yellow but i will have to double check it's just crumbling when i pull at it. The sod came overseeded with rye so it could take root immediately. I have checked the sod, it does have roots i just can't tell if it's all rye or it'd it's both. The rye us very thick. I will water it heavy and see what happens. Thanks for the advice.


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

Is the back of the sod where it's dead or dormant getting completely wet? Has it rooted?

I was told 7 days a week for the first month with my sod.


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## daganh62 (May 4, 2018)

Yes it gets completely wet, but it drains quickly because of the hill that it's on. Im picking up watering for longer to see if that helps.


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

Once early in the morning, 30 minutes per area for a month was how I did mine.


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## Tellycoleman (May 10, 2017)

daganh62 said:


> In mid March i put down 2500 square feet of new sod. Its tifway 419 overseeded with rye. I watered 3 times a day for 10 minutes and checked the grass and it was staying wet. After 2 or 3 weeks i backed the watering down to 3 times a week for 15 minutes. After notice a few urine burns from the dogs i went back to watering everyday but for just 7 minutes a day. It has helped with the urine burns. 2/3 sits on a hill about 20% grade. Today i noticed that the bermuda at the top is dead and the rye seems to be thinning(the rest of the lawn the rye is very thick and hard to see the Bermuda). It got me thinking was i suppose to water more or over a longer period of time since it was overseeded? Will the bermuda underneath be ok? Am i just being paranoid? Any insight and advice would be appreciated. Thanks


Why in the world wood a sod company do that?
Wowww that a new one on me. I guess some people dont like the look of installing dormant grass.Hopefully when the weather gets warm the rye grass will die and the bermuda will kick in


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## Movingshrub (Jun 12, 2017)

daganh62 said:


> In mid March i put down 2500 square feet of new sod. Its tifway 419 overseeded with rye.


Any chance we can get a photo of this?


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## daganh62 (May 4, 2018)




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## Topcat (Mar 21, 2017)

The really whacky temp swings has been playing havoc with Bermuda green up. Since you have rye overseed, the Rye is competing and winning the race for green up in the cooler weather. Once the temps come up, the rye will not stand a change in the South Carolina heat and sun and will die off.

Did the installer, by chance warranty their work? You will not know how well the Bermuda is established until we have hotter temps and the Rye dies off.


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## daganh62 (May 4, 2018)

We installed the sod ourselves. Unfortunately now there is a new concern my blade is apparently dull. Some grass had discovered tips and it looks like some had almost gone back to dormant and little may have died. Its hard to say. In hindsight don't go with overseeded. It makes it hard to tell how your warm season grass is doing. You don't know if the roots are from the over seed or the sod and you can't tell if your lawn is greening up and growing. The crazy part is my neighbor happened to order sod for the same day and he didn't know overseed was an option so he got normal sod. He might feel the opposite but he might not be as much of a perfectionist as I am.


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## Colonel K0rn (Jul 4, 2017)

Most people wouldn't overseed their lawn until it's been established for at least a year. You could hasten the demise of the rye by dropping the HOC on your mower, and scalp it down. That will put the rye on the bermuda's playing field which is mowed low and often, and with a shot of fert, it'll push through with no problems.

When you scalp the bermuda, it's going to be taking off the leaf tissue, which is green, and you'll be seeing the stalks which aren't. By the looks of the pictures, you have a lot of bermuda that's going to green up just fine, and the rye will be distant memory in a month. You've got to live with a brown-ish lawn for a little while, but it'll be worth it. Drop that HOC down, and mow, collect the clippings, and go to town. You got this!


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## Movingshrub (Jun 12, 2017)

Why not just smoke out the rye with an herbicide and be done with it?


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## daganh62 (May 4, 2018)

Movingshrub said:


> Why not just smoke out the rye with an herbicide and be done with it?


The sod is not that old and the supplier recommend waiting six months to put anything besides fertilizer on it.

Here are some updated pictures





The sides are thriving the middle is barely surviving. The brown gets the least water so I'm going to adjust my sprinkler and see if that helps. Although a month ago that area was green as everything else. I think it also gets the most sun and might be killing the rye quickest.

THANK YOU FOR EVERYONE'S ADVICE ITS BEEN A BIG HELP IN THIS PROCESS.


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

You need to get out there and water that by hand for the next 1-2 weeks daily. Water it until it just about floats.


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## daganh62 (May 4, 2018)

SCGrassMan said:


> You need to get out there and water that by hand for the next 1-2 weeks daily. Water it until it just about floats.


Will do thanks!


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

Early in the morning is best


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## Rockinar (Jul 21, 2017)

Needs water, bad.


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## daganh62 (May 4, 2018)

Adjusted my sprinklers today and set a small container to catch waster essentially that spot had been getting less than half any inch a week. Increasing watering times and frequencies. I also found out the ph is high with An analog meter. Should i get a soil test to get an exact number? How do I lower the ph, dog friendly suggestions appreciated.


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## Guest (May 12, 2018)

I'm right there with you except I'm watering a cool season grass sod, and about a 5x5' test plot of tiftuf sod. I'm watering 3-4x a day on those areas. 
I'm more worried with the fescue. The tiftuf has put out 3" roots in less than a week. I throw the wife's Tupperware dish in the yard and measure the depth of water in it when I'm watering&#128064;&#128514;


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## daganh62 (May 4, 2018)

firefighter11 said:


> I throw the wife's Tupperware dish in the yard and measure the depth of water in it when I'm watering👀😂


That's what I did. I didn't realize the bottom wasnt perfectly flat inside. My measurements were around a 1/4 inch and 3/8 depending on how i measured so I'm getting between a 1/2 and 3/4 of an inch once the sprinklers were adjusted (with the old sprinkler schedule) which means i was getting less than that. So I'm doubling my watering time.


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