Watering Guide for New Sod in Southwest Florida
Newly planted sod needs to be watered much differently than established lawns. New sod must be watered more frequently for the first three weeks. This watering guide is for the Southwest Florida area, but should also work well for interior regions of Florida. For established lawns, only water often enough to avoid wilt between irrigations. The tables below show the recommended watering frequency for newly planted sod and for established lawns in Southwest Florida.
Watering New Sod - Summer Schedule
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| Summer Schedule: Temperatures Above 90 Degrees Farenheit |
| Time Since Planting |
Watering Frequency |
Schedule |
Duration |
| First 14 days |
4 times daily |
8 a.m. & 11 a.m.
2 p.m. & 5 p.m. |
5 to 10 minutes |
| 15 to 21 days |
1-2 times daily |
8 a.m. & 5 p.m. |
15 to 20 minutes |
| after 21 days |
1 time daily |
Early Morning Hours |
Water should penetrate
8 to 10 inches deep |
Watering New Sod - Winter Schedule
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Winter Schedule: Temperatures Below 90 Degrees Farenheit
Dormant Bermuda Sod Overseeded with Winter Ryegrass |
| Time Since Planting |
Watering Frequency |
Schedule |
Duration |
| First 14 days |
2 times daily |
9 a.m. & 2 p.m. |
10 to 15 minutes |
| 15 to 21 days |
1 time, every other day |
Early Morning Hours |
15 to 20 minutes |
| after 21 days |
3 to 10 days
to 3 times per week |
Early Morning Hours |
Water should penetrate
4 to 6 inches deep |
Newly Planted Sod in Southwest Florida: Water four times daily in the summer and two times daily in the winter, during daylight hours. Soak the sod enough to keep the top three inches of soil along with the layer of sod constantly wet, but do not allow water to stand for long periods. When rooting has sufficiently developed (about 14 days) to prevent sod from being pulled from the soil, cut watering to twice a day during summer and every other day in the winter. After 21 days, the roots should be established— water grass once a day in the summer and 2 to 3 times per week in the winter.
Additional Watering Tips for Sod
- If you have a dry area or a blue-gray area (a sign of water stress), place like-size containers in that area and one in a green area. Water sod 15-30 minutes, then measure both containers. If the dry area is not getting the same amount of water, adjust the sprinkler heads.
- Use several shallow containers such as tuna cans or margarine containers and space throughout the yard. Water until the containers fill to 1 inch. However long this takes is how long you should water established grass.
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