Installing fresh sod on your lawn can be quite an exciting experience. Your eyes get tired of looking at old, dried up leaves and you just can’t wait for the roots to set in before you can use it again. But you do have to wait before you can use your lawn as you did before. If you’re wondering about how long you should wait and why you’re on just the page.
Why Is There a Waiting Period?
People know that there is a waiting period, but not many people know what its meant to do. Basically, you’re just waiting until your sod has solidified its roots in your soil. If you’re using the lawn before this process completes and before your sod has a chance to develop a strong root system, you’ll ruin your new lawn. You should refrain from putting too much foot traffic strain on your lawn. For how long though? That’s probably your next question and one that we’re about to answer.
How Much Time Does Your Lawn Need?
The average waiting time that sod needs to strengthen its roots in two weeks. But this is nothing more than just an estimated time frame. To make sure that you don’t end up ruining your lawn, it’s important that you check the roots.
The best way to check the roots is to lift one corner of the sod and see how the roots have developed. If you see no resistance or close to no root development, it’s best to wait. If lifting that corner was difficult and there was a lot of resistance, then your sod is probably ready. It’s also a good practice to repeat these steps in all four corners of your sod just to make sure that the roots are settling in throughout the surface nicely.
The time it takes is definitely worth the wait. Sod is one of the fastest ways to have a beautiful green lawn. So, take good care of the lawn until it can set its roots. It might be tempting to run bare feet all over the welcoming lawn, but just wait! The results are going to be worth it.
If you’re looking for more tips on how to take care of your new lawn, here’s a video from The Lawn Care Nut giving quite a few helpful tips.
