07/20/2019
Helpful hint when looking to purchase a home (July 20, 2019): Sod
If you are looking at a home that has recently had sod laid ask how much it was watered. If the answer isn’t every day for at least two weeks, then you may have problems with it down the road. Freshly laid sod needs to be watered every day for at least two weeks (about 1/4'” per day). This helps the roots in the sod “peg” down into the new soil. A year after buying our new home I was laying a small patio area for the grills. As I was removing the 7 or 8 month old sod I noticed it pulled up fairly easily along the sod seams. I asked my neighbors who lived in their homes when my home was being rehabbed about the sod. They both said “Yeah, they laid the sod and watered it two or three times max”.
Move forward two years and I’m dealing with a very thick layer of thatch. Some thatch is natural and healthy for your yawn. Too much (springy feel when you step on it) is bad for your lawn. Excess thatch keeps water from seeping down into the ground as it absorbs the water (rain or sprinkler) in its mesh like layer, similar but more extreme than how mulch keeps water in for the plants and topsoil. Excessive thatch also keeps the grass roots shallow instead of deep. Grass roots will only go as deep as the soil moist. This is why most professional Horticulturists recommend watering established lawns less frequent but deeper (longer watering time, about an 1” or so), see link at the bottom of the post. This helps your lawn develop a deep root system. Not only does this help to prevent an excess thatch layer but makes your lawn more drought resistant during the dog days of Summer.
Here are a few pics of thatch I raked up this morning using a thatch rake.
Be very careful out there during this extreme heat and stay hydrated!
Thanks and have a great weekend,
Chuck Donahue
https://www.answers.com/Q/What_do_you_call_a_grass_expert
