Overwatered sod is prone to high risks of disease and pest infection that eventually lead to its demise. When left sitting in conditions that are too wet for a long time, this lawn’s roots begin to rot.
It squishes up after watering, wilts, and its blades turn yellow or brown, with newly planted plants failing to root properly.
These effects of overwatering take away the eye-catching beauty that you expect from your sod, so reading this article helps you to learn how to revive your plants.
Why Is Sod Overwatered?
Your Sod is being overwatered because you may be watering it too frequently as you would feel like it needs to be watered. Additionally, it could be that the plant has a poorly draining soil that is not draining the water properly, and it may be due to environmental change.
– Too Frequent Watering
You should irrigate your sod lawn twice or thrice a day at five to ten-minute intervals during spring and summer. This type of watering is best for sod growth and also keeps its blades looking stunning. Anything above this type of irrigation can easily lead to overwatering.
After three weeks of growing, you can determine whether you are watering the sod well by lifting a corner of this lawn.
If you manage to pick it up easily, you are probably overwatering it. This lawn’s root system gets longer and goes deeper in search of moisture if it is being watered well, thereby making it hard to uproot or pull a sod plant out of the soil.
Additionally, if you see water running off when watering a sod lawn, it would show that the soil is already saturated and cannot take more. This is a sign of overwatering. A soggy sod will eventually develop growth, health, and appearance problems and it would develop root rot.
– Poorly Draining Soil
Despite following the recommended watering frequency, if the soil does not allow excess water to drain away, it becomes soggy.
The roots of the sod are usually shallow when it is grown on a water-holding medium, this is all because the moisture is always abundantly available on the top layers of the soil. This would leave the plant to eventually looking weak and discolored because nutrient absorption is very low in shallow-rooted plants.
When the sod’s roots continuously sit in wet conditions, they start to rot. In this case, you will notice the leaves wilting despite the presence of high moisture. Wilting happens because the plant will not be getting enough moisture supply for its upkeep due to the reduced ability to absorb adequate water from the roots.
Soggy soil closes all air spaces and this greatly affects the supply of oxygen to the root system. This situation promotes the manifestation of organisms that cause rotting and other bacterial infections.
On the other hand, you will also notice the growth of weeds that include nut sedge, crabgrass, and thatch. In addition, you can also notice some mushroom-like growths on the lawn.
Please note that overwatered soil provides the perfect conditions for the manifestation and breeding of rot-causing organisms. In severe circumstances, the entire root system can be destroyed, which drastically reduces the chances of recovery, and it will even be fatal.
– Changes in Environmental Conditions
The uptake and loss of moisture are highly differentiated by changes in environmental conditions. During the hot seasons, evapotranspiration is generally high, which ultimately calls for much more frequent replenishment.
Evapotranspiration is the process whereby water is lost from both the plants and soil into the atmosphere through transpiration and evaporation, respectively. As environmental conditions like humidity, temperature, and sunlight change, you should also adjust the watering schedule accordingly.
In cases of lower humidity, your plants will take in more water, which is eventually lost into the atmosphere through the leaf pores. Nevertheless, you must keep in mind that in high humidity setups, the atmosphere will be already saturated with moisture, a scenario that slows down water loss from both the soil and plants.
Note that if you continue with the same irrigation frequency that you conducted during low humidity periods, you will overwater your sod lawn. You should cut back a little to allow the soil to lose excessive moisture before watering again.
When grown in shaded places, the irrigation frequency for your sod should not be the same with the one grown on direct sun.
Please note that if you do not pay attention to the sunlight exposure differences and adjust watering accordingly, overwatering is most likely to take over. We recommend the general rule of thumb that suggests dipping a finger into the soil to ascertain whether it is dry enough to be watered.
How to fix an Overwatered Sod
You can fix your overwatered sod by first evaluating the watering in the rainy season, cutting back on irrigation, you must also ensure that you are watering it adequately. Keep a watering schedule, trim off the yellow parts and give it proper soiling.
– Watch for the Rainy Season
In most cases, the sod lawn is grown in open spaces that are exposed to direct rain. Also consider the climate or environmental conditions like sunlight, temperature, humidity, and soil type that the sod was growing.
This means that you should take these factors into account and determine the actual steps that you are going to take in addressing the problems caused by overwatering. During the rainy season, you should study the rainfall pattern in your area so that you can properly incorporate it into your watering plan.
– Cut Back on Irrigation
Having considered and identified the particular factors that caused overwatering on your sod, reduce the irrigation frequency. This should allow the soil to dry up a bit, causing the roots to grow healthier and deeper, as the air spaces will be open enough to allow adequate oxygen to circulate.
On the other hand, it is key for you to keep in mind that in overwatered circumstances, the sod’s roots remain close to the surface where oxygen is plentiful. This exposes them to diseases and infections that are found on the soil’s surface.
Remember, the sod lawn grows into a thick carpet when mature, which reduces moisture loss from the soil. You can start by skipping watering for a day and keeping a close eye on the lawn’s response.
If you were using a sprinkling system, consider reducing the quantity of water released into the soil. The overwatered turf starts losing excessive moisture that is within its system as a way of getting ready for the revival journey.
– Provide Adequate Aeration
Ensuring enough aeration is vital in improving the sod lawn’s path to recovery. You should know that overwatering fills up the air spaces the same way compacted soil does.
This setting causes yellow or brown patches on the lawn and to avert this, you should consider using a power core aerator. This gadget pulls up all the dirt, thereby freeing up of spaces under the soil and stimulating root development.
The power core aerator also loosens the soil, thereby improving the movement of nutrients and water to the under-layers of the soil. It is key that after loosening the soil, you should expect to see the sod lawn starting to show signs of improvement.
On the other hand, remember that you should also take advantage of this procedure to de-thatch the lawn. De-thatching is the removal of dead and old grass material that forms a thick carpet that disrupts the growth and appearance of the lawn.
Thatch interferes with the lawn’s ability to access water, fertilizer, and air. If you do not solve this problem promptly, the roots will begin to grow over the thatch which ultimately increases the sponginess. This way, the overwatered leaves of your sod will remain at risk of discoloring and death.
– Water Schedule
When caring for an overwatered sod, you can take into account a new sod care timeline. Depending on the environmental conditions, you should water the sod up to four or five times a day.
Each watering session should leave the soil wet to about three to five inches in depth. Considering that the main objective is to deal with the effects of too much water, avoid under watering the sod.
Irrigate your sod using the aforementioned schedule for seven consecutive days, keeping a close eye on its performance. As the lawn recovers, avoid walking on it to avoid compressing the soil. Doing this reduces airflow to the root system.
The best time to water your sod is during the morning or late evening. The main reason behind these watering times is that temperatures and sunlight are lower, which allows the lawn to absorb enough water to keep them going throughout the day.
If you irrigate during the day, a substantial amount of moisture evaporates rather than being absorbed by the sod. Please, bear in mind that low moisture levels discourage nutrient retention leading to deficiencies.
– Pruning the Yellowing Parts
Yellow overwatered sod lawn patches can be quite difficult to deal with especially just by reducing watering.
You should use lawn treatment to solve this problem. In most instances, too frequent irrigation washes away essential nutrients from the soil leaving the lawn malnourished. In this scenario, the grass blades will respond by yellowing.
You should add nitrogen and iron-rich fertilizers to your sod lawn to repair it. Ensure that the fertilizers are adequately applied to the lawn during the growing season to avoid burning the roots and enhance vigorous development at the same time.
We advise you to use liquid fertilizers because they easily soak deep into the soil’s surface. This gives the plant adequate feeds to enhance the production of healthy green leaves and stems.
You can also water the sod lawn any time of the day when using timed sprinklers that can dispense optimal water at the set ideal times.
– Proper Soiling
You should, at all costs, avoid over-saturating the soil to curb overwatering issues.
Before irrigating, ensure that excess water is drained or evaporated during the day to keep the soil slightly moist.
FAQ
Does Overwatering Sod lead to weed growth?
Overwatering Sod can contribute to weed growth due to the excess moisture promoting favorable conditions for weed seeds to germinate.
How do I know if my Sod is overwatered?
Signs of overwatered Sod include waterlogged soil, spongy texture, yellowing or wilting grass, and the presence of fungal diseases.
Can a hose help remove excess water from Sod?
Using a hose to remove excess water from Sod is not recommended, as it may further saturate the soil. Allow natural drainage or use a soil aerator for better results.
Conclusion
This informative guide should help to revive and maintain your sod in a gorgeous state.
Let us recap the main issues that we have highlighted in this article.
- Too frequent watering and poor management of environmental changes are some of the common overwatering causes you should be on the lookout for.
- The first and most essential step that you should take in reviving your overwatered sod lawn is to evaluate the factors that caused this problem.
- You should cut back the water supply and closely monitor the sod to see how it responds before taking the next step.
- The yellow and brown patches on your lawn should be treated because they cannot be returned to their green color just by reducing the water supply.
Knowing the steps that you should take when you encounter sod overwatering is a vital lawn care requirement. With these tips, you should step up and get your lawn back to its vibrant state in no time!
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