Johnson's Garden Centers Text File document - copyright 2007 
PDF file available at http://www.johnsonsgarden.com/advice.html#lawn

Planting Fescue Sod 

Prepare the Ground with These Goals in Mind: 
- Prepare a smooth bed of good topsoil. 
- Smooth contours for even growth.  
- Leave no high spots, as this will cause scalping with the mower. 
- Do not leave dips or low spots. These will prevent run-off during 
	the rainy season. 
- Provide good drainage. You should slope the ground away from
    buildings and grade to one inch below driveway or sidewalk level.

Installation: 
- Lay sod immediately. 
- Immediately before or after sod installation, apply a high-phosphorus 
	fertilizer such as ferti-lome New Lawn Starter. 

Care of Sod After Installation: 
- Sod must be watered immediately after installation (within one hour). 
- Water to a depth of 6". Sod should be totally saturated at first. 
- Keep the sod moist. Check by lifting it up to see if the sod and the 
	ground underneath are wet. Any color change (shades of gray or brown) 
	in the sod indicates a lack of water. 
- Carefully mow lawn after 10 to 14 days or when lawn reaches a height 
	of 2-2.5". 
- Do not cut off more than 1/3 to 1/2 of the leaf blade. Do not mow 
	with a riding mower until the sod is rooted down. Stop mowing in 
	areas that are rutted by the mower wheels until it is drier. 

Care of Sod After Initial 2 Weeks: 
- Continue to water deeply every other day, depending on the weather. 
	If sod shows signs of drought stress, apply more water. 

Care of Sod After 4 Weeks: 
- Water deeply, but stretch to 2-5 days between waterings. 
- Determine by sight and feel if watering needs to be more frequent. 
	If "graying" or "crunchiness" occurs, increase the amount of 
	water applied. 

- If the sod was planted in the spring, fertilize with ferti-lome 
	South-West Green Maker. If the sod was planted in the late summer 
	to early fall, fertilize 2-3 times at 30-day intervals with 
	ferti-lome Winterizer.