We moved into our new home in December (north Alabama), and I’m worried we may have made a mistake with our sod. It was installed in October, but I’m not sure what type of grass it is. While we do have an irrigation system, we haven’t used it much since temperatures have been cold over the past few months. We’ve had a mix of rain, frost, and even some snow.
I understand grass typically goes dormant in winter, but our sod doesn’t seem to have rooted yet. I can still lift the edges easily, and there are noticeable gaps that seem to have gotten worse over time.
Is there any way to save it? Could it recover once the weather warms up and we start watering regularly, or should I begin a watering schedule now? I’d appreciate any advice before reaching out to a professional.
It looks like it’s past the time for watering. I would recommend throwing down some 10-10-10 fertilizer and hope for the best. Don’t worry about the edges or gaps and skip getting an expert for now. Just wait until spring
Cy said:
That sod looks completely dead to me. New sod needs a lot of water
I came here to say the same thing. You should water new sod about 3 times a day until it takes root. When I moved into my new place in October a few years back, I watered a lot. Once it started to take root, it went dormant but came back beautifully in the spring. Since this sod doesn’t seem rooted, I’m unsure where you should go from here
@Avery
Bermuda roots still grow during dormancy, just slower. You did the right thing by watering it. However, since the original poster (OP) has virtually no roots, it seems possible the Bermuda is dead. But who knows, it could still surprise you. Bermuda is pretty tough
I own a landscaping company in North Mississippi and have been in business for over 30 years. Don’t listen to anyone saying it’s dead. This is dormant Bermuda grass. It didn’t get the chance to root if it was laid in late October before going dormant for winter. Do nothing until spring. Wait for consistent warmer weather, around the mid to upper 70s to see it start greening up. You won’t need to water it in spring unless there’s no rain for 1-2 weeks; usually, we get too much rain in the South during spring. Let Mother Nature handle it. Consider hiring a local spray company to treat it. They should do around 6-8 treatments a year. Let them know it was laid in late October to ensure it roots properly with minimal washout. After 1-2 years, you can decide if you want to continue it. I hope you take this advice because this sod is not dead, you don’t need to water it, and any fertilizer now would be wasted. The grass is just dormant, so hold tight for spring. You may lose a few patches, but Bermuda grass spreads quickly
Bermuda is resilient, but unrooted sod can’t be happy. It might just be the picture, but dormant Bermuda usually looks more yellow, and this looks grey. Grey likely means it’s dead. You won’t be able to do anything until spring, so don’t waste money on fertilizer
It looks like a warm season grass, so I’d leave it alone until spring and see how it does. If you paid to have it laid, there might still be a warranty, so avoid putting any chemicals on it until it takes root
I moved into a new place in December 2023 with sod laid in October 2023. It looked similar over the winter, but it perked up and filled in nicely with fertilizer the next spring