I'm pretty sure 1/4" every third day for nine days after laying the sod won't be enough. Hopefully some Zoysia experts will chime in. I would think you need to water daily until it roots then gradually ween it off to the normal schedule depending on how your soil handles moisture. Two separate 1/2" waterings per week is the norm but may need more if your soil is sandy or in the heat of the summer.

 

When I laid mine last year I watered 3x day for the first couple of weeks then backed off slowly.

I'm no expert, but I feel pretty confident in saying if you water new Zoysia every three days it will turn to a crisp pretty quick.

At least that's how it was for mine here in Texas.

 

I installed zeon last summer. It took a lot of water. Also depends on your soil type pretty heavily. Keep it wet for a solid 2 weeks and then you can start slowly tapering back. I never did get to 1" per week, it took way more than that to stay happy.

 

1/4 inch every 3rd day won't even keep up with ET rate. You're going to have to pound it with water for at least a week. Two thorough soakings per day, and I mean completely soaked. Are you adding any pre-plant before sod goes down? Any wetting agents or humic acid/sea kelp you can use?

 

I went 1 inch twice a week for a month till my wife saw our water bill. Backed it off to .5-.75" twice a week. Summers are dry and hot so I'm fix'n to put down some moisture manager in a day so. You want water deep to encourage the deeper root growth. So I've read.

 

During establishment its important that you monitor it daily. Water it immediately after installation, then daily, in the morning until it's tacked in. Increase the amount if you see any yellowing. If it's gets really hot (seems unlikely soon) you might need 2 a day, Or spot watering of drier spots. Be cautious of disease during this period.

Ones it's tacked in go to every other day for a couple of weeks.

Once established, 1" per week. Longer, deeper watering's are better if you don't have any run off issues. So 2-3 times per week.

Enjoy that new lawn! :thumbup:

 

During establishment its important that you monitor it daily. Water it immediately after installation, then daily, in the morning until it's tacked in. Increase the amount if you see any yellowing. If it's gets really hot (seems unlikely soon) you might need 2 a day, Or spot watering of drier spots. Be cautious of disease during this period.

Ones it's tacked in go to every other day for a couple of weeks.

Once established, 1" per week. Longer, deeper watering's are better if you don't have any run off issues. So 2-3 times per week.

Enjoy that new lawn! :thumbup:

mcDiddles +

you will see it turn 'grayish' and blades curl (thin) when its stressed - yellow is the next stage
Peel back a corner of your new sod and touch the ground underneath. If the ground is moist/wet, then no need to water. If the ground is dry, then you'd better get the sprinkler

 

Thanks everyone for your feedback. You confirmed what I suspected. Those numbers seemed way too low. I kept seeing 1" per week for established lawns so how could 1/4" every third day begin to keep up? That's the equivalent of a bit over 1/2" per week.

 

Is there anything else you can put down once it's sodded to help it along? I kept seeing videos / articles about sea kelp increasing the grass' ability to absorb water, would that be beneficial in a small dosage to fresh sod?