Question
Hello, I have a question about irrigation. About 12 weeks ago I installed a cool season sod (50% blue and rye) in inland northern California. For the first 2 weeks with temps. between 85 to 75 degs. I watered appx. 1" a day for the first few..then changed to 1" every other day for 2 weeks...then 3....and most recently every 4 days for the past 4 weeks. I have mowed the lawn 4 times now to a height of 3 inches (temps in the 60's). Often there are racoons digging at night...not a big problem...but I mention this cause when I step on the little areas and corners to pat the sod back down it is very soft. Also...while mowing..I sense that I am walking on very wet soil..not the grass...but the soil is wet. The grass also..after walking on it, or mowing it, stays matted for days until it 'springs' back to life. The daily temps now are in the 60's....I have noticed one corner outside of the lawn where water pools during irrigation. I also poked around a sprinkler and got the sense that the thatch was 'limp' and was slightly yellow or less green that other areas. Am I over watering?. I read that matted prints are a sign of under watering? What are your suggestions for irrigating recently installed sod as the temp cools and we head into winter?

Thanks

Answer
It sounds to me like there may be some sort of drainage issue here that you'd need to get to the bottom of. You are keeping it nice and wet, but the water isn't draining away quickly enough.  That can lead to some real issues with disease problems, which would also weaken the grass and cause matting.

You'd have to have someone take a hands-on look to see what exactly is causing the drainage problem, since it could be any of a large number of things, but I do suspect that this is at the root of your problem.

Good luck!

-C.J. Brown
www.thelawncoach.com