Question
it is Tifton sod
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The text above is a follow-up to ...

-----Question-----
I have just finished landscaping my yard.  I live in El Paso TX (desert/ clay like ground).  It normally doesnt get too cold or even snow for that matter.  For the past few days and the next week to come we have about 30 degrees weather outside.  If I water the SOD it will freeze.  Should I still water it and if so how much?  I just dont want to lose all the hard work and back ache I put into this lawn!

Thanks in advance for your help!
-----Answer-----
Andrea, Would you please tell me what kind of sod you put in place there?  It depends on what kind of grass you are using.  Sorry, but I can't tell you without knowing that.  Critical info.  rsvp!

Answer
Tifton is a blue-ribbon variety of Bermuda Grass, which is grown on more lawns in Texas than any other grass.  Bermuda is known as a fast-growing, low maintenance plant that thrives without much watering and takes the pitter patter of little feet without complaint.  Add to that Tifton's qualities for disease resistance and nerves of steel, and I'd say that you made the right choice when you picked Tifton Bermuda sod.

But all Bermuda goes dormant in the winter.  So it turns brown.  Rarely does anyone buy brown sod, but I'm hoping perhaps your Bermuda was headed toward dormancy when you purchased it and it is getting browner by the hour.

Technically, it is possible to put down Bermuda year round.  But most professionals recommend you stop around November and don't do any more until March.

I have checked your Texas temperatures.  With the air hovering above and below freezing, there will be some melting of any ice - perhaps significant moisture levels that will help your Bermuda's roots to develop.  I am hoping you had the soil watered before the Bermuda was rolled out.  It will be insulated enough by the thick mat of grass to stay liquid even when your thermometer is showing that the air is 30 degrees F.

As the weather warms up in a few weeks, watch your Bermuda.

The roots will take at least 5 weeks to show any significant growth.

Wait until late spring to determine how much damage you have incurred.  Make certain that when you buy any replacement sod - and it should be sod, not seed - you are buying Tifton.  Bermuda varieties can look like complete different grass, viewed side by side.

If I had to put money on what I think will happen, Andrea, my money would be on your sod.  I think it will be just fine.  Go out and give it a drink now, before it gets dark.  And don't forget to keep me posted.