Question
I laid 200 rolls of sod, to well prepared soil i April.  About 3 weeks ago, it just started dying.  The dead sod can be rolled up, as if there are no roots anymore.  I cannot find any worms or larvae.  I applied a summer fertilizer to "fix" or help the problem, and now there are patches of bright yellow where I assume it burned.  I have pulled up all the dead sod, about 15 rolls.  I want to keep the rest of the lawn from dying.  I live in colorado, and it has been very, very dry  and hot here.  It was such a financial investment, I hate to see it just die off.  Should I try to replant the sod or try grass seed?  will the yellow patches rejuvinate or should I dig them out also?  thank you, Becky

Answer
Sod must be kept consistently moist until rooted. Usually watering once per day for 10-15 minutes for a few weeks is required. Once rooted (you can no longer pull up grass) you should gradually change to an infrequent but deep watering pattern, such as once per week for 2 hours. The most common cause of sod failure is due to lack of adequate watering during rooting.

Once rooted, the lawn should be watered with regular intervals (weekly) through its first season.

In your area, fertilize in late spring, early fall and late fall. Never fertilize in summer. It is not good for the lawn and do more harm than done.

You can try to re-sod or re-seed. Rememeber to keep the soil below the sod moist until the sod roots.