How Often to Water New Sod in Tampa Bay (Under One-Day Rules)

How often to water new sod in Tampa Bay depends on its age: several short cycles of 5 to 10 minutes a day for the first 7 to 10 days, then once a day for the next 7 to 10 days, then 2 or 3 times a week until it roots in, usually three to four weeks (UF/IFAS). The Southwest Florida Water Management District lets a new lawn be watered any day for its first 30 days, even under the one-day-a-week order.

How often should you water new sod in the first 10 days?

Water new sod several times a day, in short cycles of 5 to 10 minutes, for the first 7 to 10 days. New sod has almost no roots in the ground below it yet, so it lives on the moisture in its own thin layer of soil, which dries fast in Florida sun and sandy ground.

The aim is to keep the sod and the top inch of soil under it damp, not to soak the yard. Long runs of water in the first week mostly drain through sandy soil, past a root zone that does not exist yet.

What changes in days 11 to 30?

Around day 10, move new sod to one watering a day of 1/4 to 1/2 inch, and after another 7 to 10 days drop to 2 or 3 times a week at the same amount. Fewer, deeper waterings push new roots down into the soil instead of keeping them in the damp top layer of the sod (UF/IFAS, LH013).

You do not need a crew for this: set the controller once per stage and write the dates down on day one. Once the sod has rooted, it goes onto the same routine as the rest of the yard, and our full-service lawn care in Tampa Bay picks it up from there.

1. Write down the day the sod went in

   The District’s 30-day and 60-day counts both start from that date.

2. Keep a written watering schedule

   The District’s allowance for new lawns applies only if you keep one.

3. Days 1 to 30: water any day

   Follow the UF/IFAS stages in the season clock, any day of the week.

4. Days 31 to 60: three days a week

   Even addresses water Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday; odd addresses water Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.

5. Day 61 on: your address’s day

   The lawn joins the one-day-a-week schedule set by the last digit of the address.

Can you water new sod on any day during the restrictions?

Yes, for the first 30 days. The Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) gives new lawns and plants a 60-day establishment period: any day of the week for days 1 to 30, then three days a week for days 31 to 60, as long as you keep a written schedule. The UF/IFAS schedule above finishes inside those first 30 days, so it fits within the order.

After day 60, the District’s one-day-a-week schedule goes by the last digit of the address: 0 or 1 on Monday, 2 or 3 on Tuesday, 4 or 5 on Wednesday, 6 or 7 on Thursday, 8 or 9 on Friday. Pinellas County Utilities customers use different days from the rest of the District, and city water customers in St. Petersburg and Clearwater follow their own supplier (Pinellas County), so check the utility named on the water bill before setting a controller in Pinellas. For yards that should need less water for good, our page on xeriscaping in Tampa Bay covers plants that cope with one day a week.

How much water does new sod need each time?

Each watering of new sod is 5 to 10 minutes in the first 7 to 10 days, then 1/4 to 1/2 inch until it roots. Once the lawn is established, UF/IFAS advises 1/2 to 3/4 inch, and only when blades fold, wilt or turn blue-gray.

More water is not safer. UF/IFAS links large patch, a fungal disease worst on St. Augustine and Zoysia lawns, to excess water and nitrogen, and it shows up most when temperatures drop below 80 degrees, usually between November and May (UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions). Sod laid in fall should come off daily watering on schedule.

When can you mow and fertilize new sod?

Mow new sod for the first time about 14 to 21 days after it goes down, and hold off on fertilizer for at least 30 days. UF/IFAS puts the first feeding at 30 to 60 days after planting (UF/IFAS Homeowners Guide).

Local fertilizer rules add their own limits. Unincorporated Hillsborough County and Pasco County both bar nitrogen for 30 days after sodding, and Pinellas County bars it on new turf for 30 days. Unincorporated Hillsborough, the City of Tampa and Pinellas County ban nitrogen and phosphorus on lawns from June 1 to September 30. Medscapes does not apply fertilizer or pesticides; for those, use an FDACS-licensed provider.

• Day 1: write the install date and start the watering schedule.
• Days 14 to 21: first mow, once the sod holds firm.
• Day 30 or later: first fertilizer, outside the June to September ban where one applies.
• Day 61: the lawn moves to your address’s watering day.

If new sod is going down this week, write the install date on the controller’s schedule sheet before anything else. Every District and county count for a new lawn starts from that day.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. UF/IFAS. Publication LH013, establishing a Florida lawn. ask.ifas.ufl.edu
2. Southwest Florida Water Management District. District water restrictions. swfwmd.state.fl.us
3. WUSF. Outdoor watering restrictions extended again, September 22, 2026. wusf.org
4. City of Tampa. Watering days and hours. tampa.gov
5. Hillsborough County. Find my watering days and times. hcfl.gov
6. Pinellas County. Watering schedule and rules. pinellas.gov
7. UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions. Large patch. gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu
8. UF/IFAS. Homeowners Guide to St. Augustinegrass Management. agronomy.ifas.ufl.edu
9. Hillsborough County. Fertilizer ordinance and regulation. hcfl.gov
10. Pinellas County. Fertilizer ordinance. pinellas.gov