In domestic gardens there are different methods like covering the area of the garden with many layers of newspaper for several weeks in order to control the amount of weeds. Also, you can use a black sheet instead of newspaper. You keep a newspaper for seven days, it prevents the light of the sun from entering beneath and hence kills the unwanted plants. If you want to check to see if your lawn is getting firmly rooted, simply tug on the turf. At the four week mark, you should apply an application of fertilizer to your new lawn. Problem Solvers for New Sod Lawns If you think that your sod is not taking root fast enough, you should know that sod lawns that are planted in excessive shade will have a slow time at putting down roots than sod lawns which are in full sun. Soil tests will show you the levels of phosphorus, magnesium and calcium that are currently in your lawn soil so you don’t make costly mistakes. If you have cool season grass, such as Bentgrass, Kentucky Bluegrass, Rough Bluegrass, Tall Fescue, Creeping Fescue, Annual Ryegrass and Perennial Ryegrass, you will want to fertilizer your new lawn in the fall. The only investment you will have in seeding is that you will need to purchase the seed and either buy or rent a seed spreader. You will also need to purchase a top dressing to cover your seed bed. This can be straw or peat moss. How to Plant a New Lawn - Sod Information If you are looking for instant result, sod is the way to go. Over half of the water put out by these sprinklers will be lost. A method for new lawn watering during the afternoon that is very productive is soaker hoses. Invest in soaker hoses and run them throughout your yard. When you do water, try to water less often but water deeply. Water needs to go to a depth of six inches. Before starting with lawn mowing it is always advisable to clear your lawn of stones, toys and other decorative items which may fly during the course of lawn moving and can cause severe injuries. Also while mowing the lawn, ask others to keep a safe distance from the equipment to ensure their safety.