To install sod successfully in Denver, choose a grass suited to your sun and water budget, remove old turf, loosen and amend the clay, grade away from the house, and lay sod the day it arrives. Check your water provider's rules first: Denver Water uses a Watering Establishment Permit, and drought rules may discourage new sod.
Last updated
Sod gives you an instant lawn, but in Denver it also commits you to watering it heavily for the first few weeks, often during a season when your water provider limits outdoor use. Before you order sod, it's worth deciding how much lawn you really need, which grass fits the site, and whether your provider requires a permit or exemption to water new turf.
Choosing the grass
Kentucky bluegrass sod is grown in Colorado and is the most common choice for sunny, high-use lawns. Turf-type tall fescue and bluegrass and fescue blends are available and may use less water once established. Buffalograss can be installed as sod or plugs, and CSU Extension notes that vegetative types make the best buffalograss lawns, though they cost more than seeded types. Buffalograss is limited to elevations of about 6,500 feet or less and is green mainly in summer.
When to lay sod
- Cool-season sod roots best in spring and early fall, when temperatures are moderate.
- Midsummer sod in Denver needs more water to survive sun, wind and heat, which may conflict with drought rules.
- Warm-season buffalograss sod or plugs establish best once soil has warmed in late spring and early summer.
Check the watering rules first
Denver Water offers a Watering Establishment Permit that allows extra watering of new bluegrass sod or seed for a limited time, and during drought it may ask customers to avoid new sod altogether. Other providers in the metro have their own exemptions and some discourage new sod during drought. Confirm with your provider before scheduling delivery, and ask whether a turf replacement program would pay you to plant something else instead.
What proper installation looks like
- Remove old turf and weeds. Sod over existing grass leads to poor root contact and a lumpy lawn.
- Test and amend soil. Front Range clay is often compacted, alkaline and low in organic matter. Work compost into the top several inches, but avoid overdoing manure-based products, which can be salty.
- Grade away from the house. On expansive soils, positive drainage away from the foundation matters. CSU Extension also advises keeping sprinkler spray out of the first five feet next to the house.
- Lay sod the day it arrives. Tight, staggered seams, with no gaps that dry out in wind.
- Roll and water deeply. The first soak should reach the soil beneath the sod.
Watering new sod
New sod needs frequent, light watering until it knits in, then less frequent, deeper watering. Low humidity and wind dry sod edges quickly, so check corners and seams often. Tug a corner after a couple of weeks; when it resists, roots have taken hold and you can begin stretching the interval between waterings back toward your normal schedule.
Questions to ask
- Which grass do you recommend for my sun, use and water budget, and why?
- Does the price include turf removal, soil prep, compost and grading?
- Will you handle the watering permit or exemption with my water provider?
- Is there any guarantee, and what watering schedule voids it?
To get started, request a sod installer in the Denver area and include photos of the space.
See how it works
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a permit to water new sod in Denver?
Denver Water offers a Watering Establishment Permit that allows extra watering of new sod or seed for a limited time. Other providers have their own exemptions, and some discourage new sod during drought, so check with yours.
When is the best time to lay sod in Denver?
Spring and early fall are best for bluegrass and fescue sod. Midsummer installs need much more water. Buffalograss sod or plugs establish best once the soil warms in late spring and early summer.
Can I lay sod over my old lawn?
It isn't recommended. Old turf keeps new roots from reaching the soil, which leads to a patchy lawn that dries out fast in Denver's wind and sun.
Sources and further reading
- Colorado State University Extension
- CSU PlantTalk: Choosing a lawn grass for Colorado
- CSU PlantTalk: Expansive soils
- Denver Water: summer watering rules
- Denver Water: drought information
- Aurora Water: Grass Replacement Incentive Program
- City and County of Denver: fences and walls
- Denver Office of the City Forester: tree pests and diseases
- Colorado Department of Agriculture: pesticide applicator licensing
- Colorado Department of Agriculture: noxious weed species
- Colorado State Forest Service: Home Ignition Zone guide
- Colorado General Assembly: SB24-005 (nonfunctional turf)
- Colorado 811
- National Weather Service Boulder: Denver monthly climate normals
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map
- EPA WaterSense