Baby sod’s first buzz

It might take a couple of passes the first time you mow new sod. Go easy — you don’t want to take off too much anyway. Sod should be rooted and ready for its first mowing in about two weeks. Gently try to lift a corner of the sod to make sure it has begun rooting. Let the lawn dry a little before mowing and check to see that the mower blades are sharp. You don’t want to mow off more than a third of the blade at a time (so the small pieces will disappear in the lawn). It may be necessary to make two or more passes that first haircut, starting at the highest setting on your mower and then lowering it to the proper height for your kind of grass. Some types of hybrid Bermudas are mowed as low as half an inch off the ground, while fescues might be mowed so they end up 3 inches tall.

— Robert Smaus