While sod is easy to install and looks great in your yard, you must remember that it is a perishable product, and still requires some maintenance after the initial installation.  In the first few weeks after installing sod, make sure to use the area sparingly so that good root establishment can take place, avoiding concentrated activities, dog traffic, or rough usage for up to four weeks after installation in order to make sure enough time has passed to prevent unevenness and gaps.  Also make sure that it is properly watered at the beginning.  A helpful hint to figuring out how much water is reaching the lawn is to put an empty can, like a tuna can, about six feet away from the sprinkler to collect water.

Mowing the yard on a regular basis also needs to take place.  During the spring and fall, lawns should generally be 2 to 2 ½ inches tall, while they are kept up to an inch longer in the summer.  You should also always water after mowing during the summer to keep your yard healthy, and never cut more than a third of the existing blade of grass off while mowing.

After the lawn has been mowed at least twice and has established itself, it is important to use fertilizer (and to water immediately after fertilizing) and to use weed control if your sod is susceptible to this issue.