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What to expect

What should happen after new landscaping is installed?

New landscaping needs more care at the beginning than an established yard. Fresh sod and newly installed plants must stay consistently moist while roots establish, then watering should taper rather than continuing at establishment frequency forever.

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The answer

Here’s what actually matters.

New landscaping needs more care at the beginning than an established yard. Fresh sod and newly installed plants must stay consistently moist while roots establish, then watering should taper rather than continuing at establishment frequency forever.

Florida licensing boundary

Who must handle the regulated work.

Ordinary landscape cleanup and planting are different from regulated utility work. Florida DBPR says compensated irrigation installation that requires connecting lines to potable water needs a licensed contractor, while installing or repairing an irrigation system that already has a backflow preventer connected to the potable supply is listed differently. Any electrical, plumbing or other regulated portion of a landscape project must go to the appropriately licensed trade.

Florida DBPR: what requires a license ↗ · Verify a Florida license ↗

For new sod

UF/IFAS guidance for newly installed sod uses frequent, short irrigation at first, then tapers as the turf roots in. The exact runtime depends on irrigation output, weather, soil and local watering rules, so minutes on one property do not transfer perfectly to another.

For new plants and beds

Water the root zone deeply enough to support establishment without leaving the soil continuously saturated. Plant size, species, soil and sun exposure matter; drought-tolerant does not mean “no establishment watering.”

What to watch instead of blindly following a timer

  • sod edges drying or lifting
  • wilting plants
  • standing water or persistently soggy soil
  • irrigation missing parts of the new installation
  • runoff onto hard surfaces

Bottom line

Installation is not finished when the crew leaves. The handoff should tell you who waters, for how long establishment care is expected, and when to transition to normal maintenance.

The next useful question

What happens after you send OttoServ a project?

After you send OttoServ a project, the first job is to understand the work—not automatically dispatch somebody. Otto uses your description, photos and project details to identify what is clear, what is missing, whether a licensed trade or site visit is needed, and what the next decision should be.

Related questions in this guide.

Compare your options

Yard cleanup or landscape redesign: which project do you need?

Choose cleanup when the basic layout works and the problem is overgrowth, weeds, debris, tired mulch or neglected maintenance. Choose redesign when the layout itself is the problem—wrong plants, poor use of space, drainage, privacy, irrigation, circulation or maintenance burden.

Put the guidance in context

Choose the OttoServ path that fits your role.

The library explains the work. These pages explain how OttoServ helps move that work from a question into an organized project path.

Homeowners & property ownersRepairs, improvements and property projects without doing all the chasing.General contractorsDefined work packages, overflow capacity and project support.Real estate investorsRehab, repair, turnover and property-work decisions.Subcontractors & field partnersScoped opportunities, clear terms and documented completion expectations.

From the answer to the actual project

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You do not need to know the technical answer before you start. Tell Otto what you see, what you want, and what matters most.

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Requests are reviewed for scope, location, qualified availability and applicable requirements. Submission does not confirm price, scheduling or acceptance.

Planning guidance, not a site assessment, construction specification or substitute for project terms. Required licenses, permits, inspections and professional responsibilities depend on the actual scope and jurisdiction.

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