STOP raking the lawn. Rakes are for leaves, not thatch, and not for grass clippings - all rakes, including grass rakes rip the grass at the base and will ultimately pull up the new root system in the sod which is trying to reach the solid soil beneath. STOP dumping chemicals on to your lawn. Chemicals are like Speed for plants - just as addictive and in the long run will destroy the soil. DO water every other day for about an hour per area - preferably at night, very early morning. An hour - not ten minutes, not half an hour - a full hour - every other day. Your new rolled out lawn has to be trained to go deep for water - watering for a longer period of time will make certain that the water gets deeper - watering every other day will provide a day when the roots have to stretch for water. You are in essence training the grass to grow deep roots. Once it is established (that takes a full summer) then you can cut back to a half hour or about 1/2 inch of water every other day. Unless you live in a low humidity place, then you need to up that to 3/4 to a full inch every other day. DO set your lawnmower at one slot below its highest setting. Mowing the lawn higher will present the lawn with more shade at the roots - providing protection from sun burn. Further it will create a happy ecology where insects will dwell - where worms will get big and fat and have lots and lots of babies. Insects are good, insects are one sign of good soil. Dandelions are the hallmark of perfect soil. If you have the yellow flowers in your lawn your soil is great. Ironic considering how much people hate them and work so hard to remove them. DO mulch mow. Toss the bag to the side. Mow the lawn and leave the grass clippings in the lawn - if you use a mulch mower (has two blades) it will chop the grass clippings more - even without one the grass clippings rot fast and will feed new growth. Will become worm food You want to feed worms, they are a lawns best friend. DO use composted manures to amend the spoil. Do use compost. Most lawns need to be built up over a period of time. Natural methods of building soil will cost you far less than chemicals and will make your grass more resistant to disease, drought, late/early frost, sun burn, etc. If you start of using chemical fertilizers you will spend the rest of your life with that lawn buying and spreading chemicals. Yes the Chemical Companies know this, this is why they push the first dose at you - knowing that once your lawn it hooked YOU are hooked. DO have a lawn composed of three (at least) ground covers, the formula that usually works is a Fescue, Bermuda and a broadleaf. Of course you have already dumped chemicals on your lawn, now your grass is addicted to chemicals, so now it will suffer this year as it adapts to natural living. Let's go out and check your soil. Grab a shovel, cut a bit of the sod, move it out of the way, now take your shovel and dig up a large shovelful of soil - put it on newspapers or tarp. Look at it, is it sandy or is it clay? Is is a mix of sand and clay? If clay then you want to water less - if sand you need to water more - sand drains, clay holds the water - and when clay does dry out it acts like a brick, shedding water faster than it absorbs. What is the color of the soil? Is it light or dark? If light then it may need some serious amendments of organic matter - Mowing your lawn without a bag, letting the clippings remain so they can rot (they will decompose rapidly) will gradually add organic matter to the soil. Is there life in there? Other than ants are there earthworms? If no then get your shovel and dig around in the hole and see if you can find earthworms. If not your soil is dying or is already dead and you will need to bring earthworms to the soil. Not only do they remove thatch, they also devour the grass clippings, they also dig near surface tunnels which allow water and air to get to the roots. People who roll their lawns with spiked drums or use a dethacher have a worm problem - meaning no worms. Worms do all of that plus what they add to the soil as they dig and digest material is far better and more well rounded chemically speaking than any fertilizer made by man. If you live in a new house (recently built) then most likely the life was killed when the sprayed for termites and other unwanted insects before building the house. If you have worms and they are tiny, or are weak looking you need to add organic materials (grass clippings for sure) but also composted material. Compost comes in bags is easy to spread - yes it will be on top of the grass for a while, let the watering push it down, let the grass grow up through it. You will basically spread it like you spread chemical fertilizers (broadcast it). For the first year you should spread a thin layer of compost once a month - then every spring and every fall for three years - after that- IF you do not mow your lawn with a bag, the process will be self sustaining. The reality is that you most likely will lose a bit of your laid in sod. I would suggest over seeding occasionally, adding different Fescues, Bermuda and broadleaf ground covers.