Tips for Laying Sod
While planting grass seed is cheaper, laying sod gives you immediate results which just can’t be beat. Laying sod is a lot of hard work, but the payoff is that you have instant beautiful, green, weed-free lawn that looks great at the end of the job without having to wait for grass seed to grow.
First, measure the square footage of where you plan to lay the sod so you know how much to order. You can then put in an order for sod either from a sod farm or often times from a local nursery or garden center.
Before you lay sod, you need to prepare the surface where you plan to install it. You should have all the prep work done well in advance of when the sod is to be delivered.
If you have an existing lawn or even a lot of weeds, you will first need to remove them. The easiest way to remove either an existing lawn or weeds is to first kill them. To do this you can use a weed killer that also kills lawns. Just be sure to follow the directions on the weed killer since they can be toxic if used incorrectly. It is easier to remove a lawn if the grass is thick before you kill it, so you may want to water and fertilize your lawn for a couple weeks before killing it to make removal easier.
After the lawn and weeds and dead you need to remove them to expose the soil. You can either do this with a square shovel by hand, or you can rent a sod cutter from your local rental shop.
Once you have removed all the dead weeds and lawn, you need to turn the soil. The easiest way to do this is to rent a rototiller rather than turning it by hand. Clear up any rock or other debris and then rototill the soil to a depth of about 5 inches.
After you have turned all the soil, use a rake to break up any large clumps of dirt and to level the soil. You want to make sure that there are no weird lumps or dips so that your new lawn will be smooth a beautiful after you install the sod. If you are going to use a sod fertilizer you should apply it now.
Before actually laying the sod you should rent a roller from your local rental shop and roll the soil to get it perfectly smooth. Be sure the soil is dry before you roll it so that it doesn’t compact down too much. Now you are ready to start laying the sod.
As soon as the sod is delivered you should start laying it. When the sod arrives inspect it to make sure that none of the edges are dry and that there is no yellowing. Sod needs to be kept moist at all times in order to survive, so if your sod is dry you should not accept it from the delivery person. If everything looks good, however, you can start laying the sod.
Start with the longest edge of the area that you plan to cover. Lay the pieces of sod right next to each other and make sure they are tightly aligned, but not overlapping. As you add more rows of sod you will want to make sure that the seams are staggered so you don’t get weird lines across your yard. If you need to cut sod to fit you can cut it using a large knife. Sod can be cut both in straight lines and in curves to fit around items like planters or curved sidewalks.
As you are laying the sod you should water it occasionally to make sure that it doesn’t dry out too much. Once all of the sod has been laid you should use the roller again and go over the entire lawn to make sure that the sod has adequate contact with the soil beneath it. Finally, water the newly laid sod thoroughly.
You will want to keep the new sod moist until the roots have time to attach themselves to the soil. If it is hot outside you may have to water your lawn a couple times a day to help the sod to survive.
While laying sod may be hard work, the payoff is a lush, weed-free lawn that you can be proud of. Try to get your friends and family members to help you with the work and you can have your new lawn finished in no time!
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