Laying Sod

Most people who own property install sod to cover the majority of their land. It doesn’t require a lot of upkeep, it’s attractive, and it’s easy to install. Although many properties already come with sod, if you buy a brand new house you might have to install the sod yourself. The main advantage of putting in sod, as opposed to seeding your lawn, is that it’s ready from the moment you install it. You don’t have to wait for it to grow.

Strategies

Installing sod is simple. You should make sure beforehand that your lawn is tilled and level. It should be graded slightly below other features, such as sprinkler heads or sidewalks, in order to make sure that the sod doesn’t come too high. Right before you put in the sod, you should water the soil so that it’s moist. It shouldn’t be too wet, so do it a day or two before. Rake the area before you lay anything.

Now you’re ready to start laying the actual sod. It’s usually easiest to start along some straight edge, such as a backyard fence or a sidewalk. That way, you can lay pieces in a row and you won’t end up with too many leftovers or spaces between sod pieces. Sod pieces are usually rectangular, but you should lay them in a brick pattern, so that the edges aren’t lined up. Cut the sod so that it fits around the various parts of your lawn, such as sprinklers or flower beds. Once you’ve covered the entire area, use a lawn roller to press the pieces into the ground. This will help the sod to take root.

Finally, water your new lawn. It should be watered daily, unless you are getting rain on a daily basis. You can water it for a week before staging waterings further and further apart.

Key Information

When it comes to options for growing your lawn, sod is definitely one of the more expensive. If your backyard is 1,000 square feet, you’re looking at a cost of at least $400. If you don’t do it yourself, it’s even more expensive. However, the benefit is that it doesn’t take months for it to appear as though you have a lawn. If you lay the sod properly, you’ll have a lawn that thrives.

You can purchase sod from pretty much any home and garden center. There are even sod farms that specialize in growing sod. Make sure that it’s delivered right before you’re going to lay it. If you leave it lying around for too long, it will dry out. In addition, you should buy a little more than you think you need in case it turns out that you need extra or you have scrap pieces that don’t seem to fit anywhere. You will need at least one day to get the soil ready and one full day to lay the pieces, so you should be able to complete this project in a weekend.

Essential Tools

You don’t need very many tools to lay sod in your yard. Some tools you might already have lying around from other projects. A good rake is a necessity before you actually lay the sod. The Husky 16-Tine Bow Rake should be able to help you do the job. It has a fiberglass handle to make raking easier for you.

A carpet knife is useful for when you need to cut the pieces of sod. The Stanley Adjustable Carpet Knife is useful as it has a blade that retracts for different cut lengths. The handle also makes it easy to cut through sod, which can be difficult as it’s heavy and thick.

Finally, you will also need a lawn roller. Try borrowing or renting one from your local hardware store as you’re less likely to need to use it again once you lay the sod.