How to Lay Sod
If your lawn looks boring, there’s one do-it-yourself task you can try to improve it: laying sod. Sod transforms a barren lawn into an impressive landscaped area. Here’s how to lay sod.
What You’ll Need:
Sod
Wheelbarrow
Garden shovel and flat shovel
Sod cutter
Rototiller
Rain or water gauge
Heavy-duty knife
Stakes
Lawn roller
Lawn sprinkler
Garden hose
Testing Your Soil
You will have to know first whether your soil is ideal for sod lawns. Dig out a half cup of your soil, six inches below the surface. Put it in a glass or plastic container, then take to a local nursery or a state cooperative extension office. After testing your soil, they’ll let you know what amendments you need to do so your soil will be appropriate for sod application. Make sure you follow these amendments. You might need the rototiller for this.
Preparing The Site
Depending on how big and the current condition of your soil, site preparation can take a day or a week. Here’s what you should do.
Remove debris, stones and rocks from your area.
Add organic matter and a starter fertilizer. If there are no recommendations from your soil test, just use a standard lawn fertilizer. Follow the application methods on the packaging.
Rake the soil until it’s level and smooth. It should be at least one or two inches lower than the area around it. The sod’s thickness will be like that and you don’t want it to be higher than your flower bed and pathways.
Buying The Sod
Purchase your sod, as soon as your lawn is ready. Usually, it arrives in folded or rolled strips, piled on pallets. The soil side is exposed, and the strips are 4 to 10 feet long and 1 to 2 feet wide. Every roll costs between $3 to $6. Check the grass, and make sure it’s two inches long and with a healthy green color. The soil must be an inch thick, dark and moist and with healthy dense roots.
If you’re not using it yet, store the sod in shade, moist and rolled until ready for use. Don’t leave it stacked for 24 hours in warm weather, or it’ll die.
Laying It On Your Lawn
Following a straight line, lay down the first row of sod. The line you follow can be a sidewalk, or you can pull a string taut in between stakes. Unroll the sod gently.
Begin laying the second strip, so the end abuts the first neatly.
Lay the next rows in a staggered pattern. One row’s end seams must fall in previous row’s center. Don’t leave any gaps. You can also use soil to fill in the gaps.
When applying it on slopes, lay it perpendicularly. Doing this prevents it from sliding when you water. If it’s too steep, drive in some stakes to keep it in place. Use at least two to four stakes for every roll.
To fit irregular spaces, cut the sod using a heavy duty knife.
Use a roller to give good root contact between the soil and the sod. If there are air pockets present, the soil might not live. Remember not to stand on newly-planted sod, too.
After Care
Fertilizer - After the sixth week, apply a balanced fertilizer to your sod, following instructions from the manufacturer.
Watering - Newly-planted sod needs at least one inch of water a day. If the weather is hot, water it daily using sprinklers or a hose. Give water to areas where the sod layers are joined or beside driveways and walkways. These dry out quickly. After ten days, lower the water to just 1/2 inch everyday. Increase it again if the sod begins to turn brown.
Mowing - Start mowing your sod 10 to 14 days after you initially planted it. If it’s your first time to mow it, leave the lawn mower’s blade height at the highest setting.
Sod makes any lawn loom lovely and well-kept. Apply it properly and your landscape will be the envy of your neighbors.