How to lay sod like a pro part 3
There are many ways to lay sod. Some are better, less complicated ways, some worse and more complicated ways to lay sod. We figured out what works for us and hope that you can use what we know and build your own successful sod installation process. We are sure this does not cover every question you may have so please do contact us here on the blog or give us a call!
First, you will need a few tools to help you with your sod installment.
Here's a homeowner basic tool list:
Sturdy Gloves
Outdoor work shoes or boots
Wheelbarrow
Hard Rake
Water hose & sprayer head
Machete
Sod Roller
IMPORTANT POINTS TO REMEMBER!
**If it is hot (over 85 degrees Farenheit) - Water ground lightly before laying sod!
**Butt each piece of sod closely to the next piece
**Start on the straightest line available
**Keep your lines of sod as straight as possible
**Water sod after it is laid!
**Use sod staples on steep hills to hold sod in place until roots take
Starter fertilizer?
We differ from the mainstream on this advice. Because we don't know when, what or how much fertilizer the sod farm has fed the sod prior to harvesting, we recommend that you don't use starter fertilizer.
Grass side up, dirt side down. Some stronger people can carry several pieces at a time, but one to two pieces is more realistic, especially if you have a lot of sod to lay. Sometimes the sod pieces will be more fragile and you can only carry one piece at a time. Sod pieces can weigh about the same as a gallon of milk (approximately 8 lbs) depending on how much water and the thickness) There are 189 pieces on one pallet of sod, so pace yourself!
If it is really hot outside, then the ground is hot too! Sprinkle the ground in front of you with a little water, just enough to cool it off a bit, but not so much that you create a mud wrestling arena. After an hour of laying sod, go back and water what you have already laid, sprinkle some more bare ground and continue to lay and water per pallet.
Butt the pieces together as much as possible so when you roll them,so that they are touching neighboring pieces. This helps the sod to fill in more quickly and you won't see those unsightly seam lines as long.
If you have some steep grades to cover, use some sod staples to hold in place until the roots take hold. When laying on a hill it is best to go length wise across the hill to help prevent slippage and ruts.
First, you will need a few tools to help you with your sod installment.
Here's a homeowner basic tool list:
Sturdy Gloves
Outdoor work shoes or boots
Wheelbarrow
Hard Rake
Water hose & sprayer head
Machete
Sod Roller
IMPORTANT POINTS TO REMEMBER!
**If it is hot (over 85 degrees Farenheit) - Water ground lightly before laying sod!
**Butt each piece of sod closely to the next piece
**Start on the straightest line available
**Keep your lines of sod as straight as possible
**Water sod after it is laid!
**Use sod staples on steep hills to hold sod in place until roots take
Starter fertilizer?
We differ from the mainstream on this advice. Because we don't know when, what or how much fertilizer the sod farm has fed the sod prior to harvesting, we recommend that you don't use starter fertilizer.
Grass side up, dirt side down. Some stronger people can carry several pieces at a time, but one to two pieces is more realistic, especially if you have a lot of sod to lay. Sometimes the sod pieces will be more fragile and you can only carry one piece at a time. Sod pieces can weigh about the same as a gallon of milk (approximately 8 lbs) depending on how much water and the thickness) There are 189 pieces on one pallet of sod, so pace yourself!
If it is really hot outside, then the ground is hot too! Sprinkle the ground in front of you with a little water, just enough to cool it off a bit, but not so much that you create a mud wrestling arena. After an hour of laying sod, go back and water what you have already laid, sprinkle some more bare ground and continue to lay and water per pallet.
Butt the pieces together as much as possible so when you roll them,so that they are touching neighboring pieces. This helps the sod to fill in more quickly and you won't see those unsightly seam lines as long.
If you have some steep grades to cover, use some sod staples to hold in place until the roots take hold. When laying on a hill it is best to go length wise across the hill to help prevent slippage and ruts.
For pleasing results, we recommend rolling before laying sod to smooth out the soil as well as after laying the sod to level the sod pieces.
The closer the pallets are to the area to be covered the less work for you moving them to where they need to be!
1st - start with a straight edge, go around the perimeter of your space. Make an open box. Go around any island beds
Take a look at the right corner in the drawing above. Offset pieces so that the ends don't line up together. You will need to use the machette to cut the pieces at the ends to fit. Here we used the front side walk as our rows continue parallel to the house.
On the second run we alternate pieces so that we achieve a brick 'stretcher' pattern to make the seam lines less visible.
Continue in parallel lines when you run into the islands. Use your machette to cut off any over lapping pieces. We usually wait until last to complete cutting overlapping pieces. You can save the scrap for any fill in areas you may have.
You can see here where the scraps might come in handy for the fill in work instead of using another entire piece.
After Care:
Water after laying the sod to the point of good root saturation. If the outside climate is really hot and dry, it is a good practice to lay a pallet, then water, lay another pallet, then water again and so on.
You can roll sod again right after laying or up to a couple of weeks past. (Right up until the sod roots begin to attach to the soil underneath.) Rolling helps to even out and level the sod, eliminating scalps, divots and holes in your lawn. If you do end up with seams, divots or holes, you can use river sand to level your lawn after the roots are established. Don't use more than a 1/4 inch depth of sand at one time.
Keep root zone moist until the roots are connected to the ground - then and only then can you decrease the amount of watering you are doing. The amount and quantity of water will vary greatly, mostly depending on the time of the year and rainfall.
Wait 10-14 days to add any chemicals
Sand if necessary to level problem areas
Hold off mowing your grass until the sod is rooted in well. If you tug at the sod and it doesn't come up, it's rooted in well.
SIT BACK AND ENJOY !
Water after laying the sod to the point of good root saturation. If the outside climate is really hot and dry, it is a good practice to lay a pallet, then water, lay another pallet, then water again and so on.
You can roll sod again right after laying or up to a couple of weeks past. (Right up until the sod roots begin to attach to the soil underneath.) Rolling helps to even out and level the sod, eliminating scalps, divots and holes in your lawn. If you do end up with seams, divots or holes, you can use river sand to level your lawn after the roots are established. Don't use more than a 1/4 inch depth of sand at one time.
Keep root zone moist until the roots are connected to the ground - then and only then can you decrease the amount of watering you are doing. The amount and quantity of water will vary greatly, mostly depending on the time of the year and rainfall.
Wait 10-14 days to add any chemicals
Sand if necessary to level problem areas
Hold off mowing your grass until the sod is rooted in well. If you tug at the sod and it doesn't come up, it's rooted in well.
SIT BACK AND ENJOY !
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