Sod Savvy - Five Steps To Ensure That Sod Turns Into A Healthy Lawn

Laying down sod for a lawn is known to be an easier way to grow grass. Sod is best planted either in early spring or early fall, depending on the climate of where you live. However, if the ground is not prepared properly, or if it is not laid down right, then the sod can dry out or die. In order to ensure that your lawn becomes healthy and green, here are a few steps to remember when planting sod.

1. Prepare the soil. One of the important things about sod is that it will need to find the right nutrients in your soil once it is laid in your yard. Because of this, it is important to take out all of the old weeds that you have and turn the soil over. After this, you should make sure that the soil is balanced through pH as well as through the type of soil that you have. One way to prepare the soil is to add the right amount of fertilizer and compost for the soil to continue mixing in nutrients to the lawn. The last thing that you need to do in order to prepare the soil is to even out the yard, leaving as much of a flat surface as possible. You should also remove in rocks or debris that will get in the way of planting the sod.

2. Laying out the sod. When you begin laying out the sod, it is best to start on the outer edges and then work into the center with different strips. This is done to prevent the sod from drying out. Because the edges have the strongest tendency to dry out, starting with the sod that has the full width will allow for more nutrients and water to be available at the edges. Because sod isn't evenly laid, and is different for every yard, you may have to cut strips out of the sod. This is best done in the middle of the yard where there is more sod.

3. Stagger the ends of the sod. If you have to get extra rolls in order to cover your entire lawn, then it is best done by making sure that the ends and beginnings of each piece of sod touch the ends of each other. It is also important to make sure that they don't overlap. By doing this, you won't allow gaps of dirt to take over certain places of the sod and will allow for a consistent green lawn. Strips of sod that are adjacent to each other should be staggered between rows. By not lining them up exactly, it will help them to fit together better and grow easier into the ground.

4. Finishing the laying of sod. The first thing to do when finishing the sod is to make sure it is even. If there are parts on your yard that are lower than others, than you can add some topsoil to make sure that the grounding is even. After this is done, you should take a roller and press the sod into the ground. This will remove extra air pockets that you have missed when laying down the sod. This also allows the sod to make easier contact with the soil, which will ensure its growth and will move the roots into the soil.

5. Watering and mowing. Your sod should be watered everyday for a couple of weeks. This will help to ensure that the roots are moving into the soil. It will also allow for the right amount of nutrients to move into the sod. Your sod can easily dry out if the watering is not done. In this time, you shouldn't have to mow the sod, as it will cause extra stress to the grass. Once you see that the sod is settled into the soil, and is growing at an even rate, than you can start mowing on a regular basis.

Preparing and laying down sod properly is one way in order to make sure that your grass begins to grow healthy and become green throughout the season. By preparing your yard to lay down the sod and by following a few simple tips, your sod will grow into your soil easily.