Laying sod is one of the most visible improvements one can make for their home. The effect is like the difference between a bare floor and a carpeted floor. The difference is not only for basic appearance, but is a big difference for enjoyment and quality of life; a yard of old, dead grass and weeds is probably not a very fun place to congregate, while a yard with a solid, plush, green lawn can feel like a true luxury, where children can play and backyard bar-be-cue is a true joy!
PLAN YOUR JOB!
The importance of planning any job cannot be stressed enough! Proper planning and the correct tools will greatly increase your efficiency and save you considerable time. If you hire anybody to help (recommended!), saving time, of course, saves money. The right tools and a good game plan will make the difference between an exhilarating day of work and satisfaction versus a day of pure drudgery.
RENTAL TOOLS
The following tools are specialized types of heavier equipment, and for most homeowners who are not planning to open a landscaping business, are best to be rented for the day of your job:
- Roto-Tiller – a machine something like assorted farm implements that chops up the soil making it pliable and removing old grass and garbage
- Roller Drum – a very large drum with a handle on it that can roll over your freshly laid sod. There are available nowadays, heavy-duty plastic resin drums that you can fill with water to add weight
- Sod rake – a very large rake that is used to spread the tilled soil and level out the area that is getting the sod
COMMON TOOLS
The following list of tools are more common, and typically found in the toolboxes of most homeowners. If you don’t have any of these, they are worth buying and will come in handy for many other jobs around the house aside from your sod installation.
- knife or handsaw – this will be used for cutting the sod
- garden rake – use one of those that is heavy for pulling and sifting through soil and lawn waste
- hose and sprinkler – you will be using this judiciously
- fertilizer/seed spreader
MATERIALS
Following are materials and expendable goods you will need for a good sod landscaping job:
- sod – measure your area and order this from a landscaping company or a sod yard
- fertilizer – you can get a formula that is specially made for new sod, or called a “starter”
- top soil, sphagnum moss, peat moss – depending on the condition of the soil where you are laying your sod, you may wish to treat it with a top soil, or just a small layer of peat moss or sphagnum moss
- Garbage Bags – specifically, yard waste bags
MEASURE AND ASSESS
It should go without saying, measure the area over which you wish to lay your sod. This will tell you how much sod to buy, how much fertilizer to buy, and how much soil enhancements like sphagnum or peat moss, to buy. Sod is usually sold by the square yard.
If you are laying over an area that has been neglected for a couple seasons, or damaged by un-cared for pets, you probably will not need to enhance the soil. If you are laying over an area that is very sandy or has not been host to a good bed of grass for an extensive period, you may need to enhance the soil, either with a full layer of nutrified top soil, or partial layers of peat moss or sphagnum moss. Sphagnum and peat moss aid water absorption, while top soil is neccessary over areas that are sandy or not very nutritious soil.
PREP YOUR FOUNDATION
Like with many successful jobs, good prep work can make a big difference in your final outcome. For starters, use the roto-tiller to till the soil. If there is a lawn already there, this step will tear it out. If you really feel that the lawn that is still existing is something to save, then you should not be planning to lay sod. The roto-tiller will churn everything up and leave a soft and pliable surface for you to lay your new sod. Pliability, however, is not the only consideration. You should also be aware of and remove remnants of any previous lawn, and any garbage, large stones and rocks. Also be wary of any potential obstructions, such as sewer and drainage access covers, water mains, and sprinkler systems. Most tillers will go about four inches deep when handled properly. It is important to handle the tiller properly. You will find a certain times you need to hold back on the tiller. A tiller wants to dig, and if you don’t back off or pull back soon enough, it may go deeper than four inches. If you have not handled one before, try it on a small area where you are sure that there are no underground pipes and buried cable.
Most piping and electrical utilities are laid well below where a till could reach, but check to be sure. Potential problems could arise when pipes are near the surface, or a sprinkler system has been laid in. In fact, most sprinkler systems are laid about four inches below the surface of a lawn. Access caps, manholes, etc., sometimes are somewhere in the backyard, depending on the building codes and design of the locale where you reside. Most of this information can be found in the abstract of your property, or determined from some simple exploration of your lot.
Once you have tilled the entire area where you wish to lay your sod, go over it with the sod rake. A sod rake is specially designed to cover a large area, and to sift waste out of your soil. If you have tilled an area with good soil, you can keep it and reuse it without having to bring in a large load of top soil. You need to use the sod rake to sift it and clean it. Try moving piles of soil back and forth, and you should start to see that old grass, stones, and debris begin to seperate from the actual soil, and can be removed and discarded.
It is important, at this point, to note that most locales have specific rules how and when yard waste should be disposed. Be sure to use the correct style of bags, and check with your local municipal waste, or waste removal contract, when and how to dispose of lawn waste without incurring fines or excessive extra charges.
While you are raking and sifting your soil, you should also work with the aim of leveling and “evening out” the area where you intend to lay the sod. If you have chosen to lay an extra layer of top soil or enhancements like peat moss, rake it evenly over the top of your surface.
LAYING THE SOD
Sod comes in rolls, frequently two feet by four feet. Start at one end and roll the sod out down one entire run of your area. When you get to the end of a run, you will probably need to cut off a portion of one of the rolls of sod. You can take that piece to the top of the next run, in order to stagger the sod pieces. If you end with a small piece of sod, say less than two feet long, it is good to pull the next full section to end of the run, and put the small piece at the other end of it, between two longer pieces, where it is nested between full lengths of sod. Small pieces of sod, at the end of a run, are more easily damaged or dislodged by careless bypassers. The practice of staggering your runs is also important. As you lay the sod, keep your lines straight and the seams snug.
Take care to walk on your sod and your loosened soil as little as possible during the entire process.
ROLLING IT OUT
Take the roller drum listed above. If it is the type that needs to be filled with water, fill it full! At full weight, take the roller and roll it over your freshly laid sod. Take care that you are not pushing loose soil back out from the edges of your sod pieces. You may find it prudent to go “against the grain”, or in the direction perpendicular to how you laid the sod. This rolling out of the new sod will help it to take root, and further level and even out your surface.
FINISHING TOUCHES
Once the sod has been laid on properly prep-ed soil and rolled out, you can add the fertilizer from the materials list above. Go lightly. Most sod comes from the sod farms with a certain amount of fertilizer already on it, so too much fertilizer can chemically burn your new sod. Once it has been laid, rolled, and fertilized, water it with a moderate sprinkler stream for about twenty minutes.
THE SECRET’S IN THE FOLLOW-UP
After your sod has been laid in and treated, stay off the sod as much as possible for approximately two weeks. Water for no more than half an hour in the early morning, and in the early evening. Excessive water during the peak sunlight hours of the day can cause your new lawn to be literally boiled by the sunlight and heat. If water stands overnight without evaporation time, the grass can drown in the excessive water. Conditions and peak watering times can vary by your geographic location, local conditions, and time of year. It is best to lay sod in the early spring. When you first cut your new lawn, raise the lawn mower to a height of three inches or more, and bag your trimmings as opposed to mulching. After about four mowings, you may begin to let the trimmings remain in your lawn as mulch. After two to four weeks, you will have a plush lawn that feels akin to heaven between your toes!
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