Preparing to install sod

Is your lawn a triangle? Multiply the base of the triangle and the height of the triangle, and then divide the result by 2. If you have more than one area, add the totals together. Be sure to measure carefully! Better to have a few extra square feet of sod than to run out before you finish the yard! Before laying any sod, apply Mighty Starter Fertilizer to the entire surface to be covered with sod. This gives the new grass food to nourish it in the first few weeks.

And because you need to keep the sod wet for the first 10 days, existing nutrients in the soil will be watered down.

Mighty 's slow-release starter fertilizer will provide the root system with what it needs to establish itself and continue healthy growth.

The sod can then be laid directly on the fertilized soil. To lay your sod, start from the back of your property line to front along the longest straight-line boundary. Work away from the line so you're not stepping on the fresh sod.

Butt edges and ends to fit tightly together. Stagger sod slabs like laying bricks to offset seams. Should your area be irregular in shape, run a string between stakes in a straight line through the area and begin laying sod along this line.

Make sure each piece of sod has good contact with the soil, because air pockets prevent proper rooting. If laying sod on a steep slope, use wooden pegs or sod staples to temporarily keep the sod in place. Trim edges with your sod knife to fit around curves and leave clean, trimmed edges around sprinkler heads, driveways, etc. Avoid cutting sod into short or narrow strips because smaller pieces tend to dry out and fail to root properly. After you have laid about square feet of sod, mist it with a garden hose before you finish the whole job to prevent the new sod from drying out.

Hot summer temperatures can wilt fresh sod, so it's important to keep it moist as you lay it down! After the sod is laid, use a roller to ensure good contact between the sod and the soil. Just fill the roller half-way for the final rolling. Do not use the lawn until rooting has started and the lawn is growing vigorously. Water your sod as much as necessary to keep it squishy wet for 10 days. The sod needs this water to re-establish itself with new root growth.

Avoid watering at night. After 10 days of frequent watering, you can return to your normal schedule. Be sure to allow the soil to firm up to give you an opportunity to mow your lawn. A new sod lawn should be mowed two weeks after installation. Newsletter Receive updates on new products, sales and discounts.

Your email. New customer? Create your account Lost password? Your cart is empty. Removing Your Existing Lawn: Prior to the installation of sod, any existing lawn should be chemically killed and removed. Add Amendments and Rototill: Rototill the soil and add amendments. Installing Your Sprinkler System: A sprinkler system is virtually a necessity for the survival of your lawn, and is required to qualify for the Mighty One Year Guarantee.

Start with bare ground. If you have an existing lawn, remove the grass. Methods for doing this include digging it out, killing it with an herbicide, smothering it to death, and removing it with a manual or power sod cutter available for rent. Using the results of your soil pH test and the advice from your extension office, amend the soil as necessary.

Using a rototiller , till the ground to loosen it up. A rototiller, also known as a cultivator, is typically a gas- or electric-powered machine that breaks up soil with rotating metal blades.

The blades loosen and smooth the soil to prepare it for planting. Apply a starter fertilizer and a soil conditioner, and work them into the ground using the rototiller. Rake the soil to remove anything chunky, then roll it with a roller to achieve a level, fairly firm surface. Rake it by hand, and do not compact it.

Always start on the edges when laying sod. The reason is that the sod on the edges is the most likely to dry out. By starting on the edges, you ensure that the edges will at least have sod strips of the full width, making them less likely to dry out.

When you get to the center, sod widths may have to be trimmed use a sharp knife in order to fit in. This is not ideal, but it is better there than on the edges. In a nutshell: You may have to trim somewhere, so make sure it is not on the edges.

Begin on the outer edges, unrolling a roll of sod on the far left-hand side, then another on the far right-hand side or vice versa. After laying these two rolls of sod, work your way in toward the center with your next strips. A single roll of sod may not be long enough to cover the whole length of the lawn.

This means you will have to lay separate rolls, end to end, pressing the ends firmly together so that they abut tightly, but without overlapping. For the strips of sod in the adjacent row, make sure you stagger the ends of sod rolls so that the seams do not line up.

The resulting pattern is similar to overlapping bricks in a brick wall. If a strip of sod appears too low, place some topsoil under it to bring it up to the proper level.

When you are done laying sod, it is time to use the roller again. Push it over the sod to press it down firmly against the soil.

The question of laying turf in winter comes up with new home construction where there is plenty of un-landscaped bare dirt and move-in coincides with the dead of winter.

One of the conditions for a certificate of occupancy to be granted is that the bare ground of a construction site has plants growing on it to stabilize the soil and prevent erosion. Laying sod quickly and easily solves this problem and gets the eager new homeowner over another hurdle. Laying dormant sod on the lawn of a new house helps move-in happen more quickly. Even though warm season turf like Zoysia, Centipede, and Bermudagrass is dormant and brown think hibernating in the fall or winter, you can still lay most types on the bare soil of your lawn.

Even though it's dormant, it still prevents erosion and muddy areas during the winter. Did you know that in the South laying Tall Fescue in fall and winter is the ideal time to lay this cool season grass? When temperatures warm up in the spring, we recommend holding off installing new Tall Fescue sod until the autumn.

Call your local sod expert and chat about the shade, water, and texture needs for your lawn. If you want to explore options independently first, click over to the Turfgrass Selector tool.

Ensure that the type of grass you need is available in the winter.