How to Lay Sod in 3 Simple Steps

Do you have a barren garden? If so, then sodding is what you should be looking at. You have to buy this grass from a third-party and then lay it on your garden beds. But you have to make sure that the soil underneath provides the right nutrition to ensure it thrives well. Though hiring a professional is better than DIY, if one isn’t available to you, then follow these three simple sod-laying steps.

sod around curves

Preparing the Soil

Check the soil composition

This is important because if the composition is not right, laying sod can be futile. To grow healthy grass, you need to consider the fertility of soil that can drain well. You can check this by digging a hole in your yard and filling it with water to see what happens.

✔ Sandy soil can drain the water in a few seconds. You can work around this by adding extra compost to the topsoil to hold its nutrients.
✔ Clay-packed soil drains water very slowly. Include extra organic matter like composted animal manure and yard waste to prevent the grassroots from suffocating.

Test pH level of soil

The alkalinity of the soil can greatly affect grass growth. That’s why you should take multiple samples from several locations and send them for a test. If the soil has a pH of six or below, then it’s too acidic which can be amended with the addition of lemons. The soil that has pH above six can be too alkaline for grass which can be fixed with the inclusion of sulphur.

Eliminate obstructions and weeds

You should clear your lawn of all the obstacles likes rocks, debris and weeds. To remove the latter, use a complete vegetation herbicide two weeks prior to beginning the process. This can help you to kill them and prohibit their re-growth.

Rough grade unlevelled area

If you have a hole or an uneven hill, then you should level it using a tractor mounted blade or by hand. The former method is quite expensive but you can hire the equipment instead of purchasing it. For small issues, you can use a garden hose to break up the soil and soften the edges. This is crucial or else laying sod can be very difficult.

Till the soil

Use a soil tiller to loosen the soil for the grassroots to get established. Till row by row in sections so that the entire lawn is covered.

Lay down fertilizer

This is the last step to ensure nutrients reach the sod. Use high-phosphate starter fertilizer following the instructions mentioned on the packaging.

Purchasing Sod

Buy sod from a reputed turfgrass company

High-quality sod from Brampton’s most reputed turfgrass companies will be acclimatized to the weather, which ensures lesser worries for you.

Laying Sod

Water the soil

Use a sprinkler system to moisten the lawn before you get started. This will help the sod to establish itself once it is placed.

Lay sod in a brick-like pattern

Start unrolling one piece of sod from the middle along the edge of your garden. Then, unroll other pieces to cover the rest of the area in a brick-like pattern.

Cut and shape the sod around curves

If your garden has curved edges or trees in the centre, then you have to cut and shape the sod to lay it. Refrain from cutting them into smaller pieces. Instead, keep them longer to prevent it from drying out.

Additional Care and Maintenance Tips

● Use a lawn roller to walk over it
● Water it regularly for the first two weeks
● Mow the grass
● Fertilize the lawn after a month

An experienced sodding professional will, almost always, be the best person to complete the task flawlessly. However, with the help of these sod-laying tips, we hope you’ll be able to carry out the process smoothly without mistakes.