7 Tips for Homeowners When Installing Sod

by Hoosier Homemade

Having a plush lawn is something I have dreamed about for years. After years of weeds and an ugly lawn, we finally decided to dig it all up and install sod.
I'm thrilled with the results, and it wasn't as difficult as it's seems.

7 tips for homeowners when installing sod, landscape

Sod or Seed? Over the years we’ve used both when we have needed to install a new lawn.

The front of our home is coming together nicely. We can actually walk on the lawn in barefeet now.

Prepare the soil ahead of time. The final grade of your lawn should be done with hand rakes to level the soil. Be sure to grade the soil so that any rainfall will flow away from the base of any structures while also making sure that there are no low areas where water will stand in puddles. Pick up sticks and rocks bigger than 2 inches press the smaller rocks into the soil. If you have a lot of dirt clods, spread them out evenly, they will melt when you water.

Make the soil 1 ½ inch lower next to driveways and side walks so water will drain into the lawn. Make the soil ½ inch lower than the neighbors existing grass so the sod will be about the same height. Sprinkler heads should stick up about ½ inch.

Pick the best place to start unrolling the sod that minimizes the amount you might have to carry. For example, if you will be sodding your entire lawn, start in the back and work to the front. If you are sodding part of your lawn, start in the front and work to the back until you run out of sod.

Start by unrolling the sod to make a straight line. For the next row, place a roll so it will unroll in the right direction a couple of inches away from the previous roll. Unroll it and slide the sod together. Do not overlap or leave gaps. Stagger the ends to avoid long seams. On steep hills lay the sod sideways across the hill rather than up and down.

For the rest of our Tips for Installing Sod, visit the blog. The link is below.

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5 comments

Sondra Lyn at Home on Jun 12, 2014
Your yard looks fabulous! @Hoosier Homemade

1 Reply
- Hoosier Homemade on Jun 12, 2014
  @Sondra Lyn at Home Thanks so much!
  
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Miriam Illions on Jun 12, 2014
Wow, I can't believe i missed this! Such great info - thank you for sharing!

1 Reply
- Hoosier Homemade on Jun 13, 2014
  @Miriam I Thanks so much! So excited you like it!
  
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