Sod can usually be installed anytime of the year as long as the ground isn’t frozen.
The best time to do it is when it is not too hot or too dry. If you lay it down on a hot, dry Summer day, you will need to be very focused on keeping up with the constant watering.
Soil Preparation
A key to successful sod installation is soil preparation.
The soil should be properly prepared before sod is installed. Preparation includes removing any old grass or weeds, tilling the soil, adding compost and soil amendments, removing any rocks and aerating the soil.
For best results, the grade of the soil top should be about one inch below your sidewalk or driveway to ensure a smooth transition from one to the other.
Most people want to rush through the preparation process, but good preparation can really help deliver a yard you are happy with.
Install it Quickly
The farm that sells you the sod will tell you when they will be dropping off your sod at your driveway. The sod needs to be placed on the yard within 24 hours of being delivered. The faster the better.
The newly laid sod needs to be watered immediately and kept moist constantly for the first 10 days after being installed, and watered regularly for the next week after that.
Other Tips
For best results, the new grass should receive some sunlight to grow properly. Most grass likes to receive an optimal amount of about five or six hours a day.
Pets and animals should not be allowed to damage the new grass.
Don’t be in a hurry to cut your new lawn. You have the rest of your life to mow it, so don’t rush. The first time you cut it, you may have to set your mower up higher than normal. You don’t want to cut too much and cut it too short right away.
No chemicals or fertilizers should be used until the new grass has taken hold and is established.
Once the grass is established, treating it to infrequent, but deep watering will encourage it to grow longer, deep roots and help it withstand dry spells better.
That’s about it.
Do as much of the preparation as you can, be diligent on watering and a little careful while it’s new.
You should have a nice lawn you can enjoy for many years to come.
Contact us to get started.