Tips and Tricks to Help Ensure Success With Your New Sod Installation

Sod installed onto your property will instantly improve your yard's appearance and value and is a great way to get a head start with weed emergence in the area. However, be sure you prepare for the installation and order your sod with the appropriate timing and considerations. Here are some recommendations for you to use as you prepare and grow a new and lush lawn in your yard through a sod installation.

Prepare the Ground Site

As you plan for a new lawn in your yard, you need to consider the condition of the area you want to grow a lawn within. Is the area full of weeds or rocks, or is it a difficult place to grow vegetation? If there are a number of rocks or weeds in the soil, you need to remove them and kill off any weed vegetation.

Look at the soil's condition so you can improve it before you lay your sod. If you are not sure of the soil's condition, you can have it tested by your local landscaper or use an at-home test kit to check its pH. Then based on the condition of the soil, you can add the right nutrients to balance the soil's pH and supply it with the right fertilizers.

To help your sod thrive in the soil, you can add compost to the soil and till it in, or apply a starter fertilizer along with lime to the soil. If your soil contains a lot of clay, a couple of inches of sand can balance out the soil when you till it through the soil.

Order the Sod

When you order your sod from a local landscape company, be sure you make arrangements for it to arrive on the day that you plan to install it. Although sod will survive on its pallets and in rolls for several days as long as you keep it watered, it is not recommended. The sod can begin to take root in the rolls and grow together in addition to start drying out and dying in some edge spots on the pallet. Plan to make a day or two to get the project completed in a timely manner.

Your local landscape supplier will be sure you order an appropriate type of grass for the space you want to install it within. For example, if the area receives a great deal of sun or shade, these factors can be considered in the type of lawn you order. And the local climate of your region will affect the type of lawn you order, for example, whether you are in a cool northern climate, such as Idaho or Ohio, or a hot and dry southern climate, such as New Mexico or Arizona.