How to Lay Sod to Start a New Lawn – The Spruce

Laying sod is such a fast way to start a new lawn that it is almost no exaggeration to say it gives you an "instant lawn." We must say "almost" because there may be a lot of prep work involved, depending on your situation. But once you have prepared the ground properly, the job is an easy one and goes quickly.

Starting a lawn by laying sod is a very similar project to that of growing grass from seed. It is just the final part of it that is different when you are actually laying the sod. But how you prepare the soil, when you should begin the project, and what supplies you will need are about the same. For that reason, just an outline will be given below for what steps you need to take to prepare the soil before laying the sod:

If you do not want totest your soil, yourself,using a kit, then have your county extension office do the test for you. Contact them first, and they will send you instructions, a soil testing bag, and an information sheet.To collect the sample, make sure you scoop up soil from a number of different spots in your lawn area. The soil in spot A can be different from the soil in spot B (even if it is only a few feet away), and the reading that you are seeking is theaveragenumber for the whole area.

Once you have collectedthe soil, mix it and place it into a soil testing bag. Fill out the information sheet. Then mailthe bag and information sheet back to the extension office. If the resulting reading is not between 6.0 and 7.5, the extension office can help you decide what steps to take next. But, generally speaking, to lower soil pH, you addsulfur or ammoniumsulfate, and, to raise it, you add garden lime.

Why were you told above to lay the sod on the edges first? 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, for the reason just stated. In a nutshell: You may have to trim somewhere, so make sure it is not on the edges.

There are some well-known debates people enjoy having, such as boxers versus briefs orpaper versus plastic. How to start a new lawn has a debate of its own: Sod versus seed.Beginners may wonder, "What are the pros and cons of laying sod versus growing grass from seed?" Here is a brief comparison of benefits and drawbacks:

To keep the birds from eating your grass seed, you can apply a light layer of straw on top of the seed. Some people prefer netting designed for just this purpose, but it is expensive. Either way, the point is that one of the benefits of starting a new lawn from sod, as compared to doing so from seed, is that it requires less work on your part.

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How to Lay Sod to Start a New Lawn - The Spruce