How to install your new lawn
Installing sod should be very easy and rewarding. Very few other projects are as forgiving and non technical as the installation of new sod. We have included some simple tips and some easy to follow guidelines below to help make this a stress free project. Above all else-always remember “Green side up.”
Be Ready For the Sod When it Arrives
Sod has a very short shelf life so it is very important that the site be ready when the sod arrives. We harvest sod every day and deliver that freshness to your door because freshness does matter. Once your sod is delivered you should make every effort to lay that sod immediately. Turf left in rolls more than 24 hours after delivery can begin to heat up causing damage to the grass. This heating effect is even more pronounced during very hot temperatures.
Where to Start
Choose the longest straightest line and begin installing the rolls parallel to this line. If your lot has a slope, begin laying the rolls across the slope moving up the hill. And of course, like mopping a room start in a corner or in the back and move toward the front making sure that you do not have to carry your sod across newly laid sod.
Stagger the End Joints
Once you have decided where to start laying begin rolling the rolls out in a brick-like pattern staggering the end joints in each row. Use a rigid bladed knife to cut pieces to length and to create this brick-like stagger as well as to cut around obstacles and sprinkler heads.
Seams and Gaps
When laying a roll against another roll simply pull the two rolls together. No elaborate tucking patting, or overlapping is required. The turf is a living carpet that will spread laterally after a short period of time and will form a seamless yard after a few weeks.
Water as You Work
New sod begin to dry out almost immediately after it is unrolled. On larger projects water sections of the yard as they are completed. Newly laid turf can begin to dry out in less than a couple of hours after installation if it is not thoroughly watered.