Installation: How to prep and install your new sod.
Soil Preparation
The best way to ensure the long lasting health and beauty of your lawn and give your new sod its best chance of success is to improve your soil before installation. Most soils need to be improved, however the added up front cost can deter people from taking the proper steps required. Failing to do this prior to installing sod is a trade off that will ultimately result in a greater continual expense of both time and money trying to maintain your yard as compared to proper soil preparation from the start. The top soil should be properly prepared to a minimum depth of four inches; however, the accepted standard is six inches, which promotes deeper root growth and all the benefits that brings. Soil preparation includes such items as fertilizing, adjusting pH levels, killing and removal of any weeds or old grass, and tilling to loosen compacted soil, as well as proper grading to control run off around the foundation of your home.
A soil test is highly recommended. Without it growing grass on your particular soil is a gamble at best and the proper steps necessary to improve the soil are just a best guess. A soil test can be obtained by bringing a soil sample to the Rapides Parish Extension Office located on Grady Britt Dr in Alexandria. Dig a series of a dozen small holes scattered around your yard approximately two to four inches deep and collect some soil from each hole. Place the collected soil in a quart size zip lock plastic bag. Collect enough soil to fill the bag approximately ½ to ¾ full. The soil test will cost $10 and take approximately 2 to 3 weeks to complete, at which time you will receive a report showing test results and recommendations for improving your soil.
Turf grass is a living organism and needs four things for optimum growth; warm sunlight, water, air, and nutrients. Too little or too much of any of these essential elements will at the very least retard growth of your lawn or in extreme cases may even cause it to die. With the exception of the sunlight, grass obtains these essential elements from the soil. The ideal soil for your yard is a loamy to slightly sandy soil with a pH between 6.0 and 7.0, unfortunately this type of soil mixture is seldom found on any property after construction. Many soils are less than ideal for growing grass. Some soils contain too much clay and may be very compacted, which limits the amount of air and water available for healthy root growth. Other soils are too sandy, which allows the water and nutrients to drain away too quickly resulting in limited availability in the root zone for proper feeding.
Sod Installation
Your new sod will be delivered as fresh as possible, usually within 24 hours or less of harvesting. The farm cuts the sod to order either the day of or the day before delivery. It is then loaded on the truck and delivered to your location as early as possible the same day or the following day. The sod should be installed as soon as possible to ensure its best chance for survival. If you are unable to lay the sod right away protect the un-laid sod during periods of hot dry weather by placing the pallets in the shade or by covering them with wet burlap and/or sprinkling with water. Take care not to soak the un-laid sod, which can cause mold or fungus if left wet on the pallet too long. If pallets of un-laid sod have to be left out in the rain, cover the tops with plastic or tarps to prevent soaking. Be sure to remove the covers as soon as possible when the rain subsides to avoid overheating.
When sod is laid it is essential that the dirt on the bottom of the sod is in contact with soil or it may fail to root. Care must be taken to avoid any ruts or footprints in the soil that may prevent the dirt to soil contact. Any depressions should be raked out prior to laying the sod. Also, any debris in the soil such as rocks, sticks, weeds, old grass, or other foreign objects that will prevent dirt to soil contact should be removed. Your new sod should be laid in rows across the slope of your yard. Alternate each row as you progress up or down the slope so that the pieces of sod are laid in a brick pattern. This method minimizes the chance of washout between the pieces of sod when watering or during periods of rain by minimizing the length of the continuous seams. If the slope changes direction then the direction of the brick pattern should be changed accordingly. A shovel, axe, or other sharp tool can be used to cut the sod to fit around objects in your yard such as trees, sidewalks, driveways, flower beds, etc… Lay the sod with the seams as tight as possible while trying to avoid any gaps or overlaps between adjacent pieces. Over time the sod may shrink from alternate watering and drying causing small gaps to open up between adjacent pieces. These small gaps should be filled with loose dirt as needed. Doing this will help even out the yard and keep the exposed edges of the sod from drying out.
Laying sod is not that difficult but it is tiring dirty work. If you are in reasonable to good health then laying the sod yourself can save you some money and provide you with the satisfaction of doing it yourself. Just be sure to have realistic expectations for the amount of manual labor involved and your ability to handle the work. Depending upon the amount of sod to be installed you can either tackle it yourself or recruit a few friends to help you out. Be sure to have enough help in order to get all the sod installed in a timely manner, preferably within the same day that the sod is delivered. For estimation purposes use an average of one hour per pallet per person. For instance, in 6 hours 1 person can lay 6 pallets, 2 people can lay 12 pallets, and 3 people can lay 18 pallets. If you find that you do not have the ability or the resources available to help out then we can arrange for the installation of the sod for a nominal fee.
As always, if you have questions please don’t hesitate to contact us and ask.
The best way to ensure the long lasting health and beauty of your lawn and give your new sod its best chance of success is to improve your soil before installation. Most soils need to be improved, however the added up front cost can deter people from taking the proper steps required. Failing to do this prior to installing sod is a trade off that will ultimately result in a greater continual expense of both time and money trying to maintain your yard as compared to proper soil preparation from the start. The top soil should be properly prepared to a minimum depth of four inches; however, the accepted standard is six inches, which promotes deeper root growth and all the benefits that brings. Soil preparation includes such items as fertilizing, adjusting pH levels, killing and removal of any weeds or old grass, and tilling to loosen compacted soil, as well as proper grading to control run off around the foundation of your home.
A soil test is highly recommended. Without it growing grass on your particular soil is a gamble at best and the proper steps necessary to improve the soil are just a best guess. A soil test can be obtained by bringing a soil sample to the Rapides Parish Extension Office located on Grady Britt Dr in Alexandria. Dig a series of a dozen small holes scattered around your yard approximately two to four inches deep and collect some soil from each hole. Place the collected soil in a quart size zip lock plastic bag. Collect enough soil to fill the bag approximately ½ to ¾ full. The soil test will cost $10 and take approximately 2 to 3 weeks to complete, at which time you will receive a report showing test results and recommendations for improving your soil.
Turf grass is a living organism and needs four things for optimum growth; warm sunlight, water, air, and nutrients. Too little or too much of any of these essential elements will at the very least retard growth of your lawn or in extreme cases may even cause it to die. With the exception of the sunlight, grass obtains these essential elements from the soil. The ideal soil for your yard is a loamy to slightly sandy soil with a pH between 6.0 and 7.0, unfortunately this type of soil mixture is seldom found on any property after construction. Many soils are less than ideal for growing grass. Some soils contain too much clay and may be very compacted, which limits the amount of air and water available for healthy root growth. Other soils are too sandy, which allows the water and nutrients to drain away too quickly resulting in limited availability in the root zone for proper feeding.
Sod Installation
Your new sod will be delivered as fresh as possible, usually within 24 hours or less of harvesting. The farm cuts the sod to order either the day of or the day before delivery. It is then loaded on the truck and delivered to your location as early as possible the same day or the following day. The sod should be installed as soon as possible to ensure its best chance for survival. If you are unable to lay the sod right away protect the un-laid sod during periods of hot dry weather by placing the pallets in the shade or by covering them with wet burlap and/or sprinkling with water. Take care not to soak the un-laid sod, which can cause mold or fungus if left wet on the pallet too long. If pallets of un-laid sod have to be left out in the rain, cover the tops with plastic or tarps to prevent soaking. Be sure to remove the covers as soon as possible when the rain subsides to avoid overheating.
When sod is laid it is essential that the dirt on the bottom of the sod is in contact with soil or it may fail to root. Care must be taken to avoid any ruts or footprints in the soil that may prevent the dirt to soil contact. Any depressions should be raked out prior to laying the sod. Also, any debris in the soil such as rocks, sticks, weeds, old grass, or other foreign objects that will prevent dirt to soil contact should be removed. Your new sod should be laid in rows across the slope of your yard. Alternate each row as you progress up or down the slope so that the pieces of sod are laid in a brick pattern. This method minimizes the chance of washout between the pieces of sod when watering or during periods of rain by minimizing the length of the continuous seams. If the slope changes direction then the direction of the brick pattern should be changed accordingly. A shovel, axe, or other sharp tool can be used to cut the sod to fit around objects in your yard such as trees, sidewalks, driveways, flower beds, etc… Lay the sod with the seams as tight as possible while trying to avoid any gaps or overlaps between adjacent pieces. Over time the sod may shrink from alternate watering and drying causing small gaps to open up between adjacent pieces. These small gaps should be filled with loose dirt as needed. Doing this will help even out the yard and keep the exposed edges of the sod from drying out.
Laying sod is not that difficult but it is tiring dirty work. If you are in reasonable to good health then laying the sod yourself can save you some money and provide you with the satisfaction of doing it yourself. Just be sure to have realistic expectations for the amount of manual labor involved and your ability to handle the work. Depending upon the amount of sod to be installed you can either tackle it yourself or recruit a few friends to help you out. Be sure to have enough help in order to get all the sod installed in a timely manner, preferably within the same day that the sod is delivered. For estimation purposes use an average of one hour per pallet per person. For instance, in 6 hours 1 person can lay 6 pallets, 2 people can lay 12 pallets, and 3 people can lay 18 pallets. If you find that you do not have the ability or the resources available to help out then we can arrange for the installation of the sod for a nominal fee.
As always, if you have questions please don’t hesitate to contact us and ask.