How to Have an Instant Lawn

The ground may be prepared carefully, seed planted and watered and everyone warned off the area.

Then birds come and feast on the seed and various bugs seem ready to gobble up each tender blade as it emerges. So even if the seed has been sown evenly this onslaught of predators means that the lawn area ends up looking like a patchwork quilt.

Even if those bare brown patches are re-sown, there is still the same problem – and the children cannot be kept off the lawn forever. Their running feet will scuff up those new shoots until they are barely able to survive. So what can be done? Don’t despair; there is a way around all these problems.

Forget planting lawn seed and go for sod. Sod or turf lawn comes in lengths or squares of mature lawn grass complete with roots that are all ready to become attached to the soil.

How to Plant a Sod Lawn

The ground should be well prepared just as it would be prepared for seed, but do not use fertilizer at first. Remember sod has roots and if fertilizer is sprinkled over the soil before the sod is laid, it will burn the roots.

Make sure the ground is as even as possible by filling in the hollows and spreading the humps out. The sod strips or squares can be laid by a professional, but it is possible for the home gardener to do it and save money. Roll the strips out carefully into sections and ensure that they join together as neatly as possible. Strips or squares can be cut to fit around circular beds or curved pavement.

Remember to work backwards so that there is no need to tread on the newly laid turf. If automatic sprinklers are being installed, they should go down before the sod is laid.

A sod lawn can also be planted over grass that is already established.

How to Care for a Sod Lawn

While it is true that sod should be treated with the same care as newly sprouted seed, it is a great deal sturdier. Birds cannot breakfast on the seed and heavy rain cannot wash it away.

Once it is laid, it should be watered thoroughly, but not fertilized for two to three weeks. This will allow it to settle into its new home before it needs to start growing. It is best to keep kids and pets off the sod for about two weeks too; otherwise those roots may be damaged before they have time to burrow into the earth underneath.

Sod does not need a great deal of fertilizing. Three times a year is sufficient unless the soil is sandy and inclined to leach. At the beginning of spring, summer and fall are the best times to fertilize sod. But this does depend on what type of lawn grass your sod is. Fescue grass needs to have one additional fertilizing during the winter.

Weeds may still grow up through the sod lawn, mostly in the cracks where the squares or rows meet. Rather than spray the whole with a weedicide, use an organic method of weed control that is less invasive. Equal parts of vinegar and water sprayed on the weeds will usually kill them.

Bermuda Grass Sod Care

Bermuda grass needs full sun to grow well, so should not be planted during months when there is little sun. It will become dormant during winter and so will not need much watering or fertilizing during these months. Too much water during the winter will drown it.

When to Mow a Sod Lawn

Sod lawn will not need mowing much at first. However, once it has settled a light mowing will stimulate it to produce more healthy, green shoots. Do not set the mower blades too low though. No more than a third of the grass blade should be cut off to avoid damaging the sod.

After that first mowing, wait until the grass is around three inches high each time before mowing it. Ensure the mower blades are kept sharp so there is a clean cut that does least damage to the lawn.

Once a sod lawn becomes established it will provide a beautiful lush lawn that anyone would be proud to own.