Having an attractive sod lawn is a little trickier than just laying down the stuff and starting the party. Although you get the look of an instant lawn, you still have to prepare the soil prior to planting. After the sod is down, you have to water and care for it diligently until the grass becomes established. And, starting a lawn from sod is more expensive than planting one from seed.

Starting a lawn from sod does have advantages. Because it’s already growing, the sod isn’t quite as susceptible to drying out as are the young seedlings, and sod does a good job of smothering weed seeds. Sod often is easier to start on slopes than seed, and it’s often the best way to start a lawn in shady areas where seeds are difficult to establish. As long as the soil isn’t frozen solid and you can till it about 6 inches deep, you can plant sod almost any time of year. In contrast, you usually need to plant seed in spring or fall.

The ideal time to plant sod is just prior to the period of optimum growth for that type of grass. Good weather makes a big difference in how easily you can successfully plant a lawn from sod. If the weather’s too hot, you run around like a nut trying to keep the sod from drying out and dying. And don’t forget: As easy as sod is to install, the work still involves some pretty hefty lifting. The cooler the weather, the better. Also, try to time your planting right before you expect some rain; Mother Nature can help you out with some of the watering chores.

To order the right amount of sod, you need to know pretty accurately how many square feet of planting area you want to cover and then add a little extra. Most importantly, you don’t want to be short of sod on planting day. For an irregularly shaped lawn, order 15 or 20 percent more than your measurements. You can also order sod by the number of sections. In that situation, you need to know the size of the section the sod farmer cuts, as well as the size of your area. Sod can vary in size, but say that you’re looking at pieces 2 feet wide by 6 feet long, or 12 square feet of sod (length ? width). To cover the same 600 square feet — plus 10 percent extra — you need 55 pieces of sod (660 ? 12 = 55).

Be A Discriminating Sod Buyer

Sod is very vulnerable stuff after it gets cut. With only a thin layer of roots, the grass dries out quickly. If you leave the pieces rolled up for too long, the grass suffers from a lack of light, and it also begins to heat up, which can get hot enough to kill the grass. (Sod begins to decompose slowly after it’s cut, and that decomposition process produces heat.)

Look for these qualities to make sure that the sod is healthy:

• The sod, especially the roots and soil, should be moist, but not dripping wet. The edges shouldn’t be dry, cracked, or starting to curl.
• The grass should be evenly bright green and a consistent length. If the grass is starting to turn yellow or brown, don’t buy it.  ....read more