Growing Crops an Easier Way

Posted on: 3 September 2015

Using a good quality sod can make your lawn look brand new again, mostly because it will be brand new. Even so, poorly installed sod can end up being a very costly mistake, leaving your property looking brown and wilted, and leaving you hoping the grass recovers. The importance of proper preparations, efficient work and good information can make all the difference in the world, and you won't even have to pray for rain afterward.

Prior Preparation

If you're installing sod the best course of action is to hire a landscaping crew with experience handling it. They should begin preparing your lawn by cutting away the old lawn and exposing bare soil. Preparing the soil to receive the new sod can take some work, but should include removing any foreign debris that might have been left behind when the original lawn was put down.

With the soil exposed, you have the opportunity to resolve some minor drainage issues, and regrade the area with the addition and proper distribution of dirt. Once the grade has been corrected as needed, your crew should begin spreading a layer of nutrient rich topsoil, so that the roots of your new lawn have something to encourage growth and help to bind the grass in place. This alone can be a full weekend for you and your family, but a good landscaping crew can have it done in an afternoon.

Installation Day

Installing sod should take into account the ordeal the plants have already been through, and what they'll need in order to recover. After being cut away from the soil it was grown in, your sod will need a moist, cool place to come to rest, so the topsoil should be lightly watered just before the sod goes down. Ideally, installation should take place in the late afternoon, so that the heat of the sun doesn't further damage the grass while it's recovering from its transplant.

A sizable crew will make the actual installation process go faster, allowing for an assembly line of sorts so that the roots spend as little time as possible exposed to open air. With the right tools, your new sod can also be cut to fit in oddly shaped areas of your lawn, cutting down on waste and minimizing cost. As a result of all the extra hands involved in the installation, your sod will stand a much better chance of recovering from the transplant and flourishing to create your new lawn.

You might save money installing sod yourself, but with so much work involved, it will mean living without a lawn for several days as you prepare your yard. Hiring a crew to do your installation will cut this time down, and reduce the likelihood of browning or dead spots in your new yard. Click here for more information about sod installation.