Laying Sod -- Tips, Tricks, Advice

Laying sod is actually something that I really enjoy. I know that most people hate it, but it's a lot of fun taking a bare, dead area, and transforming it into a lush thriving lawn. I ran a landscaping business for a few years in San Diego, and was mostly involved in lawn care. Laying sod can be a very rewarding experience when done correctly, or it can be a huge waste of money, installing an uneven lawn that ultimately looks sickly. There are many steps in the process of laying sod, all of which will be covered below, and many tips and tricks which will help make the project a success. Each step in the sod laying project is absolutely essential, and you can't move on to the next step until the previous step is fully completed. If you're laying new sod and want to make sure it grows in healthy, check out my other articles on Tips for Perfect Grass, Common Grass Problems, and Growing Alfalfa Grass Tips.

The first step in your sod laying project is to completely clear out all of the old material. That means old plants, roots, everything. The best way to do this is to first dig up the surface material with either a flat shovel or a piece of heavier machinery. Then for the roots, you'll most likely have to use a rototiller. This piece of machinery generally rents out for about $60 per 24 hour period, depending on the vendor of course. And depending on the size of the rototiller, you can loosen up 3-6 inches of top soil where your new sod is going to be laid. This is the hardest but most important part of your sod laying.

After this step is finished, you might want to walk through the area and pull out any rocks golf ball sized or larger. This is also the perfect time to install a sprinkler system. Since the ground is loose, you'll be able to dig trenches for pipes very quickly. Pipes don't need to be buried deeper than 6 inches generally, which will be loose from your rototiller. How do you know how high to place the heads though? Luckily for you, you don't need to do that part yet. If you get the pipes in the ground, just install tall risers in the places where your planning on placing your sprinklers. If you're unsure what a riser looks like, I've showed you a standard one in the picture to the right.

The next step in your sod laying involves getting your soil exactly how you want it. It's up to you to determine exactly what your soil needs. If your soil has lots of clay in it, you'll need gypsum to break it up. If your soil is poor quality, you'll want to buy topsoil and at least mix it in with the existing soil. This is called soil amending. If you go to your local Home Depot and explain to them what your soil is like, they'll help you pick out the right amendments in the right quantities. Make sure you water your soil a few times to let it settle a bit.

After you amend your soil, You'll want to pound metal stakes into the ground in the corners of the lot and a few in the middle. Then you can run string around each of the stakes, pulling it tight, so that you can tell if your ground is level. But before you can tell if the ground is level, you have to use the special "string level" pictured to the right to make sure your string grid is level. When you've pounded in your stakes and run string throughout them, take your string level and place it on your string and make your string level. Once you've done that to all the string on your grid, you'll be able to see if your ground is level. As far as how to make a string grid, since the shape of every yard is different, you'll just have to decide where to run your string.

This is the time that you'll also want to install your sprinkler heads. Now that your ground is level and ready for sod, you'll want to install your sprinklers so that the heads are 1/2 inch above the dirt. Sod is generally 1/2 inch thick, so if all of your sprinkler heads are sticking 1/2 inch above the ground, they should line up perfectly with the sod. In order to get them all to the height you want, unscrew your riser from the pipe and cut off as many sections as it takes to get the right height. Do that to all of your sprinklers. After this, you'll be ready to order your sod.

Your sod will arrive in strips which are generally 2 feet wide and about 8 feet long.  This varies depending on the supplier.  Before you start laying your sod, make sure you keep your ground nice and moist.  You don't want pockets of air between your sod and the ground and you don't want the roots of your sod to dry out.  Don't drench the ground.  Just keep it moist.  When laying your sod, start in the furthest corner and go all the way across the back wall.  If you have too much sod in a strip or if you have an odd shape that you need to cut around, grab a sharp knife or box cutter and trim the sod.  Then, start again on the same side, only don't line the seams of your sod up in straight lines.  See the picture to the right.  The lines of the strips of sod shouldn't match up.  This will help it grow in better and not have any discrepancies.

When you reach one of your sprinklers you'll need your sharp knife again to cut a hole out of the sod where your sprinkler is.  Keep going this way, making sure to keep the ground moist as you go along.  It's important to lay your sod relatively quickly, especially on a hot dry day.  It's also important to water the sod you've just placed as you go along.  Every half an hour, spray the newly laid sod with a few second squirt of water.

The final step of your sod laying experience is to use a sod roller. This step isn't completely necessary, but most people recommend it because it gets rid of any potential air pockets and makes sure there's good contact between the roots of your sod and the soil beneath. The picture to the right is of a standard sod roller. Most of them are made of plastic and you fill them up with water so that they're relatively heavy. They can usually be rented, probably from the same place you rented the rototiller from.  Just make one pass on the sod. You don't want to overly walk on it or roll it. Just passing the roller over it once should suffice.

Now you have a nicely completed sod lawn! Make sure you water it at least once per day, depending on the weather conditions. The vendor who you buy the sod from will know specifically how often it needs to be watered. I hope your sod transforms your lawn and gives you a beautiful lawn.