Laying Sod Step by Step

Laying sod is a process that I've started to really enjoy over the years. Most people that do it once never want to lay sod again, but there's something rewarding about taking a bare or dead section of yard and turning it into a lush and thriving lawn. In running a landscaping business in southern California for a number of years, I've seen a lot of lawns and laid a lot of sod. Laying sod can either be a very rewarding experience or a huge headache and a large waste of money. There are a lot of steps involved in properly laying sod, and all of them need to be done correctly before moving on to the next step. In this article, I've given you all the steps involved in laying sod, plus a number of tips, tricks, and advice to accomplish each step.

1. Take Out Everything Else. 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, and then to get the roots, you'll most likely have to use a rototiller. This particular machine can usually be rented for about $60 per day, depending on the vendor. And depending on the size of the rototiller, you can loosen up the top 3-6 inches of top soil where your new sod is going to be laid. Once that step is done, you'll probably want to walk through the area and remove and large or medium sized rocks.

This is also the perfect time to install a sprinkler system. Because the ground is loose, you should be able to make trenches very easily and quickly. Sprinkler pipes don't generally need to be buried more than six inches beneath the surface and at least four inches should be loose from the rototiller. If you're installing sprinklers, how do you know how high to place the heads? I wouldn't do that part yet. I'd just install the pipes and put high risers out of the ground with caps on the end so no dirt gets into the system.

2. Leveling Your Soil. The next step in your sod laying involved 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 you have poor soil, you might want to consider purchasing some topsoil to mix in or put on top of your existing soil. You'll also 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'll be able to see if your soil is level, you first have to make sure that the string itself is level using a special "string level". When you've pounded in your stakes and run string throughout them, take your string level and place it on your string and try and get it 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.

3. Soil Amendments. This step involves the final touches to your ground. In order to get your soil perfectly ready for sod, you'll have to add what's called soil amendments, which are basically just special fertilizers. You can usually pick them up at any garden center. Read the directions and apply them accordingly, mixing them into your your soil and watering when you're finished. Make sure you water your soil a few times. This will give it a chance to settle and for the amendments to work in.

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.

4. Laying 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 begin laying sod, make sure to moisten the ground and keep it that way. You don't want to have air pockets sitting between the roots of your sod and the ground or the roots will dry out and die. 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. After that, start over again on the same side, but don't line up the seams but vary and stagger them. The lines of the strips of sod shouldn't match up. This will help the grass to grow in better.

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.

5. Sod Roller. The last step in laying sod 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. Most rollers are hollow plastic that you fill with water to make them 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 should have a finished 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.

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<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC '-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN' 'http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/loose.dtd'><html><head><title>Articles Back Link | Laying Sod Step by Step</title></head><body><h3>Laying Sod Step by Step</h3><br><br> By: Ben Mester<br><br><p><p>Laying sod is a process that I've started to really enjoy over the years. Most people that do it once never want to lay sod again, but there's something rewarding about taking a bare or dead section of yard and turning it into a lush and thriving lawn. In running a landscaping business in southern California for a number of years, I've seen a lot of lawns and laid a lot of sod. Laying sod can either be a very rewarding experience or a huge headache and a large waste of money. There are a lot of steps involved in properly laying sod, and all of them need to be done correctly before moving on to the next step. In this article, I've given you all the steps involved in laying sod, plus a number of tips, tricks, and advice to accomplish each step.</P><p>1. Take Out Everything Else. 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, and then to get the roots, you'll most likely have to use a rototiller. This particular machine can usually be rented for about $60 per day, depending on the vendor. And depending on the size of the rototiller, you can loosen up the top 3-6 inches of top soil where your new sod is going to be laid. Once that step is done, you'll probably want to walk through the area and remove and large or medium sized rocks.</P><p>This is also the perfect time to install a sprinkler system. Because the ground is loose, you should be able to make trenches very easily and quickly. Sprinkler pipes don't generally need to be buried more than six inches beneath the surface and at least four inches should be loose from the rototiller. If you're installing sprinklers, how do you know how high to place the heads? I wouldn't do that part yet. I'd just install the pipes and put high risers out of the ground with caps on the end so no dirt gets into the system.</P><p>2. Leveling Your Soil. The next step in your sod laying involved 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 you have poor soil, you might want to consider purchasing some topsoil to mix in or put on top of your existing soil. You'll also 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.</P><p>But before you'll be able to see if your soil is level, you first have to make sure that the string itself is level using a special "string level". When you've pounded in your stakes and run string throughout them, take your string level and place it on your string and try and get it 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.</P><p>3. Soil Amendments. This step involves the final touches to your ground. In order to get your soil perfectly ready for sod, you'll have to add what's called soil amendments, which are basically just special fertilizers. You can usually pick them up at any garden center. Read the directions and apply them accordingly, mixing them into your your soil and watering when you're finished. Make sure you water your soil a few times. This will give it a chance to settle and for the amendments to work in.</P><p>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.</P><p>4. Laying 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 begin laying sod, make sure to moisten the ground and keep it that way. You don't want to have air pockets sitting between the roots of your sod and the ground or the roots will dry out and die. 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. After that, start over again on the same side, but don't line up the seams but vary and stagger them. The lines of the strips of sod shouldn't match up. This will help the grass to grow in better.</P><p>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.</P><p>5. Sod Roller. The last step in laying sod 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. Most rollers are hollow plastic that you fill with water to make them 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.</P><p>Now you should have a finished 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.<br></P></p> <br><br> <b>Author Resource:-></b>  <br><br><b>Article From</b> <a href='http://www.articlesbacklink.com/'>Articles Back Link</a><br></body></html>