How to Lay Sod

You'll need to get the ground ready for your new sod. It can’t be laid over existing growth. Preparing for sod means your yard must be a clean slate. To prep your lawn, kill all the weeds and stray plant life. 

• Start by watering the area. Spray an herbicide over the entire yard.
• Next, lay compost on the lawn. Let it sit for a few weeks to fully suppress growth in the soil.
• Once the existing plant life dies, till and rake the ground. This loosens the dirt and uncovers any buried rocks. Use a rototiller to quicken the process.
• Your prepped dirt should be at least 6 inches deep. That way, your sod will grow into deeply rooted grass.
• Test the fresh terrain using a soil test kit. You’ll want to assure the pH and mineral levels are ideal. The testing kits are generally color-coded and include charts for easy reading.
• Lay fresh topsoil if needed. Add lawn fertilizer or lime to the ground, depending on the pH of your soil. This makes your property healthy and ready to receive the new sod.

Tip: Vinegar is an all-natural, environmentally friendly alternative to traditional herbicides. You can get rid of unwanted weeds with vinegar instead of chemicals.

Your bare lawn must be level. The ground should be 1 inch below the level of any sidewalks, patios or protruding sprinkler heads. Otherwise, the edges of your new lawn will degrade as the turf gets walked on and pressed down. Keep in mind that any new soil settles after it’s been raked or tilled.

If you’re unsure if your ground is level, give it a good watering. Fill in any puddles with extra topsoil. As you rake and level the dirt, assure that the water drains away from your house.

On installation day, you’ll need fresh rolls of sod on hand so you can finish the job before nightfall. Sod needs to be laid and watered as soon as possible for the best results. Keep sod in the shade until you unroll it. Storing it in a cool garage or shed works too.

To make this project go as quickly as possible, ask a friend for help. Sod can be heavy and cumbersome. An extra pair of hands will make the sod installation process much easier.

• Dampen the soil before unrolling your new turf.
• Using a straight edge in your yard, unroll the first row of sod. Try following the line of your patio, driveway or fence to keep the edges straight and even.
• Rake the soil as you lay the sod to clear any bumps under the surface.
• After you’ve laid the first row, smooth out any areas that have wrinkled or bunched up. Be careful not to step on the sod. Then, carefully pat the new patch into the ground with a shovel to remove any air pockets and encourage the sod to take root.
• Water any newly installed sod as you go. Make sure it gets a good drink within half an hour of being unrolled.
• Continue laying additional sod, making sure not to walk on it.
• Finish unrolling the new sod one row at a time. Use a utility knife to cut each piece as needed. Lay the pieces flush with one another. Flush means that they butt right up against each other.
• After sodding the lawn, continue patting each newly laid row into the ground to remove the air pockets.

When the lawn is fully covered, check for gaps in hard-to-reach, curved or oddly shaped areas. Scraps from previously cut sod or pieces cut from extra sod work well.

• Use a utility knife or grass shears to cut smaller pieces. Patch those open spaces accordingly. You'll need to cut openings for sprinkler heads and any other obstructions sticking up from the ground.
• To trim, fold the excess sod up. Then run your knife where you need to cut. You’ll be cutting from the underside of the sod up to the grass-side.
• Lay smaller rows of sod along the perimeter of flower beds, driveways and walkways. Fill in small seams with more topsoil. Continue patting to remove air pockets.

Making sure the sod is evenly pressed into the earth is important. It locks the moisture in the sod so it can put down roots.

• For a large lawn, use a roller to smooth out the new sod after everything is neatly laid. This helps the sod take root in the soil.
• A lawn roller also presses out any air pockets you may have missed.
• Roll one way across your sod, then roll over it perpendicular to that.
• Continue rolling the sod, crossing the horizontal rolls with vertical rolls. You're rolling a grid pattern.
• If you don’t want to rent a lawn roller, you can DIY this step: Use a large piece of plywood to press down sod instead. Carefully walk over the wood to evenly embed the sod into the soil’s surface.

Tip: If heavy rain fell during or after installation, don’t use a roller. The soft ground will already accept the sod easily then. Rolling it could also shift the sod in the mud, undoing your hard work.

New sod should be watered immediately to make sure it thrives. To check to see that the sod is making good contact, gently lift a corner. The ground below should be moist after watering the sod. If it’s bone dry or muddy, adjust your sod installation or watering technique.

• Water it daily for the first week, preferably in the morning. Avoid walking on it if at all possible. Walking on it can shift the sod, making it uneven or bunched.
• After the first week, you can reduce the irrigation schedule to every other day. Water twice per week as the sod begins to take root.
• Once the grass grows to roughly three inches high, it’s time for a trim. We recommend using a push mower as the new patches will still be fragile.
• Fertilize the lawn after you mow it to add fresh nutrients to the soil.
• As your sod matures and grows stronger roots, you can trim it lower with a mower.