Creating A Lush and Welcoming Landscape

A yard full of green cool grass in the summer is an inviting environment when the sun is shining and you are enjoying the outdoors. To get a thick lawn, sod is a great option to install it and see near-instant results in your yard's appearance, but it is important that you follow some basic principles and rules to ensure it takes root properly. Here are some recommendations to help you prepare for and install new sod in your yard for a successful and healthy lawn. 

Prepare the Soil

When you are planning to order new sod for your yard, you will need to clean up the site and prepare it for the sod to be set upon the ground. This means you need to clear off any existing vegetation, whether it is rocks, weeds, wildflowers, or grasses. The area needs to be bare soil in which your new sod will easily be able to take root and thrive. 

If the area contains vegetation, scrape off the growth with a bobcat or skid steer, or if you have the time to kill off the vegetation naturally, you can apply an herbicide or vinegar treatment to kill off the growth. Once the vegetation is completely dead, you should till up the soil to loosen it. This also allows you a chance to add in some fertilizer, such as lime or a lawn fertilizer specific to your soil's condition. Make sure the soil is level when you have completed the tilling and preparation.

By scraping the soil with a bobcat or skid steer to prepare it for new sod installation, you can also add in a new layer of screened topsoil. You can order topsoil from a local supplier and combine it with some organic bagged manure or fertilizer for new sod growth.

Plan for Installation

Installing your sod properly on a prepared soil surface is just as important as preparing the site. The sod should be set over the soil in neat alignment and without any gaps between the lengths. Plan to install it the day you receive it and keep it stored in the shade of a tree or your garage while you are working. If your sod gets too dry it can damage the sod. Keep your feet off the sod once you install it because it can leave divots in the lawn that may remain permanent. 

As you work, water the installed sod to ensure it remains healthy and does not dry out. This may require you to stop halfway through the installation and water the area you have already installed. Be sure you soak through the sod until the soil below is saturated as well, which will help the sod begin to take root. 

Contact a company like Bayside Sod Inc. to get started.