Sod Installation Tips and FAQs
Lay, grow, and maintain your sod for a healthy lawn all year long
Fall maintenance tips for a lush spring lawn
How you prep your lawn in the fall directly impacts what you’ll find come the warmer months. Here are a few tips to ensure a lush lawn come the spring season.
1. Adjust your mowing height
Ensure your grass isn’t shorter than 2.5 inches.
2. Aerate your lawn.
This helps to create channels for root growth and relieves compaction heading into the winter.
3. Remove fallen leaves.
Rake leaves or mulch them with a mower before they have a chance to smother your grass and inhibit spring growth.
Benefits of Fall Fertilizer
Fertilizing your sod in the fall helps it to recover from summer stress, survive the long winter and bounce back healthy in the spring. You have two options to consider:
- You can fertilize in the early fall to help with summer recovery and winter prep with some left over for winter and spring green-up.
- Or you can do a late fall dormant fertilization which will put fertilizer in the soil for use over the winter and be there for winter melt/spring showers to give you an early spring green-up.
When the sod is covered by snow and receives little to no sun, it relies on the soil for its nutrients. If the soil is fertilized properly you should have a healthy lawn come spring.
How to get your lawn ready for winter
Raising your mowing height to 2.5-3 inches in length is ideal as the colder temperatures begin to set in. This encourages deeper roots and provides crown insulation against the harsh winter. If the grass is too short, the roots become shallow and it is difficult for the plant to regulate temperature and retain moisture. If it is too long, it becomes more susceptible to winter diseases and takes longer to come out of dormancy in the spring. If you have damaged turf after the summer, this is also a good time to fertilize and overseed to give the grass time to recover from the summer stress and the new seedlings time to establish strong roots before the winter comes.
Benefits of installing sod in the fall
The cooler temperatures and timely rainfall during the fall prevent sod from overheating and drying out and encourage roots to establish before the harsh temperatures force the sod into winter dormancy or rest. The sod remains dormant during the colder months and will begin to grow as spring approaches. Once spring rolls around your sod will have had a head start in establishing a strong root system and will be ready to survive the season.
How Much Sod Do I Need?
Zander Sod is sold by the roll and each roll is 9 square feet or 1 square yard. To find out how much sod you need, start by measuring your lawn’s surface area.
To find the square footage, simply multiply the length x width in feet. Divide that number by 9 to find the square yardage.
Example: 12’ x 30’ = 360 square feet. 360 / 9 = 40 square yards. You will need 40 rolls of sod for your project.
How to Prepare for Sod
Preparing for your sod’s arrival is a two-step process.
1. Apply fertilizer
You will want to apply a high-phosphorous, slow-release fertilizer — such as our Starter Fertilizer — to the area. A 4kg bag should cover 1,700ft2 square metres to ensure optimum fertility for the roots.
2. Rake in fertilizer
Fertilizer should be raked to a depth of 5-10 cm.
How to Install Sod
Installing your sod is a two-step process.
1. Lay the sod
We highly recommend that you install your turf immediately after its arrival. If you cannot install it right away, you must unroll all sod within 24 hours!
You will begin by unrolling the turf along the longest straight line, such as a driveway. Make sure to butt all joints tightly together, without overlapping.
If there are tractor tracks or shoeprints, be sure to flatten them.
Lay your sod in a bricklayer fashion, staggering each row.
As you complete one area, start watering it immediately (within 15 minutes). This will minimize the stress on your sod. We recommend you apply at least 2-3 cm (1 inch) of water, using a sprinkler for even distribution.
Pro Tip: Edges along asphalt and concrete, as well as areas on top of embankments and mounds, will require more water.
2. Roll the area
After installation, make sure to roll the area to improve turf/soil contact and remove air pockets. This step doesn’t need to be completed immediately, but can be done within the first week of installation.
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Watering, Mowing, and Maintaining Your Sod
Sod requires ongoing care from a homeowner or trained landscaping professional. Be sure to follow these instructions closely for a thick, healthy lawn:
Watering Your Sod
Your newly installed turf will need to be watered daily for the first week. During the second week, every second day is usually sufficient. The quantity and frequency can also depend on temperature, time of year, and soil conditions. The sod should not get so dry as to discolour or curl on the edges, nor should it be so wet that it would remain under water or mushy for any length of time.
Mowing Your Sod
Your new Zander Sod should need mowing in 7-10 days.
It is important to not let the grass get too long. When mowing, never remove more than 1/3 of the plant. The ideal cutting height is 4-7 cm (1½ – 2½”). If you’re using a gas-powered mower, keep the motor idling the first time or two, so as not to pull the turf up off the ground.
Pro Tip: Be sure that your mower blade is sharp for a nice clean cut!
Maintaining Your Sod
Zander Sod arrives at optimum nutrient levels.
A fertilizer program should be implemented 30-60 days after installation. Zander Sod sells a starter fertilizer that will suit these needs. If your previous lawn had problems with insects, monitor your turf carefully as control measures may be necessary.