Laying sod (staggering the seams)
Lay rolls tight with staggered seams, like bricks, with no gaps or overlaps, on moist, raked soil.
- When
- In order, while the lawn is being made
- Material
- turf rolls — cover the full area
- For
- Any lawn
- Rule
- sod-laying · Walheim; Scotts
Lay rolls tight with staggered seams (like bricks), no gaps or overlaps, on moist, raked soil.
Before the sod arrives
Prepare the ground exactly as for seed: cleared, cultivated, leveled, firmed and raked, with starter fertilizer worked in. Sod hides nothing; bumps and hollows show through. Lay it the day it is delivered, because rolled turf heats up and yellows within a day or two in warm weather.
How to lay it
- Moisten the soil if it is dry.
- Start along a straight edge, such as a path or a string line, and unroll the first row.
- Butt each roll tightly against the last, pushing the edges together without stretching or overlapping them.
- Stagger the joints in the next row by half a roll, like brickwork, so seams never line up.
- Work from a plank laid on the new sod so you do not leave footprints in the bed.
- Cut pieces to fit edges with a sharp knife; avoid small pieces at the edges, which dry out first.
- Brush sandy soil into any gaps.
Straight after
Roll it for soil contact, then water thoroughly, enough to soak through into the soil below. Sod can be laid in most of the growing season, but cool, moist spells in spring and early autumn make aftercare easiest.
Do this first
Sources
- Lance Walheim — Lawn Care For Dummieswalheim
- Scotts — Lawnsscotts