Archive for the ‘New Lawns’ Category
Homeowners wanting a new or up-dated lawn will need to decide if they want to use seed or sod. Both methods have their own advantages and disadvantages. It will take longer to establish a usable lawn using seed but it is cheaper than using sod.
You will attain a usable lawn much sooner using sod. This is sods main advantage. As you know, there are farms where sod is commercially grown. They cut it into uniform sections and then sell it to you. You can have it delivered right to your property. Then you lay it down in your yard and presto you have an instant lawn.
Of course its not quite that easy. You, or whoever you hire to lay the sod, will have to make the soil installation-ready. If you merely throw the sod on top of poor soil you will end up with a less than great lawn. When you receive your sod you will notice there is not a lot of soil connected to it. This is so the roots can make contact with the existing soil in your yard. Therefore, it is very important you prepare your soil well before hand. You would also have to prepare your soil if you were using seed.
To prepare the soil, remove any weeds and any remains of an old lawn. You can do this by using a flat-bladed shovel making certain to get the roots. If the soil is compacted break it up using a tiller. You can rent these locally at a rental center. Have the pH tested. I would spread an organic fertilizer over the tilled soil. Rake and smooth the soil removing any rocks or other debris.
After the sod is laid you will need to roll it. You can also rent a roller at your local rental center. Rolling the sod helps smooth it out. It also allows the roots to come into contact with the newly prepared soil. Try not to walk on the sod for at least a week to 10 days. Water it every day for a couple hours. This will help the roots take hold. As you can see laying sod is labor intensive and costly compared with using seed.
As I said, seeding is cheaper and requires a lot less labor. However, it takes a lot longer to have a lawn that is usable. As in laying sod, you will have to prepare the soil. However, Preparation is much more critical. When using seed, you must take into account what part of the season you are planting in. Planting seed must be done early in the season so that it can establish itself prior to the cold months.
You have more choices of the types of grass you may want when using seed over sod. You can choose your grass type depending on what your property is like. Whether your lawn area is shady or sunny will determine the type of seed you should use. Look on the bag or ask the folks where you buy your seed about this.
To wrap up, when doing your landscaping you need to consider your time and budget to decide whether to use seed or sod. Hope this has been of some help. Happy landscaping.
