How to Lay Sod Down for a New Lawn
Welcome to the DIY landscaping blog. Here are some more ways to add beauty and visual interest to your yard.How do you lay sod and care for it to create a healthy lawn? That’s what we will talk about in today’s landscaping video.
At the end of a long day, there’s nothing like coming home to a nice home with a beautiful lawn out front. But many homeowners are at a loss when it comes to lawn care, so their yards suffer as a result. Some people don’t even have grass to begin with, perhaps because their builder never installed it. In these situations, you might need to lay sod to start over from scratch.
This video explains how to prepare your lawn for the new sod, how to lay it down properly, and what to do after you lay it. Enjoy!
Tips for Installing Sod
- Make sure you have the proper supplies before you lay your sod down. The video lesson above gives you a list of materials you’ll need when laying your new lawn. Don’t start your project until you have all your supplies on hand.
- Be sure to till your soil before you lay the sod, or put down a few inches of topsoil. This will help you new grass take root, and it will ensure it has the nutrients it needs for proper health.
- Stagger the seams of your sod squares, the same way you would stagger bricks in a wall or wood planks in a floor. This is not for appearance, but to ensure the new lawn grows in evenly.
- For the first few days after laying the sod, watering is critical. Water the lawn daily for the first three weeks, for about ten minutes each day. This keep the new sod moist and will help it take root in the soil. You want your new lawn to establish itself properly, and watering is key to this.
- As you can see from this video, you don’t need to be a landscaping expert to lay sod in your yard. Anyone can do it. But if you lack the time or desire to do the job right, contact a local landscaping service for help.
I hope you have enjoyed this video lesson on how to lay down sod, and I wish you well in your lawn maintenance projects. Thanks for visiting our landscaping video blog!
May 31, 2009 5:05 pm 
By joe bellia, June 23, 2009 @ 1:15 pm
Just laid approx. 15 sq. yds of sod, fresh off the truck at Home Depot. Laid on topsoil w/starter fertlizer, etc. now after two weeks, about half of it has turned brown. We watered it at least 10 minutes a day and don’t know what caused our problems. Thanks.
By Brandon, June 23, 2009 @ 1:37 pm
Hi Joe. Sorry to hear about your troubles. What kind of grass was it, and where do you live?
By Cyndy, November 12, 2009 @ 6:37 pm
I had sod layed about 3 weeks ago. I have been watering every other day for the first 2 weeks for about 20-30 minutes making sure the edges are fully watered. I have been blowing the leaves off of it for the first two weeks.
In certain places the sod would sometimes blow up like carpeting. It was fertalized 2 weeks after the sod was layed. It is nice and green even before the fertalizer. They put fertalizer with Nitrogen in it and told me to water it everyday for about a week. Since it has been fertalized, I have been watering it daily for 20-30 minutes. This morning we had a heavy frost. Should I continue to water it? Will the roots grow into the soil this year prior to winter? Will the sod survive the winter. I have recently mowed the leaves up 2 times and can see that the grass is growing….not a lot but it is growing.
What do you suggest I do to care for the sod and ensure it grows successfully?