How To Lay Sod

I’m not the biggest fan of lawn yards. But in New York City, we are lucky if we get a 5’x5’ piece of dirt outside.  In this case, I think it’s fine to want some grass for your kids, your pup, or even you to play in. Growing grass from seed can be a pain and take forever, with not great results. Why do that when someone else can grow it for you and you just roll it out? Brilliant.

How to lay sod:

First you want to clear your area. If there is patchy grass or other weeds where the sod is going, you need to remove all of it so the soil is bare.

Turf likes well-aerated soil. If the ground is very compacted, use a tiller to loosen the ground.

Add finished compost and soil amendments and till into soil.

You need to level the area where the sod will be placed. If it will be near a sidewalk or paved surface, you want the soil to be a couple inches below this surface.

Now you can unroll your sod in rows, making sure to line up the edges.  Pull it flat making sure there are no raised points. Do not step on your sod as you are laying it.

Make sure the edges of the pieces are snug against each other but not overlapping. You can use a knife to cut the pieces to size.

Once everything is laid, water, water, water!

The new grass needs a lot of water to settle in and take root. Make sure to keep it well watered every day for a week or so. After that you can cut back to every other day for a few weeks. 

During the first couple weeks, while it is settling, you don’t want to step on it.

Buying sod instead of seeds is, of course, more expensive but you are buying convenience. You are paying someone else to spend over a year to grow it and then you go from bare dirt to a lush carpet of grass in a few hours.

Sod is great because it can be laid at almost any time of year. It is best to lay it in the spring or fall when you won't have to water it as much. You can do it in summer but it will take a lot more watering and be a bit more fickle. 

Here is a tiny front yard we installed in Park Slope. They had a toddler and wanted just a little place for him to be able to play. 

You can see the lines from the edges of each roll. These lines go away within a week or two as it settles in.