Establishing a Lawn from Sod Aaron Patton Assistant Professor — Turfgrass Extension Specialist
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AY-28-W TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT For Professionals For Homeowners Establishing a Lawn from Sod Aaron Patton Assistant Professor — Turfgrass Extension Specialist In Indiana, most new lawns are established by seed, but sod is a common alternative. Sod is often faster and more reliable than seed, which requires more time and care to Purdue Turfgrass Science establish. Sod is especially popular when there is an immediate need to reduce erosion www.agry.purdue.edu/turf or reduce the amount of soil that gets tracked indoors. What’s more, sod allows you to establish a lawn even when seeding conditions are not optimal. This publication explains: • What to consider when selecting sod. • How to prepare a site for sod installation. • When and how to install sod. • How to maintain the sod after installation. It may not be practical to do everything described in this publication, but successfully installing sod always includes paying detailed attention to soil preparation, site grading, and watering — all are integral steps in the installation process. Select Sod Carefully Table 1 lists sod species that are available in Indiana and their approximate costs. Table 1. Turfgrass species, available cultivars suitable for Indiana, and approximate costs. Available Sod Cultivars Suitable Approximate Cost Species for Indiana (per square yard)*,† ‡ Bermudagrass ‘Quickstand,’ Common, others $1.50-$2.50 (Cynodon dactylon) Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis) many $1.50-$3.00 ** Tall fescue many $1.50-$3.00 (Festuca arundinacea) ‡ Zoysiagrass ‘Meyer’ $2.00-$3.00 (Zoysia japonica) * Costs vary by cultivar, sod producer, quantity ordered, and wholesale vs. retail. These approximate costs do not include installation. † When buying more than 5,000 ft2 of sod (and when possible), it is a good idea to inspect the area from where the sod will be harvested for weeds and quality. ** Tall fescue sod often contains 10% Kentucky bluegrass or netting to help the sod hold together. ‡ Best used in southern Indiana. Bermudagrass is best used in the southern quarter of Indiana, while zoysiagrass can be used in the southern half of Indiana. 1-888-EXT-INFO WWW.EXTENSION.PURDUE.EDU AY-28-W Establishing a Lawn from Sod Prepare the Site Before Installation Extension Education Store (www.the- education-store.com). Before installing sod, there are nine steps you should take to prepare the site to ensure success. 2. Determine the Lawn Area 1. Test the Soil A key step in establishing a lawn by sod is to determine the size of the area to be sodded. A soil test provides key information including This will help you calculate how much sod and soil pH, potassium, and phos pho rous levels. nutrients you will need. Collect soil samples in a plastic bucket from the upper 4-6 inches of soil from ten or The best way to do determine the area is more loca tions around the site. Remove any to divide your lawn into several squares, vegetative mate rial such as stems and leaves rectangles, or circles (Figure 1). Calculate the from the sample. Air-dry and mix the samples area of these smaller shapes and then add them thoroughly. together to determine the total size of the lawn. Make sure to test your soil at least one month Vendors typically sell sod by the square yard. prior to establishing your lawn. This will allow Therefore, divide the total square feet of your ample time to receive the test results and lawn by 9 in order to determine how many incorporate any recommended nutrients prior square yards of sod you need to order. Typically, to laying sod. If you need to add topsoil from one pallet of sod contains about 50 square off-site, you must test this soil as well. yards (450 square feet) of sod. Order about 10 percent more sod than you anticipate needing More information about soil testing is available to account for calculation errors and waste that in Purdue Extension publication AY-18, Soil occurs when cutting sod around corners and Testing For Lawns, available from the Purdue edges. Figure 2 shows an example of a lawn. The easiest method for calculating the area of the lawn in this example is to calculate the total area of the property, and then subtract the hard surfaces from that to get the total area of the lawn. The total turfgrass area of the lawn is 3,779 square feet. When you purchase sod, divide that total by 9 to determine how many square yards you need, then add 10 percent to account for miscalculations and waste. 3,779 square feet ÷ 9 = 420 square yards Add 10 percent: 420 square yards x 0.1 = 42 square yards 420 square yards + 42 square yards = 462 square yards You should order 462 square yards of sod for this lawn. 3. Control Perennial Weeds If an installation site has peren nial weeds or undesir able grasses, it is important to control these weeds before you install sod (Figure 3A). A typical example is when creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera) or quackgrass (Elymus repens) are present in lawns. Figure 1. Common shapes and how to calculate their area. 2 AY-28-W Establishing a Lawn from Sod Calculation Area Section of Property (feet) (square feet) Total land ((90 + 60) ÷ 2) x 80 6,000 House 50 x 25 1,250 Driveway 15 x 40 600 Porch 8 x 12 96 Mulch 1 10 x 5 50 Mulch 2 25 x 5 125 3.14 x 82 x 0.25 (mulch Mulch 3 bed is a quarter circle) 50 3.14 x 82 x 0.25 (mulch Mulch 4 bed is a quarter circle) 50 Total area of objects 2,221 (6,000 square feet – Total turf area 2,221 square feet) 3,779 Figure 2. An example property with dimensions for its lawn, hardscape, landscape, and house. Glyphosate (Roundup® and many other trade extensive grading, stockpile the existing topsoil names) is the most com monly used herbicide and replace it after the rough grade is set. for preplant weed con trol. Make the spray The rough grade should slope grad ually away solution by add ing the appropriate amount of from the house at least 15 feet in all directions. glyphosate per gallon of water. Consult the label A 1-foot drop in 50 feet will usually supply for the amount to use (dilute) per gallon. Of adequate surface drainage. Mowing and erosion course, different glyphosate products contain problems may arise when the slopes are steeper varying amounts of the active ingredient than a 1-foot drop every 4 feet. On some sites, it (never 100 percent). Some formulations may may be hard to avoid such dramatic drop-offs. come “Ready-to-Use” and may not require When that is the case, consider using terraces or any dilution. Always read label directions and retaining walls, or planting a ground cover. dilute the product to get the recommended concentration. Do not expect com plete control Allow one week for the soil to settle before final of these perennial weeds after one glyphosate grading. Irrigation or significant rainfall will aid application. Multiple applications of glyphosate in settling the soil. spaced two to four weeks apart may be needed to Take care not to destroy or damage exist- achieve greater than 95 percent control of certain ing trees. Tilling around trees will cut a large perennial weeds. percentage of a tree’s surface roots which can 4. Remove Trash weaken or kill the tree. Placing large amounts of soil over the roots can also kill trees because Remove all wood, concrete, pipe, rock, and this practice deprives the roots of oxygen. If you construction scrap from an area before installing need to make significant grade changes, it is sod. You do not want these objects to interfere recommended that an experienced professional with turfgrass root growth and water movement. construct a root-aerating tree well. If this is a newly constructed home, insist that 6. Replace Topsoil the builder not use the site as a dumping ground for paint, concrete, and other debris. If you do Before installing sod, redistribute or add top- not remove tree stumps, they will eventually soil. This is especially important on sites with decay and leave depressions in the lawn. poor inherent soil fertility. 5. Grade the Soil Approximately 19 cubic yards of topsoil create a layer that is 6 inches deep over 1,000 square Before installing sod, make sure the site’s surface feet. If suitable topsoil is not available, modify is smooth and firm so that there are no areas the existing soil. For example, if your topsoil where standing water collect. If your site requires lacks organic matter, incorporate peat, decom- 3 AY-28-W Establishing a Lawn from Sod posed manure, or compost at 1 to 3 cubic yards plication should contain about 0.5 to 1.0 pound per 1,000 square feet. Mix these materials with of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet of lawn and at the native soil at least 6 to 8 inches deep. least 1.0 pound of phosphorus (usually listed as P O or phosphate on the fertilizer analysis) per 7. Install Drainage and Irrigation Systems 2 5 1,000 square feet of lawn. Although soil phos- Before you install sod, you should install any phorus is measured as P, our recommendations drainage or irrigation systems you need. How- are given as P2O5 as this is the common form in ever, you should complete the rough grading fertilizers and the standard form by which it is before you dig irrigation trenches and install listed on the fertilizer bag.