ESC-001 5/13 How to Select and Install Sod EcologicalDavid R. ChalmersTurf and James Tips McAfee* Sod is an excellent choice for outdoor areas Centipedegrass is adapted to East Texas. It that need ground cover. Unlike seeding, sodding is slow-growing, coarse¬leafed, and grows well gives you immediate coverage that keeps soil in full sun to light shade; it does not tolerate from turning into dust or mud. Because sod is sold as slabs or rolls, it provides immediate ero- sion control. Quality sod is weed free, easy to availabletraffic or prolongedas sod include drought. Common It requires and TifBlair. little care for, and can be installed nearly year round. fertilizerSt. Augustinegrass and infrequent is mowing. the most Varieties shade- tolerant of the warm-season turfgrasses. It is used as a lawn grass in most of Texas but is Turfgrass species and varieties sometimes killed by very cold winters in the Bermudagrass tolerates drought and traf- northern third of the state. It is less tolerant of prolonged drought than bermudagrass and are available for use as lawns, golf courses and zoysiagrass but can be grown in Central and fic but does not grow well in shade. Varieties - West Texas if irrigated. It is well adapted in Southeast Texas. It requires low to moderate common-typeathletic fields. varieties.Many improved They generally hybrid bermu require maintenance. St. Augustinegrass varieties moredagrasses frequent have mowing a finer leaf and texture fertilization than thethan include Amerishade, Captiva, Delmar, Floratam, the common bermudagrasses. Some bermu- Palmetto, Raleigh, Sapphire and Seville. dagrass varieties available as sod are Baby, Zoysiagrass is adapted to a similar area Celebration, CT-2, Common, GN-1, Grimes EXP, of the state as bermudagrass. Zoysiagrass is Quickstand, Tifgreen, Tifway, TifSport and drought-tolerant but may turn brown during Tifton 10. prolonged drought. It has moderate to good Buffalograss is best adapted for areas with shade tolerance and does well on lawns and 25 inches or less annual rainfall. In areas with higher rainfall, or when watered excessively, Zoysia japonica types are medium-textured buffalograss is easily invaded by other grasses andrecreational do well with areas “normal” with moderate lawn maintenance. traffic. and weeds. It does best in open sun. It makes a Zoysia matrella - good low maintenance lawn turf from Central ture, are more shade-tolerant, and need closer to West Texas. The more popular sodded vari- mowing. Z. japonica types varieties have a finer include leaf Carrizo, tex eties include Density, Prairie, Prestige and 609. and Palisades. Z. matrella varieties include Cavalier,Crowne, ElDiamond, Toro, Empire, Royal, GN-Z, Y-2, Zeon, Jamur, Zorro Meyer and * Extension Turfgrass Specialists, The Texas A&M System Emerald (an older variety similar to Z. matrella between two stakes. Then stagger the sod pieces types). in the adjacent rows in “brickwork” fashion. Push the sod pieces together tightly as they may shrink if allowed to dry out before rooting. Before you call the grower Try to minimize soil compaction and ruts in the or landscaper planting area by moving sod in wheelbarrows over plywood boards. Know how many square feet, square yards or Roll the installed sod with a heavy hand pallets of sod you need, allowing for a small per- roller to reduce air pockets and ensure the uni- centage of waste that occurs during installation. form soil contact needed for good rooting. Imme- Sod is sold by the square foot or square yard. diately after planting, water the sod thoroughly One square yard of sod equals 9 square feet and until the soil is wet to a depth of 4 inches. Exam- a pallet contains about 450 square feet. ine the soil under several pieces of sod to make You need 111 square yards of sod per 1,000 sure it is wet. square feet. An acre is 43,560 square feet or 4,840 square yards. Do not assume the grower will grade the Maintaining new sod site, fertilize, or install the turf. You will need to To encourage rooting, water every 2 to 3 negotiate these services separately. days or just often enough to make sure the soil Once you select a grower, distributor or is moist (not wet) to a depth of 3 to 4 inches. landscaper, call as far ahead of installation time Warm-season grasses sodded in late fall or win- as possible to ensure that sod will be ready when ter may not be well rooted until spring and may you need it. need watering until spring rooting begins. In weather above 80 degrees F, new sod may need Site preparation watering daily until it is well rooted. After the sod is well rooted, irrigate deeply Sod survives best when planted on well and infrequently. This will help the grass roots prepared soil that is relatively moist. Follow the grow deep into the soil and make the grass more recommendations in B-6239, “Turfgrass Estab- lishment in Texas” (http://agrilifebookstore. and is being watered less frequently. Heavy org). mowersdrought maytolerant. cause Mow ruts the if you sod mow once theit is grass rooted too Installing sod For more information on turfgrass selection, soon or if the soil is not firmed before planting. Sod is perishable and performs best when establishment and care, visit the Texas AgriLife installed within 36 hours of harvest. Lightly Extension Bookstore (http://agrilifebookstore. rake the area to be sodded just before planting. org). For additional information see Extension publication L-5519, ”Turfgrass Selection for Tex- as a driveway, sidewalk, or a string stretched as” (available at http://agrilifebookstore.org). Lay the first line of sod along a straight line such Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service AgriLifeExtension.tamu.edu More Extension publications can be found at AgriLifeBookstore.org Educational programs of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service are open to all people without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, or veteran status. The Texas A&M University System, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the County Commissioners Courts of Texas Cooperating. Produced by Texas A&M AgriLife Communications.