Tips before Laying Harley's Sod

Measure Your Site: When measuring your site, make sure to take into consideration the house, driveway, walkways, and any other landscaping your planning. Block the yard off into squares, measure the length and width of those areas, multiply length times width, then add up all of the areas for total square feet.

Clear the Site: Make sure all of the materials, stumps, stones, etc. are cleared.

Rough Grade: Use a lawn tractor with a box blade, or even rake, to roughen the soil, this will eliminate drainage problems.

Initial Tilling: Till the soil to a depth of 2 inches before adding topsoil.

Add Topsoil: Apply a top soil (black dirt) 2-4 inches in depth, then till it onto your existing soil about 6 inches. A mix of soils is the best for growing blue grass.

Apply a "Starter" Fertilizer: The fertilizer you choose should be higher in phosphate. Rake the starter fertilizer into your top soil 3-4 inches.

Finish Grade: Use the tractor mounted box blade or heavy-duty rake to smooth out the topsoil.

Laying your Quality Sod

1. Start at a straight line, such as a driveway or walkway.

2. Stagger the joints in each new row like rows or bricks, making sure all ends are touching, and there are no spaces, or overlapping.

3. Use a large, sharp knife for cutting around trees, borders, etc.

4. As soon as your sod is laid out, start watering immediately. Soak your sod with 1 inch of water initially, which will vary time wise with your sprinkler system.

5. If possible, roll the sod to smooth out any small bumps or air pockets. This will assure good soil contact.

Tips for Mowing

Your new sod generally needs mowing in 6-7 days after installation, however, check to make sure it has rooted down.

It is a good idea to do your first mowing with a push mower if possible, they are easier on the edges. Weather you use a push mower or a riding mower, set the blade to the highest setting possible.

Regular mowing routine, your clippings should be left in the yard, as they are beneficial, and produce nitrogen, cutting down on fertilizing. However, if you have "clumps" of clippings, they should be raked up or broken up, as they can kill the grass underneath them.

Tips for Watering your Yard

Begin watering your new sod within a half hour after it is laid. Apply at least 1 inch of water so the soil underneath the sod is very wet.

The time it takes to get 1 inch of water varies by the irrigation system. To make sure you are getting the right amount, set out a small rain gauge, and watch to see how long it takes to measure one inch. Remember temperature and wind will effect how long it takes.

The best yards do well with infrequent, heavy watering's. When you first put sod down, it's best to water it every day with one inch of water, weather depending for two weeks.

After your root system has been established, it is best to water every few days, with more water. This will cause the roots to go further down, helping your yard survive through hot weather and droughts.

If your yard has any slopes, the top of the slope will need more watering, and the bottom less, because of the run-off. If you notice puddles, stop watering, and wait a half hour for the water to soak in.

The best times to water are in the early morning, or late evening. These are the times when the temperature is cooler, and the wind is calmer.

Be sure to check that the edges and corners are getting adequate amounts of water, as they are often missed.

Fertilizing your Yard

The nutrients in fertilizers that are most important are:

N - Nitrogen is important for vigorous growth and green color.
P - Phosphorous is very important for the root growth
K - Potassium is important for disease resistance and root growth.

A starter fertilizer should be put down on the soil before you sod your yard. The best starter fertilizer is something that is higher in phosphorous and potassium. A 10-20-20 is a very good ratio, or look for fertilizer marked "Starter Fertilizer". When fertilizing your yard, the best ratio is either a 3-1-2 (ex. 15-5-10) or a 4-1-2 ( ex. 20-5-10). These are the best for maintaining your yard. When you are maintaining your yard, the best times to fertilize are early spring, mid-summer, and late fall. In spring, look for fertilizers that also contain a pre-emergent. They will help for an early spring green up. Remember, when fertilizing, more is not always better. Make sure to have a good spreader, and follow the directions on the bag to ensure amounts.