How to lay sod in Florida? To get a beautiful lawn – a terrific way to improve the aesthetic value of your Florida home, it takes a long time for grass seeds to germinate and develop.
However, this way is time-consuming, and your perfectly manicured lawn may look more like a patchwork.
If you want the most outstanding results in the least amount of time, laying sod is your best choice. In this article, I will indicate detailed guidelines to help you decorate your home.
How To Lay Sod In Florida?
You’d better follow my detailed guide to complete your work well:
Proper Preparation
Firstly, how to prepare to lay sod?
Preparing the soil for grass seed is essential. More time and effort are needed to prepare soil impacted by high thatch or dead plants.
The ground can be loose and simple to manage, or it could have become compacted and need aeration before seeding.
The success of your freshly green lawn depends on how much time and effort you put into preparing the soil.
Here are something that a sod farmer can prepare before installing sod in Florida:
- A Soil Analysis (optional)
- Top Soil
- A Sod Cutter or Rototiller
- Sod Lawn Roller (optional)
- A Non-selective Herbicide
- Top Soil
- Sod Knife or Landscape Edger
- Lawnifi New Lawn Starter Box
Step-by-step Guide
If you’re performing it yourself or hiring a professional, it’s good to know what goes into installing sod on a healthy lawn.
Step 1: Test Your Soil
I advise starting with a soil test before installing new sod or using chemical weed killers to remove the existing grass.
The condition of your soil is the single most crucial factor in how well your grass grows. The most extraordinary technique to get high-quality grass is to work downward from the grass’s source.
In addition, it maintains a healthy pH level in the soil, allowing your grass to fully absorb the nutrients in fertilizers. Your fertilizer money may be wasted if your soil’s pH isn’t quite proper.
The cost of transporting soil for examination to a lab is negligible, but the turnaround time might be up to two weeks.
Be sure to give yourself this time to see results and determine what your soil requires before laying sod.
Step 2: Choose a Type of Grass to Install
One of the most exciting steps in laying a new lawn is deciding the kind of grass to use. Therefore, you should not choose grass based on how pretty it is.
Initially, you must be sure the grass can survive in your area.
For instance, if your lawn is heavily shaded, you’ll want to plant grass that can handle the conditions. Be careful to inquire about the upkeep requirements of the various grass species.
Step 3: Measure Your Planting Area
Step three is determining how much sod will be required for the project.
If you want to know how much sod to buy before you go out and buy it, we suggest using the Area Calculator Tool to map out the area you need to sod.
Step 4: Kill and Remove Old Grass
You should remove grass or weeds to improve the chances of your new sod taking deep roots.
Chemical grass killers are an option, but they pose a risk to your new dream lawn and the water supply. It’s best to perform the task by hand or use a natural herbicide.
Because a non-selective herbicide will destroy whatever plant it comes into contact with, avoid getting it on desirable plants in your garden or landscaping.
The weeds it intends to kill are the only ones affected by a selective herbicide.
You must use a non-selective herbicide to guarantee that your lush lawn is devoid of life. I recommend you use a non-selective herbicide to prevent the old grass and weeds from spreading into the new sod.
After the grass has died, you may utilize a rototiller or a sod cutter to remove the dead grass and other debris.
Step 5: Prep Soil And Level
It’s essential to prepare the soil for sod before laying it down. To ensure that the entire roots of the sod can take hold after it is laid, a rototiller may be used to aerate and loosen the soil.
Fertilizer should be worked into the soil while you till it to provide a boost of nutrients to your new grass to get optimal results till the soil is no more than two to three inches deep.
Ensure the grass has adequate area to grow along the edges of the pavement, walkway, or other garden features.
To avoid having overgrown grass, the topsoil should be at least one inch below the walkway.
You may easily remove any dirt that exceeds the 1-inch threshold now that the soil has been tilled and is loose. You likely need to plant the area again after removing significant dirt to bring it to the right depth.
Step 6: Lay and Roll Out New Sod
The requirement is to have a flat area before laying sod. To level the ground, run a rake over it. It’s acceptable for the surface with natural hills or bumps, but you should still level the soil over them.
Sod sticks quickest to a little moist soil, so rinse the area down with your garden hose once you’ve finished raking.
Here are the steps to lay sod:
- Put the first roll of grass down along the side of your future sod lawn, commencing in a corner.
- Unroll the beautiful grass so that the edge is flush with the edge of your green space, and smooth out any creases or wrinkles as you go.
- Remain off the sod as much as possible and scrape away any imprints. Ensure no air pockets are beneath the sod by patting it down as you unroll it.
- If you get to the other side of the yard before the sod is completely unrolled, you may utilize the leftover pieces to finish the job in the next row.
Remember when you’ve finished getting ready for the sod to be delivered and installed. In a little more than 48 hours, you might move the grass from the pallet to your grass lawn.
Step 7: Water and Fertilize
The sod must be well watered once it has been laid. Water the sod well after it has been placed to prevent the fresh grass from drying out.
Drying out is more likely to occur towards the margins of sod pieces. Near the edges of the yard, such as the walkways and roads, sod is also more prone to dry out.
To prevent illness from spreading in your new sod, you should not overwater it.
Using the soil analysis findings to guide your choice of starter fertilizer is helpful to get the most out of your soil. Plenty of phosphorus should be applied to your fresh sod at this time.
For new sod to get established, phosphorus is essential for root development.
During the early stages of a project’s inception, growth is invaluable. Provides essential nutrients like phosphorus, potassium, and carbon to young sod, encouraging strong root development.
What You Need To Know When Lay Sod In Florida?
Planting sod in Florida is an excellent way to decorate your house and save your time and money. However, you must pay attention to something that can destroy your efforts.
Not Every Grass Thrives Here
The success of your freshly planted grass in Central Florida depends on selecting the right kind of sod for the region. Even sod has its variations.
There are multiple types of sod, some of which thrive in our climate more than others.
When preparing to plant sod in Florida, choosing a variety of grass compatible with the site’s climate and drainage is essential. A professional sod installer can help you make the right decisions.
Water
Most importantly, new sod needs water. Your new grass needs watering, particularly in the humid climate of Florida.
Evenly water the fresh sod you just laid. Since sprinklers tend to avoid hitting corners and edges, such areas dry up faster.
Nearby asphalt, buildings, and concrete may reflect heat onto nearby grass, causing it to dry up faster. Therefore, I recommend that you should water the sod between the hours of 12 and 4.
That’s when the grass and plants can soak up the water most effectively.
Waiting for the sun to shine is wasting that precious resource. You’ll make it feel more humid. Dry soil is fatal to sod. Roots dry out quickly, and gaps form whenever sod stretches after sod installation.
Fresh Sod is the Best
In Central Florida, chopped sod has a practical lifespan of 36 hours during summertime or 72 hours during the colder months.
But new sod has to go through the agricultural property to your land as quickly as possible so it doesn’t dry up. If possible, on the same day.
Conclusion
All in all, how to lay sod in Florida? I have already given you detailed information about how to lay sod by yourself. It is not easy, but you will succeed if you can pay attention.
Remember that when you live in Florida and are contemplating installing new sod in your garden, you should know the optimum time to do so for optimal health and lifespan.
In Florida, the best time to lay sod in Florida is in the spring and autumn.
