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Seeding & Sodding

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Caring for your Seeded Lawn

Proper watering of your seeded lawn is the most important step in establishing your lawn. Immediately after installation, water every area of the lawn for 30-45 minutes. Be sure to overlap areas. Be careful not to water too much to create runoff. This allows the seed to erode. The best times to water are in the morning and evening. Watering during the heat of the day will allow too much moisture to evaporate. Keep the seed area moist. If the ground in the seeded areas begins to crack, the areas need more water. Areas surrounding buildings and pavement will dry out quicker because of reflected heat, water as needed. Within 30 days, the seed should start to fill in, so watering can be cut back. This allows the ground to firm up so the first mowing can take place. Set the deck height at the highest level and bag it for the first mowings. A weed and feed fertilizer cannot be used for the first year because the lawn is too tender.

A seeded lawn is a lot of work. It could take up to a full year for a seeded lawn to look great. In the end, a seeded lawn, is a better lawn. As opposed to a sodded lawn, the seed is grown in the environment it will live in, not in perfect growing conditions. With more care in the beginning it will be less work in the long run.

Feel free to contact us with any questions, thank you for your business.

Caring for your Sod Lawn

Proper watering is the most important step in establishing a sod lawn. When the sod is delivered and installed it is moist. Keeping the sod moist, especially during the first two weeks is very important. Watering the sod immediately after installation prevents the sod from shrinking. Once the sod shrinks it will no longer expand. First, water the sod at least once a day so that the area is so moist you cannot walk on it. Continue this for 10-14 days depending upon the weather. On very hot days the sod should be watered more than once. The best time of day to water is in the morning and the evening, so the moisture does not evaporate as quickly. Pay special attention to the areas near the building and pavement because these areas the moisture will be soaked up quickly.

Pre plan your sprinkler overlap so all of the sodded areas are covered. If you need to move your sprinkler you might want to tie a rope on it so you don’t have to walk on the sod. Try to keep off the sod as much as possible. After two weeks, pull a corner of the sod up. This will tell you how well the sod is rooting in. If it doesn’t pull up easy you can decrease the amount of water. Pay attention to the appearance of the sod, if the sod starts to brown, it needs more water.

After 2-3 weeks mowing can be done. Set the height on the mower deck high and try to bag the sod, especially for the first 2-3 cuttings. A weed and feed fertilizer cannot be used for the first year because the sod is too tender. Enjoy your new sod; the better you take care of it the better the lawn will be.

Feel free to contact us with any questions, thank you for your business.

New Lawn Comparison

Seeded Lawn

  1. With all the right conditions (adequate moisture, proper watering, and above 50 degrees at night for 21 days) a green fuzz will show in 7-14 days.
  2. The seed mixture we use has 3 grass seed types. One that germinates between 7-14 days, another between 14-21 days and the third between 21-28 days. We use this mix so the lawn has some variety of hardness. Full germination of all types of grass seed takes up to 28 days.
  3. A seeded lawn can take up to one year for it to look great.
  4. A seeded lawn grows up in its environment, not grown in ideal conditions for quick growth.
  5. Weed killer cannot be used for one year after installation date.
  6. First cutting should happen within the first month.
  7. Watering should happen for 20-30 minutes per area everyday for 2-3 weeks. Watering should be done to keep areas moist and not cracking/eroding.
  8. Seeding is cheaper than sodding, due to additional material cost/waste.

Sodded Lawn

  1. Sod gives the home instant green.
  2. Grown in ideal conditions (peat moss, generous watering schedule). Takes more maintenance in the long run to keep looking great.
  3. First cutting can happen within the first 3-4 weeks after it roots in.
  4. .Watering is a little harder than seed, due to the fact that the sod can shrink from lack of moisture. If this happens there will be cracks everywhere.
  5. Sod will need to be damp (so that you cannot walk on it) for the first 2 weeks. Each area could get up to one hour per section.
  6. Sod can be installed as soon as it can be cut from the supplier (in the spring as soon as the field dries out and as late as the snow flies). Cold temperatures do not affect the sod.
  7. Surface preparation for sod is the same as seed, except all outside edges need to be cut down to one inch.
  8. Summer can dry the sod out very quickly. The sod needs to be installed upon arrival so that is does not dry out.
  9. We typically install sod for clients that want/need instant curb appeal.


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