| Key Takeaways |
|---|
| • Laying sod gives you an instant, established lawn, and it is a manageable DIY project when you prep the soil properly first. • Success comes down to timing, tight soil-to-root contact from rolling, and consistent watering during the first 2 to 3 weeks. • The heaviest work is soil prep and hauling sod, so many homeowners hire a pro to guarantee the job is done right. |
Sod gives you a green lawn in a single weekend with no waiting on seed to sprout or bare patches to deal with. And learning how to lay sod is well within your scope as a DIYer if you plan for it.
Most of the work happens before the first roll goes down, so we’ll start with purchasing sod and leveling the soil, then cover laying the pieces, watering, and fertilizing.
Rather skip the heavy lifting? LawnStarter’s sod installation pros can handle the whole job.
| Project Difficulty: Intermediate Estimated Time to Complete: Soil preparation takes 1 to 1.5 days (1,000 sq. ft.); sod installation will take another 1 to 1.5 days Project Cost: The average cost to install sod DIY is $0.60 per square foot, depending on the type of grass. With professional installation, the cost can almost triple to an average of $1.65 per square foot. |
Sod vs. Seed: Which Is Right for You?
Before you buy a single roll, decide whether sod or seed fits your yard, timeline, and budget. Here’s how the 2 stack up:
| Factor | Sod | Seed |
| Cost | Higher up front | Cheaper |
| Time to a full lawn | Instant, ready in about a day | Weeks to fill in |
| Best for | Instant results, slopes, or installs outside the ideal seeding window | Tight budgets, large areas, and patient DIYers |
Pre-Installation Steps
Choose the Right Time to Install Sod
While you can install sod nearly year-round, the best time for laying sod depends on the grass type. For cool-season grasses, it’s best to lay sod in late summer to early fall, while late spring to early summer is best for warm-season grasses.
When to postpone. Skip installation if the ground is frozen, waterlogged, or under a water restriction you can’t work around. New sod needs daily water for 2 weeks, and you can’t negotiate that.
Test the Soil
Before laying sod, check your soil’s condition. You can use an at-home soil test kit or get a comprehensive analysis by sending your soil sample to a soil testing lab.
I recommend doing the soil test first. Labs can take up to 10 business days (even longer during peak season) to process soil samples.
Gather Materials and Supplies
Other than the sod, you’ll also need:
Rototiller or plow
Leveling rake
Lawn roller or tamper
Sod cutter and a sharp utility knife
Measuring tape or wheel
Sod staples (for slopes)
Plywood sheet or kneeling board
Measure the Space
Measure your yard to determine how much sod to purchase.
Use a tape measure or measuring wheel to find the square footage: multiply the length by the width of the install area. For odd-shaped yards, break the space into smaller chunks, as shown below, then add the values together.
How much sod to order: Sod comes in slabs (about 2.76 square feet), or rolls (about 10 square feet), and a pallet covers roughly 400 to 500 square feet.
Divide your total square footage by the pallet coverage your supplier lists, then round up, since pallet size varies by region and grass type.
Pro Tip: Add an extra 5% to 10% to the total square footage to account for measurement errors, damaged pieces, and filling odd spaces.
Purchase Sod
Consider these factors:
Grass type: In colder regions, choose cool-season grasses like Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, or fine fescue. In the South, warm-season grasses like Bermudagrass, St. Augustinegrass, and Zoysiagrass handle the heat best.
Sunlight conditions: Some grasses need full sun, while others tolerate partial shade.
Maintenance requirements: Some grasses need more frequent mowing and fertilizing than others.
Intended use: Some grass types are prized for looks, while others tolerate high-traffic areas.
If you can’t buy directly from a local sod farm, Allen Carter, CFO of Tuckahoe Turf Farms in Hammonton, New Jersey, recommends a reputable garden center. Most take orders ahead of time and set specific delivery and pickup times, he says.
Check whether your dealer delivers; if not, you’ll need a pickup truck to haul the sod home.
Inspect the Pallet on Arrival
Fresh sod should be harvested less than 24 hours before it reaches you, and it should arrive covered to protect it from sun, rain, and wind.
Check the rolls as you unpack the pallet. “If you start to unpack the pallet and the rolls smell or the blades of sod are slimy to the touch, [that’s] not a good sign,” Carter says.
Install Fast or Store It Right
Sod dries out fast, so install it fast. The norm is within 24 hours, but how long it can wait depends on the season and where you live.
Carter, who installs sod in the Northeast, uses this guideline:
- Summer: Install it right away, and don’t let it sit overnight.
- Spring and fall: Install it as soon as possible, by the next morning at the latest.
- Winter: It can usually wait a day or so, depending on how cool it is.
In the “summer time, timing is everything for a successful installation,” he says.
Oklahoma State University Extension recommends storing pallets in shade and lightly moistening the outer surfaces to limit drying. The key is not to soak pallets in hot weather, Carter says. If you do, the water gets trapped in the rolls and builds heat.
See Related: How to Choose the Right Grass for Your Lawn
Prepare the Soil
Preparing the soil is the most labor-intensive pre-installation task, but it’s well worth it:
Clear the space: Remove all live grass, weeds, and debris. If you remove existing grass, avoid herbicides like glyphosate, whose residue can linger in the soil for up to 4 months and harm new sod.
Till the soil: Break up the soil and alleviate soil compaction by tilling the soil to a depth of 4 to 6 inches so roots can reach deep. Mark sprinkler heads and buried lines first to avoid damaging them.
Amend the soil: If the soil test results recommend it, adjust the soil pH by adding lime or acidifying products. If needed, you can also add compost or other organic matter.
Level the soil: Mounds and low spots make mowing difficult, so level the yard before installing sod. Keep the soil next to driveways or walkways 1 to 2 inches below the concrete, or the sod edges will dry out and die.
See Related: How to Fix Compacted Soil
Installation Day
Installing sod is a hot, sweaty workout. Wear loose clothing and a hat, apply sunscreen, and drink plenty of fluids.
Moisten the Soil in the Morning
Make sure the soil is moist before laying the sod. Water the area on the morning of installation, unless the ground is still wet from recent rain or watering.
Note: The ideal soil condition before installing sod is moist and not soggy or squishy.
Install the Sod
Now it’s time to get down to the nitty-gritty of how to lay sod:
Start along the longest straight edge. Use the edge next to your house, driveway, flower bed, or sidewalk, and lay the first row of sod along it.
Create a brick-like pattern. After laying the first strip, stagger the seams on each new row so joints never line up, just like bricklaying. Offsetting seams by about half a strip avoids a straight-line pattern, which can channel water and pull the seams apart.
Trim the edges. Using a sharp knife or sod cutter, trim the edges and cut around sprinkler heads and irregular shapes.
Install the pieces tightly. Don’t leave gaps; sod shrinks as it dries, so gaps widen over time and expose edges and roots.
Protect what you’ve already laid. Never kneel or walk on fresh sod. Work from the soil side, and lay a sheet of plywood or a kneeling board over the finished rows when you have to cross them.
Remove air pockets with a lawn roller. This helps the new sod make good contact with the topsoil.
- Water each section as you finish it. Don’t wait until the whole lawn is down. On larger lawns, Carter asks homeowners to turn on the sprinklers for each zone once it’s covered, or if you are a DIYer, he recommends homeowners water each installed area before they take a break. Water hydrates the soil and adds weight, which presses it firmly against the soil, he says.
Give the entire lawn a deep soaking right after installation. Carter says the right amount depends on how deep the water soaks into the soil, not how many minutes it runs. To check, pull up a corner of the sod and make sure the water has reached a few inches into the soil below, he says.
Laying sod on a slope: Run strips across the hill, not up and down it, since downhill seams become water channels in the first rain. Stake every piece with sod staples from the bottom up, or unstaked sod will slide, stretch the seams, and delay rooting.
Here’s a quick video of how one homeowner laid sod in his yard:
See Related: How to Plant Grass Seed
Post-Installation Care
Compared to overseeding, laying sod is a piece of cake, but it’s not a set-and-forget project. Care for your new sod as follows:
Water: Keep the soil moist to encourage root development. Water twice a day for 2 weeks, 15 to 20 minutes each time, then once a day during week 3. At week 4, start watering every 2 to 3 days.
Avoid foot traffic: Don’t let anyone, including pets, walk on the lawn for 2 to 4 weeks after installation.
Check for odd spots and lifting: For a few days after installation, inspect for lifting or gaps in coverage. If you find odd spots, press the sod down with a lawn roller to remove air pockets.
Check for root growth and establishment: Two weeks after laying sod, gently tug the grass blades. Firm resistance means the roots have established. This tug test confirms your sod is ready for normal use.
Mow: After 3 to 4 weeks, your grass will have grown 1/2 inch to 1 inch higher than its recommended mowing height. This is the best time to do the first mow.
Fertilize: Wait 30 to 60 days, or until after the fourth mow, before adding a starter fertilizer, since young roots can’t absorb the nutrients yet.
See Related: How to Overseed a Lawn in 8 Simple Steps
Common Sod-Laying Mistakes to Avoid
A few avoidable slip-ups cause most sod failures. Watch out for these:
Skipping soil prep: Laying sod on hard, unleveled ground keeps roots from taking hold.
Leaving gaps between pieces: Sod shrinks as it dries, so loose seams widen and expose roots.
Underwatering the first weeks: New sod needs consistent moisture to root, and dry edges are the first to die.
Walking or mowing too soon: Foot traffic and early mowing tear roots before they bond with the soil.
- Watering by the clock without checking your sprinkler’s output. You may not get the same amount of water over the entire lawn.
“I like to tell folks to put a pie pan out in each zone, and time how long it takes to get a 1/2 inch of water in that pan,” Carter says. “And I say each zone because again, the number of heads may be different; there may be more half circles or full circles and so forth.”
A good professional irrigation installer, he says, tries to keep most zones the same.
Troubleshooting New Sod
Most sod problems show up in the first month, and most are fixable if you catch them early:
| Problem | Likely Cause | Fix |
| Seams pulling apart | Sod dried and shrank | Water more often; sweep fine topsoil into the seams rather than stretching the pieces together |
| Brown, crispy edges | Edges dry out first | Hand-water the perimeter and seams daily |
| Spongy, squishy spots after week 1 | Overwatering | Skip a cycle and let the surface firm up |
| Yellowing across the lawn | Underwatering most often; also overwatering or premature fertilizer | Check the soil moisture before doing anything |
FAQs
Most sod begins rooting within 2 weeks and is well established in 4 to 6 weeks, depending on grass type, weather, and watering. Stay off it for the first 2 to 4 weeks. After 2 weeks, try the tug test: if the sod resists a gentle pull, light foot traffic is fine.
Most sod begins rooting within 2 weeks and is well established in about 4 to 6 weeks, depending on grass type, weather, and how consistently you water.
Improper watering, overfertilization, and other issues can lead to yellow grass, so water carefully and care for your new sod properly to avoid this problem. Learn more in our guide: How to Care for New Sod.
Yes, you can lay sod on top of an existing lawn, but it’s not advisable because the new lawn will have limited access to water and nutrients and struggle to establish roots. Always remove the old grass first, so your new sod can root and survive.
Let a Pro Install Your Sod
Laying sod may be simpler than reseeding, but that doesn’t mean it’s not labor-intensive. Even if you know how to install sod, you’ll still have to spend a lot of time and energy to complete your sod installation project.
Instead of taking a risk laying sod yourself, hire one of LawnStarter’s sod installation pros for a fast installation and professional results.
Main Image: Fresh sod rolls await installation beside a backyard pool. Photo Credit: Tomasz Zajda / Adobe Stock
Source:
Allen Carter, CFO of Tuckahoe Turf Farms in Hammonton, New Jersey. Personal interview.
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