NorthBridge® and Latitude 36® Bermudagrasses, in addition to Innovation® Zoysia, are nice choices for chilly tolerance within the transition zone.
The College of Florida’s newly launched CitraZoy® Zoysiagrass in a finer-bladed zoysia cultivar with higher winter colour and Spring green-up, improved illness resistance, and improved drought resistance.
Lastly, a brand new turfgrass selection launched by Texas A&M College, Cobalt™ St. Augustine, affords superior drought resistance in addition to superior shade tolerance, Winter hardiness, and illness tolerance.
Know Your Rights
This is a useful tip that may prevent quite a lot of ache and grief. As a landscaper, it’s essential to learn the wonderful print and know what duties lie with the landscaper versus the provider if one thing goes incorrect. It may additionally defend the landscaper’s consumer rights. For example, relying on the contract, poor high quality sod delivered to an set up website doesn’t should be accepted.
Against this, in case you are employed by a metropolis, county, or state, the federal government authority may require a 90-day guarantee. So should you set up sod in a location the place municipal crews fail to take care of it correctly and the grass dies, you will have to return again to reinstall new sod. There are additionally sure authorized agreements you may make with farms. Total, studying and understanding the contract totally can save quite a lot of complications ought to issues go downhill at an set up.
Set up Timing

Understanding the soil profile on the farm can assist decide if the sod can be profitable on the set up website. Pictured above is a mucky soil profile. (Picture: Sod Options)
Timing could make an enormous distinction within the high quality of set up. Fall is essentially the most ideally suited season to put in each heat and funky season grass varieties, intently adopted by Spring.
Opposite to widespread perception, Winter generally is a nice time to put sod in sure places all through the southern elements of the U.S., together with USDA Zones 8b-11. It might seem to be a foul time as a result of heat season grass is dormant and freezing temperatures may doubtlessly kill roots. Nevertheless, this isn’t true in all circumstances and there are literally quite a lot of advantages to laying sod right now.
In fact, extra sod is definitely misplaced to warmth stress in Summer season than to Winter’s reasonable freezes. The important thing issue is temperature. Even when out of doors temperatures attain freezing in sure areas, it’s nonetheless okay to put in sod. Nevertheless, it’s ill-advised to put in sod when temps constantly attain the teenagers on a frequent foundation.
Materials & Time Estimation
When taking up a brand new set up venture, it’s crucial to have sufficient materials to get the job completed. Many landscapers will go to a jobsite and stroll the property with a measuring wheel, whereas others can eyeball it and get fairly shut. However there are different choices on the market akin to software program that makes use of Google satellite tv for pc and high-resolution aerial imagery to provide landscapers exact space, quantity, and perimeter measurements. When getting ready, take note of 5–10% of fabric waste relying on the quantity of curves and obstructions.
Website Preparation
Earlier than the sod is delivered to the placement, having just a few duties accomplished will make the method as easy and straightforward as potential.
- First, it’s all the time a good suggestion to gather a soil pattern and be told about which vitamins the soil is missing. This data can be essential in terms of deciding on the best fertilizer for the brand new sod.
- Take into account aerating or tilling the soil and making use of the fertilizer choice earlier than the brand new sod arrives. This course of ensures the bottom has every part it must encourage profitable turfgrass institution.
- Take away rocks, garden ornaments, and different objects which may get in the best way of set up. Degree the bottom as a lot as potential for a flat, even set up floor and moisten the soil in order that it’s damp.
- Final, apply topsoil earlier than (and even after) the set up to advertise growth of wholesome roots and help within the transition from particular person sod items to a flourishing panorama. Topsoil additionally helps choke out weeds which may attempt to take over as sod establishes.
Submit-Set up Care
The job isn’t completed after the sod is laid. It’s finest to water the garden as sod is laid out after which guarantee it’s correctly irrigated for a number of weeks after set up. If a buyer has an irrigation system, alter the watering schedule. If the location has no irrigation system, clearly set up who’s chargeable for correct upkeep.