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How to Install Sod After Delivery

Washington Sod and Turf offers some tips on how to properly install sod. Read below for more details.

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Sod Installation Tips

How to install your new sod, and prep work that should be done before ordering so the sod doesn’t sit around and get old before you install it.


Sod should be installed the same day as you receive it for freshest and best results.

Steps for Laying Sod in a Backyard:

  1. You should use a soil probe to check the depth and texture of the topsoil.
  2. You should remove all the existing grass with a gas-powered sod cutter below the thatch line.
  3. You then place the old grass into a wheelbarrow and carry it away.
  4. You will want to loosen the topsoil with a large rotary tiller to a depth of at least 4 inches.
  5. Next, you will use a mini-tiller to loosen the soil alongside fences, foundations, and other areas not accessible to the large rotary tiller
  6. You will then want to cover the entire tilled area with 2-3 inches with a 50/50 mixture of sand and compost, some till it in.
  7. Next level the soil and rake it smooth with a wide soil rake.
  8. Water roll the soil for compaction and then level again to take of high spots and fill in low spots, repeat until satisfied.
  9. Water the Soil with Sprinkler for about an hour then water roll again after it settles in for an hour. (less in the fall or spring)
  10. Next you will use a starter fertilizer and spread it with a broadcast spreader over the soil. 4lbs/1000 sq ft
  11. Repeat with lime treatment, 50lbs/1000 sq ft 
  12. You will start laying sod, one strip at a time, along the edge of the lawn. 
  13. Butt the sod strips tightly together to produce quality joints that will grow together. (no gaps!)
  14. Then you will use a utility knife or sod knife to cut in half a strip of sod for the second row as well as borders and edges.
  15. You will set the half-strip in place, then continue to lay full-length strips of sod to complete the second row. By starting with a half-strip it will stagger the joints between the rows.
  16. Continue to laying sod, butting the strips tightly together and staggering them until you get them all on the same day you receive them.
  17. Final step, once you've laid all the sod, water the lawn three times per day the first week, then twice a day for a month, for at least 30 minutes each watering, before resuming to a normal watering schedule (twice daily in the summer)
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As a reminder if you do not water your lawn, your new grass will die! Keeping Sod Watered is the Key to Success! (First Day Watering Double It, and Summer 4+ Hours First Day Recommended)

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Washington Sod and Turf - Sod Delivery - Installation - Lawn Aeration - Call to Schedule (425) 221-5862.

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