Property Care
Sod Installation
Sod fails for two reasons: poor soil preparation underneath it, and the wrong grass for the climate. Both are decided before a single roll is laid.
The Problem
Sod fails from underneath.
New sod that goes down on compacted, ungraded soil roots badly, dries out in patches and shows every seam by the second month. By then the only fix is to lift it and start again.
What the job includes
- Old turf stripped and debris cleared
- Soil tilled, amended and graded to drain away from the building
- Cool-season or warm-season varieties chosen for your climate
- Laid in a staggered pattern with tight, offset seams
- Rolled for soil contact, the step that decides whether it roots
- A watering schedule you can actually follow
How It Goes
Step by step.
- 01
Clear and strip
Existing turf, weeds and debris come off. Laying new sod over old grass is the most common shortcut and it never takes.
- 02
Till and amend
The top few inches are broken up so new roots can get into the soil rather than sitting on a compacted pan, and amendment is worked in where the soil needs it.
- 03
Grade
The surface is graded smooth and pitched away from the building. This is your last chance to fix drainage, and water running back toward a foundation is how crawlspace moisture problems begin.
- 04
Lay and stagger
Rolls go down in a staggered brick pattern with seams tight and offset, cut neatly around beds and hard edges.
- 05
Roll it in
Rolling presses the sod into firm contact with the soil. Without it, air gaps under the turf dry the roots out and the sod never establishes.
- 06
Water schedule
You get a clear schedule for the critical first two weeks. Sod is unforgiving about watering while it roots and forgiving about almost everything afterwards.
Questions
Sod Installation: what people ask.
Which grass is right for my property?
Idaho is cool-season turf country: Kentucky bluegrass, fescue and ryegrass blends, usually as a mix rather than a single variety. Warm-season grass marketed for southern states will not survive a Treasure Valley winter, and it is a mistake that costs a whole lawn. Shade, traffic and how much watering you are willing to do decide the blend from there.
How soon can we walk on it?
Keep off it as much as possible for the first two weeks while it roots. Light foot traffic after that, normal use at around a month.
How much watering does new sod need?
A great deal at first. Generally daily, and more than once a day through an Idaho summer, easing off as the roots establish. The schedule tapers over about three weeks to a normal lawn routine.
Can you fix drainage while you are at it?
Grading is part of the job, so minor drainage issues get corrected as a matter of course. Significant standing water may need drainage work underneath before sod makes sense, and we will say so rather than lay turf over a problem.
Free Estimate
Get a price for sod installation.
Tell us roughly what you are dealing with and we will come back with a real number, not a placeholder.
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