Professional Sod Installation

A new sod lawn gives you an incredible and almost immediate transformation, but we want homeowners to understand something important: grass is one of the highest-maintenance plants you can have on your property.

A beautiful lawn requires ongoing attention. Proper mowing, watering, fertilization, weed management, aeration, overseeding where appropriate, and monitoring for disease all contribute to keeping turf healthy.

The first few weeks after installation are particularly important because that’s when the new sod is developing roots into your soil.

We provide new-sod care instructions with our sod proposals so you know exactly what to do during that establishment period. After that, ongoing turf care becomes the key to protecting your investment and keeping the lawn looking the way it did when it was first installed.

New sod will generally begin rooting into the soil in about two weeks, but that doesn’t mean it’s ready for normal family use right away.

We recommend keeping children and dogs off the new lawn for at least four weeks—and longer if you can.

Running, playing, and dogs making quick turns can move pieces of sod before they’re fully established, open seams, and create uneven areas in the newly prepared soil. Giving the lawn more time without heavy traffic allows the roots to become stronger and the individual pieces of sod to grow together.

You’ll be looking at a beautiful green lawn almost immediately, but remember that what’s happening underneath the grass during those first few weeks is what matters most.

For the first couple of weeks, keeping your new sod consistently wet is one of the most important things you can do.

You want the moisture to reach through the sod and approximately one inch into the soil underneath it. Don’t judge watering only by how the grass looks from above—actually check underneath and make sure the soil is staying moist.

There isn’t one watering schedule that works for every lawn. A newly installed lawn during hot summer weather may need considerably more water than the same lawn installed during a cool, rainy week in the fall.

Sun, temperature, wind, rainfall, soil, slope, and your irrigation system all make a difference. You really need to check the sod rather than relying only on a timer.

The goal during those first weeks is simple: don’t let the new sod dry out while its roots are beginning to establish.

We have successfully installed sod every month of the year.

The bigger question is how much care the new lawn will require after installation.

If you’re looking for the easiest time to establish a new lawn, spring and fall are ideal. Cooler temperatures reduce stress on the grass, and we typically receive more help from natural rainfall.

Sod installed during hotter or drier periods can still establish successfully, but the homeowner needs to be much more attentive to watering. The weather at the time of installation makes a big difference in how quickly the sod dries out and how much supplemental water it needs.

So while sod installation isn’t limited to one particular season, spring and fall generally make the establishment period easier on both the grass and the homeowner.

Most lawns in our area are tall fescue, and for many properties it is the best choice.

If your lawn receives 10 or more hours of direct sunlight during the summer, zoysia can also be a great option. Zoysia loves sun and performs very well during our hot summers, but it behaves differently from fescue and goes dormant during the colder part of the year.

Sun exposure is one of the first things we consider when recommending grass. What works beautifully in a wide-open, sunny backyard may not be the right grass for a property with mature trees, buildings, or other areas of shade.

We’ll help you choose the grass that makes the most sense for the actual conditions of your property.

A successful sod installation starts with the soil underneath it.

We begin by removing the existing lawn and weeds. Rather than simply covering the existing conditions with new grass, we work with and amend the soil that’s already there to create a better environment for the new roots.

We then carefully grade and smooth the area. This helps with drainage, creates a more even finished lawn, and gives the sod good contact with the soil underneath.

Once the preparation is complete, we install the fresh sod and roll it so the roots make good contact with the prepared soil.

A lot of what makes a sod installation successful is the work you won’t see once we’re finished.

The cost of sod installation is driven largely by the labor and preparation involved, not just the price of the grass itself.

We remove the existing lawn, amend the soil that’s already on your property, prepare and grade the area, and create a smooth surface before the new grass is installed.

Freshness also matters to us. Our crew travels approximately 1.5 hours each way to pick up fresh sod and bring it directly to your property. That’s roughly three hours of travel time just to get the material, and we do it so the sod can be installed fresh the same day rather than sitting around on a pallet before it goes into the ground.

The final cost depends on the size of the lawn, existing site conditions, access, grading, and the amount of preparation required. Once we see the property, we can give you an accurate estimate based on the actual work involved.

Both sod and seed can produce a beautiful lawn, but sod gives you a finished lawn almost immediately.

With sod, you’re starting with established grass rather than waiting for seed to germinate and fill in. This can be especially helpful when you want to transform a struggling or bare yard quickly.

That doesn’t mean the work ends when the sod goes down. New sod still needs time to root into your existing soil and requires careful watering and limited foot traffic while it becomes established.

We’ll look at the condition of your existing lawn, soil, sunlight, and how you use your property to help determine whether sod makes sense for your yard.