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How to Install Sod

It's spring and we've been working really hard to get our yard in order. The folks who lived in our house before us had laid down ground cover on 1/2 of the yard, so when we moved in, we laid new sod in the whole yard. Turns out it is REALLY hard to grow grass in soil you haven't maintained, so 25% of it died. This spring we went through and re-installed new sod after two years of nourishing it back to life!

If you're looking to landscape your yard yourself, here's a few quick tips that can help you prepare and get it done as easily as you can (note: installing sod is HARD work so be prepared for a labor intensive day).

1. Measure the Space- most sod for augustine costs ~$2/ piece. So it's important that you measure, and measure twice, so that you do not order or buy too little or too muc

2. Rototille - Before you put down the new grass, you need to make sure the dirt is healthy and ready. The first step with new sod is to rototille (I linked our favorite that we rent from Home Depot below). Not going to lie, my husband does this because it's very heavy!

3. Add New Soil - Once the ground is broke up, you need to replenish it with healthy soil. So add some gardening soil, about 1-2 inches, and rototille that in with the oil soil. Now you are ready to put down the grass!

4. Lay Sod - The best way to lay the sod is to start in a corner and place it down so that you have straight vertical and horizontal lines. If you are placing the sod next to grass that is already healthy (like in our pics here), you'll want to leave 1-2 inches between the new sod and old grass for it to grow seamlessly together. Also, once you've laid it on the ground, you will want to press it into the ground. You can use a large roller, or step on it!

5. Water via a Schedule - This is the most important part!! For the first week, you will want to water your new sod grass 3 times a day; for the second week 2 times a day and then the 3rd week once a day. After that you can water it once a week and it should grow together and into your new grass

We also spent some time landscaping around the trees in our backyard. We added black tree rings and black mulch as a contrast to the bright green grass. I'll share a post on those once they are completed later this spring.

The only other thing I'd like to share of what we learned was that you should core airorate 2 times a year (usually in spring before its a consistent 80 degrees 5 days in a grow) and in the fall (before it drops below 80). Immediately after, fertilize. This helps your grass during the dormant winter months and to revitalize it during the spring.

Hope you have some fun yard work ahead of you, friends!

xo,

KB

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