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Should we lay sod in winter? Well, if you ask me I will say it is not the right time. Since laying sod is best during April to October. But we are never perfect and have to go in the opposite direction at times. Since I feel sodding during the winter, which is a dormant season, is a little bit risky.
But trust me, taking risk is much more challenging and preferable in some cases than expected. Say if you have to prepare a golf course by the spring for a Golf Tour, you need to sod during the dormant season. It will help the grass grow by the spring and your golf course will be ready for new shots.
Even there are instances when the grasses are required to be sodded in 30 or 40 days, especially by the construction owners. So, the lawns need to lay sod in the odd seasons as well.
I am not saying that laying sod in winter is something very impossible. What I want to convey is that health of the sod is a big factor if we lay it in the off-seasons. But you need to hire some professional who can guarantee you in laying sod in winter and guarantee you with the perfect time to turn the turf green.
When you are looking for a quick guide on laying sod in winter, find the tools and read on the essential steps:
Having all the tools in hand, let’s move on to those baby steps:
Before purchasing a sod, you need to take a walk on the surface where you intend to lay the sod. Then remove the large rocks, take out weeds from the space where you are laying sod in winter. They will try to compete with the new lawn for nutrients and space if you leave them there.
It is not possible to level every land, but remember that if you rake the plot then your new turf can establish more healthy roots. Do ensure that you are raking at least an inch deep into the soil, as this will help the grass growth. You need to clean the edges of the paths and borders so that the sod sits tidily.
Choose the right kind of fertilizer that is beneficial and suitable for your soil. A local gardener store can give you a good advice on which manure or fertilizer you need to enable laying sod in winter. If you live in a rural location, go to some stable and collect manure. The stable owners will give it for free.
In order to obtain best results with laying sod in winter, buy the sod just at the time when you intend to lay it. Well, you should not purchase the sod that has been harvested more than 48 hours ago. Sod should be laid 24 hours after being first harvested.
Watering the sod is the secret to a successful green turf. If the ground is frozen, wait for the soil to get defrosted, as new sod will not be able to penetrate the roots deep inside.
You need to lay the sod in the pathway or the border of the path to give a neat edge. Start the next sodding a little bit down the first to replicate the brick lying. This will make the joints less visible. Please lay the joints as near as possible and leave a gap to overlap them whenever you want. Though overlaps can cause unnecessary bumps, but you can always fill them up by cutting patches and then roll them over using a knife.
The final step that you need to adopt to enable sod in winter is adding some more water. Laying sod in winter needs more water to keep the lawn healthy. Do it at least at a regular interval of two weeks
This will help you to faces the risks of laying sod in off seasons and guarantee healthy lawns. These are some of the best steps which I highly recommend for a green turf for your upcoming spring.
