The Grass Is Always Greener On The Other Side

commercial-sod-installationOne of the most common debates people have over their lawns is whether to seed or to sod.  Both are great options, however, unless you are willing to look at a big patch of dirt for a few weeks, sodding may be the best option. Though sod installation may come with a higher upfront cost, nothing beats the gratification of an instant, well-established, healthy lawn that is resistant to weeds, diseases and pest infestations.

At Bluegrass, we obtain our sod fresh from the farms at Emerald Sod and Rodger Schroeder. Our experts install strips of top quality fescue grass that is perfect for commercial applications. This cool season grass grows well in the St. Louis area as it is specifically designed for the Midwest climate. While it’s ok to lay fescue sod in the spring, we highly recommend planting in the fall. Laying it in the fall gives the grass roughly 9 months to adapt to the soil allowing it to build a healthy extensive root system. This deep, fibrous root system makes it the most adaptable cool-season grass under our local climate extremes. By laying it in the spring, it may not have enough time to adapt and in turn could cause the grass to burn up during the hot summer months.

Sod requires special attention before and after being laid down. Our sod installation services include:

Ground prepping. To prepare the ground for installation, we begin with the most essential step – leveling. This step greatly contributes to the end result and quality of the installation project.

After removing any debris, grass and weeds from the ground, our sod installation crews grade the area and till the soil to loosen the any compaction, making the sod more amenable to the land.

Sod installation. Once the sod has been cut from the sod farm, it needs to be delivered and laid within 48 hours to avoid burn up of the grass. The installation should be done in a brick pattern style to avoid the seams from aligning with one another – this is because water will seep into those seams and start to pull the grass away from each other. Laying the strips snugly against each other in a brick pattern allows the seams to stitch and mend together. Upon completion, we seed the seams where the sod meets the next strip to help fill in the cracks giving your turf a nice uniform look!

It is very important your newly installed sod receives adequate amounts of water during the first few weeks after planting. A deep soaking once every 3 to 7 days will help encourage a deep, healthy root system to keep from drying out and burning up in warmer summer days. Remember, too much water can also cause unwanted damage such as fungal disease. As we’ve mentioned before, water your newly installed lawn in the early morning hours instead of midday.

Our experts come well equipped with the experience and tools needed to ensure your sod is properly installed and maintained! We offer the highest quality sod installation services throughout the St. Louis Metropolitan area. To learn more about our sod installation services or to receive a free quote for your project, give us a call at 314-770-2828 or use our simple contact us form.