What should I know about laying sod?

You want that dirt flat when you lay it, lay it in a staggered pattern.

Kill the weeds first. Lay the sod flat and against each other. Keep wet.

I literally just threw some grass plugs on a bare spot on my lawn. I water regularly... those bastards grew.

back when i laid sod for a summer, we just tossed it down, made sure it was butted up against each other well, and then rolled it with a water filled roller and watered the lawn once on some rental houses for a real estate company i worked for. seems pretty forgiving for centipede anyway.

Thx for the info guys. Staggered in what way?

Water, water, water. The first two weeks are very important to keep it watered so those runners underneath the squares have a fighting chance to root in.

Turn a sprinkler on it in the morning and evening, every day for the first two weeks. If it rains, you can skip a session or two. If you don't water it, it will just sit there and dry up and die. I realize it's not groundbreaking news that plants need water, but you would be surprised how many people forget to do it.

quote:

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Begin installing sod along the longest straight line, such as a driveway or sidewalk. Butt and push edges and ends against each other tightly, without stretching. Avoid gaps or overlaps. Stagger the joints in each row in a brick-like fashion, using a large sharp knife, machete or stick edger to trim corners, etc

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Do’s and Don’ts of Sod

Thank you guys for the responses, looks like I've got a little reading to do & a lot of work

It's pretty monotonous if you do it by yourself. At the bottom of the pallet, the pieces seem like they get smaller and smaller

Probably best advice I've seen:)

8 pallets is a ton of sod, find a friend and pay with beer & food. Make sure to have the ground completely prepped before it arrives. You don't want to be scraping off old sod and weeds while laying new sod simultaneously in this heat. And like others have said, water heavy the first week, little less the next and so on until firmly rooted in.