Whether you need new grass for your entire lawn or need to fix a few bare spots, you are left with two choices: sodding or seeding your lawn.
Both approaches can give you beautiful lawns but employ significantly different methods.
Let’s take a look at them:
Sodding
Sodding is the perfect option if you want to have a flourishing lawn almost instantaneously.
The first thing you need to do is test your soil and make adjustments to the soil quality before sodding. Cattle compost is one of the best ways to ensure your grass gets the proper nutrients.
Once that is done, use a water drum roller to level the area so that there are no raised lumps in the area. Then use a rake to grade the soil and comb out any debris or rocks.
Starting from the border, law down the rolls of sod. Be careful not to step on freshly laid sod. Once your entire lawn is covered, sprinkle it with water. In a couple of days, the seams of all the sod pieces will merge with each other, giving you a healthy-looking long.
Difference Between Sodding and seeding
The biggest difference between seeding and sodding is the time it takes for the grass to mature. Sod installation can give you instantaneous results as it is a simple process of transplanting already mature grass. Seeding establishes your grass from the earliest stage but takes much longer.
Advantages of Sodding
Instant Lawn Replacement: Sod installation can make your lawn look finished instantly. Although it is not yet ready for regular lawn traffic, it can improve the curb appeal of your home.
Quick Establishment: If you maintain and irrigate it carefully, it will only take a couple of pieces for your sod to take root and become perfectly established in your lawn.
Prevents Erosion: If your garden is placed on an incline, the sod can prevent erosion of the soil. It also prevents runoffs into natural water bodies.
Planting Time: The best thing about sod installation is that it can be done at any time of the year, even in the winter. However, it is advised not to install sod during summers with extreme temperatures. Depending on the type of grass, your sod will grow fastest in its peak growth period.
Reduced Weeds: Sod contains no weeds that you may see in lawns that have been planted through seeding.
Seeding
To seed your lawn, loosen the topsoil to about a depth of 1 inch. Spread about two to three inches of organic compost on the lawn and then level it with the back of a rake.
A day before sowing the seeds, mix them with some damp sand. This can help quicken the germination process. Rake furrows in the ground so that the seeds are not scattered by the wind and become well-established. Scatter the seeds into the furrows.
Cover the seeds with another thin layer of compost and then gently water it. Keep the area moist by gently spraying the lawn with water two to three times a day until the seeds germinate. Once that happens, start watering less frequently but more heavily.
Advantages of Seeding your Lawn
Expanded Grass Choice: There is a huge variety of seeds that can plant in your lawn to match your environment and growing conditions. For better results, choose native grass that is suited to your soil, light, and geography of your area.
Better Root System: Seeding can help your grass take root in the same place and germinate there. Grassroots can grow quite deep and lead to an undisturbed and healthy root system.
Lower Initial Cost: The cost of seeds to plant grass is quite less when compared to the cost of sodding your lawn.
Low Labor: Seeding your lawn is a simple process that does not require measuring your lawn’s parameter, as the case is while sodding. If you follow the common practice, seeding a lawn is pretty simple.
Whether you want to establish a lawn from sod or seed, know that they will provide you the environmental and health benefits.
