Do It Yourself

How To Clear The Area For Sod

Step 1. Clear your lawn of all debris before tilling and prepping the soil for sod

The first step to creating a great lawn is removing weeds, rocks, and debris. Before tilling in compost and grading, get all weeds and rock out of your yard. Rocks in the soil can create long-term problems making lawn areas compacted, prone to dry out, and hard to aerate. You only have one chance to start your lawn with a clean soil profile free of rock and debris.

How To Remove Sod

Step 2. Learn how to remove sod from a yard with a sod cutter the easiest way

The easiest way to remove sod is with a sod cutter. It’s important to remove old turf because a rotor tiller will not break it up. Take your yard all the way down to the dirt if you’re starting from scratch. By cutting out the old sod, you’ll make grading, tilling, and installing sprinklers, and your new sod, much easier.

How To Grade Before Sodding

Step 3. Make sure your new lawn drains away from your house and foundation

Before you soil prep, install a sprinkler system and eventually install your new sod, it’s important to establish the grade and rough shape of your lawn. Cut down the higher spots and use soil to fill in the holes. Grade your lawn so that water will run away from the house’s foundation.

How To Prep Soil For Sod

Step 4. Preparing the soil with compost is the most important before sodding

Tilling the soil and adding compost is a very important step to establishing a healthy lawn before installing sod. Compost tilled into the soil will open up clay soils and help sandy soils retain moisture and not dry out too fast. Soil preparation will help your newly sodded lawn use 20% to 40% less water. A complete DIY guide.

How To Install Sod – sm

Step 5. A complete do-it-yourself video on sodding a front yard, tips, and tricks

This is a quick overview of the basics of installing sod in a small front yard. Tips like where to start, how to align the slabs, how to get a curved border, and more! Be sure to apply starter fertilizer before sodding and keeping the green side up.