Sometimes
there's no choice but to lay sod in the winter while lawns lie
dormant. Dormancy occurs in the winter cold when your lawn's grass
turns brown and there's no need to mow.
Just
as humans need sleep to rest and repair their bodies, winter lawns
must conserve energy, water and nutrients during the long sleep of
winter until it wakes to the spring thaw. The same holds true with
sod.
If
you lay dormant sod during the winter, be proactive to the challenges
that could keep your it from establishing itself in your yard. This
includes readying your soil by tilling in plenty of fertilizer,
removing debris, and watering but not soaking it.
If
you choose to keep your sod in the shed until spring, you will have
to baby it a bit to make sure that it doesn't dry out and that the
roots don't wither and die.
Preparing
Lawn Soil
It's
imperative to test your soil pH and fertilize it well, adding
nutrients such as lime ash, phosphorus, potassium, and calcium. Till
your soil about 4
to 6 inches
down
so that you can remove embedded debris. Remove rocks, weeds, and dead
leaves.
Removing
debris helps level your soil. This is important as you want your sod
to lay tightly against it so that it evenly roots. Sodding uneven
surfaces causes "hills" in your lawn. You will want a good
soil foundation established so that your sod can root well.
Watering
Your Sod
Don't
saturate your soil with water before you lay the sod. Once you lay
your sod, you want to keep the top couple of inches of your sod
moist. Watering it too much encourages root breakdown.
Root
breakdown means that your sod's roots aren't getting enough oxygen.
They will weaken and they will rot.
Winter
snow adds water, but you might have to supplement up to a
quarter-inch of water each week, especially through the crucial first
couple of weeks after installation.
Laying
Your Sod
Spring
is the optimum time to unroll your stored sod onto your yard. But if
you have a compelling reason not to wait for the spring thaw, you
will have to take special precautions so that your sod establishes
its new root system into your soil.
This
can get challenging as East Coast winters can change gears
unexpectedly.
Coastal
winters don't always freeze lawns so rock-hard that you can't get a
hoe to scratch the surface. Sometimes you get extended warm-ups that
trick your lawn into thinking that springtime is around the corner.
If
this happens and you have decided that the risk-benefit ratio plays
in your favor and have already fertilized and prepared your soil,
then transplant the sod. Remember that you will need to pull those
sod seams extra tight so to ensure that water is evenly distributed.
Water soon after installation to help your sod adapt.
Again,
do not overwater newly planted sod. It will take your sod a week or
two to root itself to your lawn's prepared soil, so be diligent.
Final
Considerations
If
you are still unsure when and if to lay your sod during the winter
months, consider that you will have to measure, order, prepare,
install and water your sod according to the specific specifications
of the turfgrass you choose.
Plan
accordingly as coastal winters can hit lawn schedules hard.
Contact
the turf specialists at Novasack
Turf Farm
to
learn more. Whether you manually sod a small area of your lawn or use
a sod machine to re-sod an entire estate, rest assured that your sod
will take with the proper prep work. A beautiful lawn can be yours no
matter what the season.
