What is sod, and what kind is best for your lawn

Do you want to have a beautiful, lush, green lawn? Of course you do, all home owners want to have beautiful properties, and having a nice lawn is important. It is also important to keep your lawn looking great if you want to make sure that your property value increases and not decreases. One way you can create a great looking lawn is to use sod. You can also get a lawn in a fairly short period of time, so you can start enjoying it within a couple of weeks of laying it.

So, what is sod anyway? Basically, sod is grass that has already been planted. Also referred to as turf grass, sod is sold in sections that are grass and soil held together by roots or other materials. This type of lawn is preferred by golfers, because it is lusher and grows more evenly. It is often longer than other types of grass as well.

Should You Use Sod or Seed for Your Lawn?

Some people like to use seed, and some like to use sod. There are all kinds of great arguments for using both, and really, it all comes down to simply being a matter of choice. Sod is more reliable than seed, which is one of the main reasons why it is so popular with home owners. Many people start out asking “what is sod when compared to seed”. Here are some of the pros and cons to using both sod and grass seed:

Sod Pros and Cons

• Pro: You have a lawn much quicker than you do when you use grass seed
• Pro: You will be able to start mowing your lawn sooner as the grass will be growing so nicely
• Pro: You don’t have to wait for certain times of the year to install sod like you do with grass seed
• Pro: Sod takes root better than seed and is much more reliable
• Pro: You won’t be spending your summer pulling weeds when you use sod instead of grass seed
• Pro: If you are too busy to water your lawn every day, don’t worry because sod doesn’t need as much water as seed

• Con: Using sod is a lot more expensive than seed
• Con: Some sections may not take root and you will have to take them out and put new sections in
• Con: Sod is harder to install than it is to spread grass seed

Seed Pros and Cons

• Pro: Seed is the cheapest way to get a nice looking lawn
• Pro: Seed is easy to spread, and it only takes a few minutes to do it
• Pro: You can choose from many different varieties of grass seed
• Pro: Seed is better to use on yards that are hilly, sloped, or have shaded areas

• Con: You have to wait a lot longer to have a nice lawn than you do if you use sod
• Con: Your yard will be dirt while you wait for it to grow
• Con: Birds and animals love to eat seeds
• Con: Sometimes, not all seeds germinate and you have to spread new seeds in certain areas of your lawn
• Con: When you use seed, you get weeds
• Con: You may not be able to use your yard for as long as two or three months after seeding
• Con: You need to water your lawn daily to make sure that the seeds germinate and sprout

Caring for New Sod

In addition to regular watering, there are other things you can do to take care of your newly laid sod. Be gentle with it, especially during the first few days. Yes, you can use sod much sooner than you can use a lawn created from grass seed, but it should be off-limits to foot traffic for at least a few days. Don’t cut it too short, and don’t use any weed killers (you won’t need them anyway). What is sod if you don’t care for it properly? One thing is for sure, it is not a nice looking lawn.