If adding a lawn is in your landscape plans and you want immediate gratification, consider sod. It's a little more expensive than seeding, but by the afternoon, you'll have terrific turf.
Before you have the sod delivered, it's important that you prep the soil. Till in some magic ingredients like compost, peat moss and cow manure. Make sure it settles and level it out. Then you're ready to lay sod. And if you're lucky, you'll have a few friends who can help you out.
Here's the No. 1 rule for laying sod: Start on the outside, and work your way in. Also, keep the bigger pieces on the outer edges so they don't dry out easily. Keep the pieces as tightly together as possible. Next to a curved edge, use a utility knife, which works great for cutting out lumps and bumps.
In this project, there are several holes that were left intentionally; we want to stagger the sod so that the seams will grow together nicely. Now, just cut the pieces to fill up the puzzle. All you have to do is lay a piece of sod over a hole. Then take the utility knife and cut the piece to fit the shape. Just be sure you don't overlap any sod because it will dry out.
Once you're finished, it's important that you keep the grass well watered for the first week. Then back off a bit. Don't mow it until the sod is well rooted. And, by all means, keep foot traffic to a minimum.
)
