Can I Lay Sod in the Fall?
It’s late in the year, and you aren’t happy with the looks of your lawn. Maybe you bought a new home or feel you need to repair your damaged yard now. Do you think that hot summer temperatures are more conducive to growing a newly sodded yard? While the turf grasses like St. Augustine and Bermuda grow well in hot summer temperatures, it is stressful for them to be sodded at that time since they have very few roots and must be kept moist at all times.
If you have large bare spots due to construction or damage from pests or pets, sodding is beneficial to combat erosion, keeping mud and dirt from being tracked in your home and sidewalk and reducing the growth of weeds and resulting in a more complete appearance to your landscape. If you sod now, in October or November will it take? Can you be sure that what’s planted now will turn into a lush green lawn in the spring?
SUCCESS IN LATE-YEAR PLANTING?
Well, it will take some extra care and monitoring, but if you are in need of a new yard, then late fall and winter can work just fine. In fact, it can be better for the grass to get its roots established in the fall and then be well-rooted and ready to grow when Spring temperatures start warming up. Two of the more popular turf grasses are Bermuda sod and St. Augustine Sod. Both love hot weather, actually thriving in temperatures between 90-100 degrees. The tops of the grass grow slowly in temperatures below 70 degrees and stop growing around 60 degrees, but the roots can grow in lower temperatures.
Laying Sod in the winter is tricky and probably a job for a professional. Professionals like Green Top Lawn Care will know just how to pick the right grass maturity level, how to place the sod pieces and the latest information on how to care for your burgeoning grass on a weekly basis. Even give you monitoring tips when conditions aren’t quite right, or you think your grasses aren’t progressing properly. You can also get a guarantee for the work completed, which is challenging to secure when you do the job yourself.
Caring for your new Sod
It’s critical always to remember that both Bermuda sod and St. Augustine sod will be dormant in winter, (around December and January) but they still require water. Dormant does not equate to dead. Dead grass will be gone in the spring — dormant means that the plant’s activities have slowed, similar to humans sleeping. Your new grass will be susceptible to drying out, so water frequently, but watch for puddling.
Planting new turf grass late in the season requires less watering, and there is less chance of the grass drying out and not rooting in, so if you follow directions, and keep your new yard watered when spring comes, you and your family and guests will be enjoying a lush, beautiful lawn.
