Establishing your lawn

There's 2 main options here when it comes to going from plain soil (dirt in Laman's terms) to a beautiful turf.

A) Seeding

B) Sodding

A) Seeding is the "most common" form of establishment (well of course, all turf must be seeded somehow). The steps for seeding establishment are as follows: a) Rough grading and removal of debris, b) Installation of drainage and irrigation systems (if needed), c) Application & tilling in of fertilizer P and lime (if needed and according to soil test) to subsoil, d) Covering subsoil with 8 or more inches of topsoil. The seeding rate is determined by growth habit and seed size: smaller the seed, more seeds per pound. The smaller the seed, the closer it needs to be to the surface when planted. Hydroseeding is an option that can be used here, it is a mixture of spraying seed, mulch, and fertilizer on surface at the same time. This procedure is more costly but can be very effective. Often homeowners choose seeding because it is incredibly less expensive than sodding, but it takes better care, maintenance and a patience to grow a Joe-shmo-grass from seed.

B) Sodding is truly the most common way for homeowners to establish their lawn. It is undoubtedly more costly but gives an instant lawn and is establishes faster for the homeowner (which will give you less chance to kill it!). The same steps apply to sodding as seeding plus a few more: a) the soil must be lightly moistened prior to sodding, b) sod should be laid staggered, perpendicular to slopes and in a staggered brick pattern, c) lightly rolled to remove air pockets, d) staked on steep slopes, e) kept moist immediately after it is laid and rolled through root establishment into the soil below, which will take 10‐14 days, and f) traffic should be avoided during this time. Choose sod that has a similar soil type to the already existing one on site. Choose sod that is has a thin cut soil (.5-.75 in) for it will establish more quickly with the existing soil