How to Prepare a Yard for New Sod

Prepare your yard well in advance of your sod delivery.

Sod is a way to get a lush, green lawn instantly, but there's more to it than laying squares of sod on the dirt. A successful lawn depends on properly prepared soil with the right balance of soil pH and nutrients in order for the sod to grow instead of wither. Preparing the soil for laying sod begins with soil testing two months in advance. This gives you plenty of time to ensure the soil is in the best shape possible before the sod is delivered to your home.

Things You'll Need

• Soil testing kit
• Post-emergent herbicide
• Shovel
• Wheelbarrow
• Rototiller
• Lime, peat moss or compost
• Water ballast roller
• Rake

Instructions

1. Check the pH and nutrients in the soil with a soil testing kit from a garden center, nursery or university extension office.

2. Spray post-emergent herbicide on weeds in the area where you are placing sod. Follow the directions on the label and repeat if necessary.

3. Remove rocks, large roots, tree stumps and construction debris from the yard.

4. Scrape the topsoil off high areas in the yard, using a shovel and spreading it around evenly, or use it to fill in low areas if needed.

5. Rototill the yard to a depth of 6 inches to loosen the soil. Remove any rocks and debris as necessary.

6. Add lime, peat moss, compost or other amendments needed to the soil. Use the rototiller to work the amendments into the soil to a depth of 10 to 12 inches. Let the soil settle for two to three days after tilling.

7. Install sprinklers or another irrigation system 12 to 18 inches underground.

8. Firm the topsoil with a water ballast roller. Look for dips and humps in the yard and fill or level them. Rake the yard to help the sod root easier once laid.

Tips & Warnings

• Contact an extension office if you want them to test the soil for you. The report will tell you what is needed to improve the soil to prepare it for laying sod.

• Find the square footage of your yard so you know how much fertilizer, lime or other amendments you'll need to buy.

• The yard should gradually slope away from the house and driveway for drainage. A slope with a 1-foot drop in 50 feet will ensure water doesn't seep under the foundation or erode the soil under the driveway.

• Consult a professional with access to heavy equipment for large yards that need to be graded.

• Apply a slow-release fertilizer after the sod is laid or add it at the same time as the soil amendments.

References

• University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service: Establishing a Lawn From Sod
• Kansas State University Cooperative Extension Service: Planting A Home Lawn
• Clemson Extension: Lawn Establishment

Resources

• University of Rhode Island Landscape Horticulture Program: Soil Testing
• University of Maine Cooperative Extension: Establishing a Home Lawn