Should You Seed or Sod Your Lawn
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“Should I use seed or sod to fix the bare areas in my lawn?”
“Which method provides a better lawn – seed or sod?”
“I removed an old above the ground pool from my back yard. Should I seed it or sod it?”
These are all common questions we receive from customers when they ask about fixing areas of their lawn that may have been damaged by insect or disease activity, landscaping changes or even about installing a new lawn. The answer to these questions require asking additional questions to determine what method works best for your lawn, where you live, your ability to water and the current weather conditions in your part of the country. Where you live and the type of grass you want to grow, plays a major part in determining which method you choose. If your lawn has one of the warm season grasses like St. Augustine, centipede, Bermuda or Zoysia, seeding is not the best option to repair small areas. First, seed availability is limited and the germination success rate is very low. In most cases, any bare areas smaller than a dinner plate will fill in on their own from the grass that is already growing in the lawn. Repairing larger areas are more easily repaired by placing sod in the area. Purchase sod that is of the same variety of grass that is growing in your lawn. If you are not sure, cut out a small sample of the turf and take it to your local garden center and they will be able to identify it for you. The best time of year to install new sod in warm season turf areas is late spring to early summer. Those of you that live in the northern parts of the US and grow cool-season turfgrasses like Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, fine fescue or turf-type tall fescue, you can either seed or sod the areas that require repair. There are some decisions you have to make to determine which method is better for your lawn.4 questions you need to answer:
- What type of grass is growing in your lawn? Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass are probably the most popular type of grass growing in the northern parts of the US. Turf-type tall fescue is the most common cool-season grass growing in the Transition Zone. Fine fescue is the preferred species for shady areas. For the most part, all the grasses will blend together, although fine fescue has a gray-green color and may appear out of place in a bluegrass/perennial ryegrass lawn.
- Are you repairing small sections of a lawn or larger, more significant areas? Small spots are better repaired with seed, while larger areas, bigger than one square yard, may be better served by using sod.
- Do you have the ability to water on a regular basis? Both seed and sod need to be watered, but at least daily watering of new seed is critical to its survival, more if it is warm and the areas dry out quickly. Once new seed germinates, it has a tiny little root that needs water, which may mean watering two or three times a day. All the cool season grasses generally germinate within 2 weeks, but Kentucky bluegrass can take 4 or more weeks to germinate. It then needs to be kept moist for another 2 to 3 weeks after it has germinated and for a longer time if it is hot.
- Have you ever replaced sod or prepared the soil for seeding? There is a lot more to the process than just throwing some seed out or rolling out a piece of sod across the dead spot. There are numerous YouTube videos that go into detail on how to perform these procedures. Take the time to look at those before you start. You may have to search a little bit, but you should end up with a fairly good idea of how to re-seed or re-sod your lawn.