A landscaped yard can make all the difference to the curb appeal of your home. In fact, consumers value a landscaped home 11.3% more than one that has not been landscaped, according to a study conducted by the University of Michigan. Even if you do not have a green thumb or the weather is not on your side, you can still maintain a great looking yard with the help of sod. All in all you can expect to spend around $1735 to have sod installed in your yard depending on how big your property is. While this may seem like a lofty investment to some, it can be very beneficial when you go to sell your home for more than you would if you did not have a good looking lawn. In order to achieve this, here are some mistakes you want to avoid with your sod.
Not Choosing the Right Type of Sod
In order to ensure that your sod remains healthy, you want to make sure that you are choosing the right kind for your weather conditions. There are basically two categories for sod, warm weather grass and cold weather grass. For areas that have cold winters and hot summers, you want to lean towards bentgrass, bluegrass, or ryegrass for your lawn. For areas that stay warm all year long, you want to Centipede, Bermuda, or St. Augustine grass for your yard. If you end up choosing the wrong type of sod for your weather, you may see it die much quicker than expected.
Letting it Dry Out
Once the sod has been installed, the root system takes time before it becomes established. One quick way to kill off your sod is by letting it dry out. In order to keep it moist so the root system can grow into the soil is by watering it properly. Experts suggest watering it when the soil is dry up to 5 inches deep. By checking the soil often, you can determine when you need to water the sod again. Avoid over watering as this can kill the sod too. You do not want to water at night because there is a better chance that the water will pool up and not dry.
Not Preparing the Lawn
When the sod arrives, it should be laid immediately so it does not dry out. It is important that the landscaping be prepared ahead of time to ensure it is ready for the sod to be installed. This can be done by tilling the yard about 2 inches deep before laying the sod. This will help the new soil and the existing soil mix in together to help the root system get established properly. Click here for info.
Share12 July 2016
Hi! Thanks for stopping by my blog. My name is Courtney, and my passion combines art and plants. I have been a fiber artist for years, and recently, I moved to a farm. As I planted roots both literally and figuratively, I decided to revitalize farming from an aesthetic standpoint. In this blog, I am going to post entries of everything related to landscaping, planting, farming and the visual arts. Want to know how to make a field beautiful or how to inject classic edible plants into your landscaping design? If so, stick around. I hope to address all that here. Have a beautiful life!
