If you’re searching online for “sod installation near me,” it’s obvious you’re considering upgrading your lawn. This is the best choice for you if you want to have a quick, easy and affordable lawn without the hassle of learning everything from scratch. We all know how busy a person’s life can be and you might not always have the time and energy to take care of your own lawn. If you’re still not sold on hiring professionals for the job, here’s why you should leave your sod installation to the professionals.

Why You Should Let the Pros Install Your Sod:

• Weekends are meant for play and fun, not worrying about what to do about your lawn. Evergreen Turf will do the worrying for you and will be there to install the same day your sod is delivered
• Evergreen Turf is the best professional sod company in Arizona. We have a team of highly skilled craftsmen with years of experience in sod installations. You can rest easy knowing that your lawn will be taken care of by people who know what they are doing and produce the best lawn you and your family deserve.
• An added difficulty of installing a lawn yourself is when there are other elements on your property such as sprinkler heads, decorations, and walkways. Doing it yourself can be tiring without getting the result you want. Those other elements in your yard need expert precision and skill to cut around to avoid damage to the sod as well as minimize the scrap
• Installing sod is not as simple as just putting on the layer of sod and waiting. It takes skilled craftsmen to make sure that the sod is properly installed with no patches or spots that are less attractive. Evergreen Turf crews will roll the sod and ensure that there is good soil contact for the sod to take hold as well as apply the starter fertilizer to increase the chances of your sod successfully rooting quickly.
• With professionals, you get what you pay for. You won’t have to worry about Evergreen Turf’s crew, they do this every day. You can sit back and enjoy. Please note, we do not perform work outside the terms of the contract which includes prep work, sprinkler work or rototilling.

Types of Sod You Can Buy at Evergreen Turf:

Midiron

This is the grass of choice in Arizona. It is an attractive and low-maintenance lawn that is perfect for busy people who still want to have a beautiful lawn they can enjoy without too much hassle. The grass itself has a medium-coarse leaf texture with a refreshing blue-green color. It is an excellent plant that transitions well from winter over-seeding and recovers quickly from people stepping on it. It can be maintained with a reel mower or a sharp rotary mower. It has a mowing height of 3/4″ to 1 1/2″.

Keep in mind that Midiron has low shade tolerance, which means it is perfect for a lawn that is under the sun. Also, it is a much sturdier grass than others with moderate salinity tolerance and will always be suitable for Arizona weather with its good drought tolerance.

Tifway 419

• Tifway 419 is the lawn of choice for professional sports fields and golf courses. It is preferred to other Bermuda grass because of its ability to recover from damage from constant and heavy use. This variety has extraordinary durability and a beautiful dark green color and medium-fine texture. This grass is an excellent choice for lawns that will be seeing constant use. This variety can be cut using a sharp rotary motor or a reel motor for a manicured look.

It is the perfect lawn if it is constantly exposed to sunlight but will have difficulty if placed in a mostly shaded area. It is also moderately tolerant to salinity and will be able to grow even if the area it is placed in has salt and is an excellent variant for hot regions. It has a mowing height of 1/2” to 1 1/2″.

Tifgreen328

• This variety of grass has a bright green color and a very fine texture. Initially developed for use in golf courses, it is the perfect choice if you want a manicured appearance for your lawn. Its beauty is the primary reason why it is used in expensive golf courses and it is the perfect choice if you want the same quality lawn for your home. It can be mowed with a sharp rotary mower but you can find the best results when you use a reel mower.

This variety also has a fair damage recovery rating that is still hardy compared to other grasses with poor shade tolerance, which is perfect for a lawn that gets lots of sunlight. It has a moderate salinity tolerance which means it’s not as susceptible to moderate concentrations of salt in the soil. It has a fair drought tolerance which means that it needs a little bit more water than the varieties we have discussed so far.

TifGrand

• TifGrand Bermuda is a product of scientific development and boasts a 60% resistance to shade and requires only about 4-5 hours of direct sunlight. Although it requires a more difficult maintenance routine in full sun conditions, TifGrand is an excellent variety for a lawn, especially because it has a fine texture and a beautiful dark green color. It can be mowed using a reel or a shaft rotary mower at the height of 1/2” to 1 ½” height.

This variety has a fair damage recovery rating and a moderate salinity tolerance. It is also rated fair for drought tolerance. It is a less sturdy variety overall but it is tolerant to shade which means you don’t have to worry too much about this variety dying if they don’t get the right amount of sunlight which is important if you plan to have a lot of shade in your lawn.

Palmetto St. Augustine

• This variety is the best performer in shady conditions and is highly recommended by the Evergreen Turf crew. This variety is a semi-dwarf variety of St. Augustine grass and thrives in both sunlight, shade, and heat. It has a coarse texture with soft leaves that makes it comfortable to lie on if you just want to relax and on the grass.

It also has a bright green color, perfect for that pleasantly eye-catching shade of green people look for on a lawn. However, it requires a little bit more care since it should not be overseeded during the winter. If you want to mow this grass, it is recommended that you use a Reel or sharp rotary mower at a height of 1 1/2″ to 3” for best results.

TifTuf

• TifTuf is the best hybrid bermudagrass you will ever encounter regarding drought tolerance. This means that it can go longer without being watered. It is developed by the University of Georgia Research Program and is among the best strains they were able to produce. It has fine texture with a dark green color and can survive with 30% less water than the best hybrid Bermuda grass currently in the market today. It has a similar look to Tifway but is a sturdier variety and improved color during the winter. It also has the added benefit of being able to green up quicker when spring comes than other strains of grass.

For best results, you should mow this grass with a reel mower or a sharp rotary mower at a height of 1/2″ to 1 1/2″. It has a good salinity tolerance and fair shade tolerance with high damage recovery.

No need to search any further for sod installation near you. Contact Evergreen Turf today and get back to enjoying your weekend while we take care of all the hard work. The lawn of your dreams is just one call away!

If your yard needs renewing, you can install new sod, but not before removing the old grass. Installing new sod grass is the quickest way to transform your patchy yard into a green and luxurious lawn. However, you still need careful planning, preparation, and installation when laying new sod for effective results.

If you’re ready to upgrade your lawn, this article focuses on the steps to follow when getting rid of old grass for new sod.

Steps to Follow When Removing Old Grass for New Sod

Step 1: Gather Tools Needed

You’ll need the following tools:

• Sod
• Carpet knife
• Organic matter/ grass fertilizer
• Lawn roller
• Tape measure
• Rototiller
• Lawn edger
• Spading fork
• Soil Rake
• Lawn sprinkler

Step 2: Prepare Your Lawn

The first step is to mark the area where you will be laying the new sod. After marking, water the area 24-48 hours before the removal process to soften the soil.

Lastly, decide which method of grass removal you will use.

Step 3: Remove the Old Grass

If your lawn is extremely small, a grape hoe will do the trick. For larger lawns, sod/turf cutters are more efficient.

When you buy or rent a sod cutter from your local hardware store, all you have to do is adjust the blade to the appropriate height to clear the existing grass.

Step 4: Till the Soil

When tilling the soil, you’ll need a rototiller. Like the sod cutter, you can buy or rent a rototiller that penetrates your lawn down to a 6-inch (15cm) depth. Tilling helps to break up compacted soil allowing easy rooting of new sod.

In addition, tilling provides an opportunity for you to insert compost into your lawn which increases the quality of your topsoil by adding nutrients.

Note: Tilling increases the chances of weed sprouting. You can avoid this by:

• Solarization: Kills weeds by overheating them under a thick blanket of clear plastic paper. For effective results, the solarization process requires two months before starting your tilling process.
• Herbicides: Spray herbicides on your old grass or turf for approximately four weeks before tilling.

Step 4: Adjust the Soil Height and Slope

Now that you’ve tilled your lawn, it’s time to level the soil using a lawn roller.  When leveling, ensure that the soil is 1-1.5 inches lower than the pavements to prevent flooding. It’s okay to add or reduce the soil until you achieve an even height.

Now that you’ve leveled the lawn, you’ll want to focus on the slope. The slope of your lawn is important to ensure smooth drainage. Measure your lawn slopes 2-2.5 inches descending in the first five feet from pavements and building foundations.

Step 5: Spread the Lawn Starter Fertilizer

Keep in mind that sod needs nutrients and minerals to grow. Add essential nutrients by using a lawn starter fertilizer on your tilled and leveled soil before installing your sod.

Lawn starter fertilizers are rich in phosphorus nutrients which promote quick growth and rooting of the grassroots.

Note: Do not use fertilizers designed for mature grass because they lack phosphorus nutrients.

Step 6: Order Your New Sod

Before ordering your sod, measure the square footage of your lawn using a tape measure and calculate the amount of turf needed. Please see our page on how to measure for more information: https://www.evergreenturf.com/lawn-selector/how-to-measure.php

It’s recommended that you increase your sod order by 5-10% to account for trimmed or gap-free edges. So for example if you need 1500 square feet, your order should be between 1575 and 1650 square feet.

Step 7: Install Your New Sod

If you have a large lawn, you may want to pay for professional install, or at the very least, seek extra help from your family or friends. When installing your sod, arrange the square yard pieces in a brick-like pattern. The brick-laying pattern enables the seams to offset and establish perfectly and prevents the sod from dislocating or slipping.

As you install your sod, use a sod knife to shape the curves and edges of your yard to ensure a gap-free lawn. Use your lawn roller to press your sod in place for the finishing step and ensure complete sod-to-soil contact.

Step 8: Water Your Sod

After successful installation, water your sod for 10 minutes with a sprinkler. Repeat this step two times a day for two weeks before gradually reducing to once per day then two times a week.

Note: If you deprive your new sod of water, you will likely experience your grass drying out.

In Conclusion

When looking for the best way to revive your yard’s landscape, sod is the best option. Install your sod the right way and get a dense, green, and strongly rooted lawn that is appealing and weed-free.

Now that you understand how to get rid of old grass for newly sodded grass, it’s transformation time!