Growing up in a house with a nice yard, I appreciate any homeowner that can maintain a plush green lawn. My dad took care of most of the lawn work like over seeding, buying soil and watering the lawn with a sprinkler. As I got older, I helped with the lawn mowing and other aspects of lawn care.
If you have a lawn that needs some work, you might be better off starting from scratch and building your lawn up from just soil. But what if you have existing grass and want to resod? Homeowners often wonder if it’s easier to buy sod and roll it over top of your existing lawn.
You can’t roll sod over existing grass because the roots of the sod need to be in direct contact with the bare soil. When sodding your yard, existing lawn should be removed and fresh soil laid down before new sod is installed on top. Sod should then be well watered so it can take root and grow.
Perhaps you’re in a brand new home (I’ve experienced that) and are already starting from scratch. We’ll talk about that too so we’ll cover all the bases.
Can You Lay Sod Over Existing Grass?
No, fresh sod can’t be laid over existing grass as it will likely die as it cannot take root. Fresh sod needs to be installed over top of freshly tilled earth or at least a layer of soil that the sod can attach to.
One of the reasons why lawns often get patchy and thin is lack of root growth because the ground is compacted and hard. Even when you water the lawn frequently, if the ground is hard you will experience more run off and wasted water as it can’t penetrate deep into the ground.
Let’s go over the steps to lay sod to ensure it has the best chance to thrive once it take root.
Choose your ideal sod
The first thing you need to do is select your sod. Pick a grass that suits your home climate and goals. Some grass types require more sunlight than others and some grass requires more water and maintenance, too. Figure out how much time and effort you plan on putting into it. By choosing your sod type first you can do your budget to see how much it will cost as some grass types cost more than others.
Several popular low maintenance grasses that require less work than others include Bermudagrass, Zoysia grass, Fescuegrass, Buffalograss, St Augustine grass and Bahiagrass.
A traditional Kentucky bluegrass or fescue is a good choice for cold environments due to their hardiness whereas hot and humid climates are good for Bermuda or Carpetgrass.
Steps required to sod a lawn
Now that you’ve chosen your sod you can start to prepare the yard to lay it down. Here are the steps:
Test your soil
You can buy a soil tester for less than $12 online that sticks into the ground to give an instant soil reading. Some 3 in 1 testers will measure pH, soil moisture and sunlight level. You can also use these testers in the garden for plants so it’s not necessarily something you buy and then only use one time.
For sod and grass in general, aim for a pH between 6.5 and 7.0 which indicates a neutral pH. Sod needs a moist environment and needs to be watered afterwards so you should start with soil that isn’t dry.
Measure the area
Determine the amount of sod you are going to need. You can access an online tool such as this one
to figure it out. Also ask your chosen sod supplier for help when figuring out how much excess to order just in case you need a bit more to finish the job to account for waste.
Till organic matter
Remove grass or other matter like weeds that remain in the area you are about to sod. As mentioned above you want to clear the area completely of anything growing so that the sod is laid directly on the bare soil.
Using a tiller to rip up remaining grass and aerate the ground is a good option, too. If you don’t need one or aren’t willing to go to that extent, you can manually rake and remove grass yourself by hand.
You might consider also consider use of a weed killer 2 weeks before sodding if you have that much lead time.
Level the soil
Continuing the soil preparation process, level the soil with a rake to get a nice smooth straight surface. Remove any noticeable weeds or debris that remains.
If required you can add new high quality top soil, peat moss or compost to even out areas that are out of line and to add organic matter to the ground that will assist the sod to take root and grow once laid.
If your soil is hard or you have clay as I’ve experienced, adding a layer of fresh topsoil will help the sod take hold in the soil. When you start with a hard clay yard which is a common problem, you’re not off to a good start. Using a tiller to loosen up the ground and then add fresh soil on top might be your only way to ensure you aren’t wasting time and money on sod that simply can’t establish roots.
Water the soil
If the soil is somewhat dry, water it to moisture the area and further flatten it out. Watering the soil helps to further prepare the soil so that is loose enough for the gentle roots of the sod to take hold and enable the sod to grow into your lawn.
4″ – 6″ of top soil is an ideal minimum for sod to work with so once you have this amount, you’re ready for the next step.
Lay the sod
When getting sod delivered, try to get it as close to where you’ll be working as possible. Typically this will mean your driveway or otherwise near the yard for most people.
Laying sod (or rolling it depending on how it is delivered) means just that: Laying and rolling it out on the soil so that each strip is tightly up against the next row but not overlapping.
Lay the sod in rows
Sod is laid in rows and should be snug against the piece next to it as mentioned above.
You will likely have to custom cut some pieces of sod to fit edges and odd-shaped areas. You may use an X-ACTO knife or other cutting tool. You can then use the scraps of sod to fill in other areas.
Avoid using small scraps of cut sod on edges of the lawn as they can die. Better to incorporate them into the middle of a lawn so that the piece is covered on all sides by other grass to help it take hold.
Fill the seams
If there are small gaps between sod, fill it in with topsoil. If the gaps are noticeable, chances are the sod will fill them in. If not, you can always sprinkle some grass seed at some point to fill in the areas and thicken up the lawn.
Use a lawn roller
A lawn roller looks like a mini steam roller that is filled with something heavy like sand or water. You roll it over your lawn when the sod has been laid. It helps to flatten out pockets of soil and also flattens the sod and ground so that it’s even.
Since you probably don’t have a lawn roller lying around the house, you’ll likely need to rent one from a hardware store or outdoor center.
Having said that, if you’ve followed the above steps and are happy with the look and shape of the sod as laid, you might be able to skip the step of rolling your lawn. It’s usually recommended not to roll a lawn too frequently because it can compact the soil making it harder for the sod’s roots to attach and for the grass to grow.
Mow the lawn
Wait until at least 14 days after laying sod before mowing it. Sod typically needs around that long to catch root. Adjust the lawn mower to a higher setting to avoid cutting too low and ripping or otherwise damaging the new sod.
How to lay sod (video)
You can view the short video below to show you each step visually and decide if laying sod is something you can do yourself.
How much does it cost to sod a lawn?
| Item | Cost |
| Sod self-installed | $0.30 – $0.62 per square foot |
| Sod installed by a pro | $1 – $2 per square foot |
| Soil | $35 – $180 per cubic yard or $2 – $5 per 40 lb bag |
| Soil test kit | $10 – $15 |
| Rototiller | $80 per day |
| Rake | $30 |
| Cutting knife or tool | $20 |
| Lawn roller | $50 |
Repair your lawn or sod it?
At what point does an existing lawn need complete replacement? Laying sod can be something that is done completely or can be done in parts, when you just need to repair certain areas.
In the case or repair work, it’s likely something you can more cost effectively do yourself since you’re just replacing small parts of the lawn and can do the work on your own. Its likely that small patch work wouldn’t be cost effective to bring a pro in for.
Depending on the specifics and how much of your yard needs to be repaired, you may opt to use grass seed instead of sod. Grass seed is much cheaper but will take longer to germinate. Having said that, if you have time and are on a budget, it can work just as well as sod.
Is it better to sod or seed your yard?
Sodding your lawn takes more work if you do it yourself and is the second most expensive option. The most expensive option is paying someone else to do the sodding for you.
Seeding your yard with grass seed is the cheapest method and you can do it yourself but then must wait for the seed to grow into your lawn.
So it’s a trade off between cost and time. The quicker but more expensive way to get a nice lawn is with sod either done yourself or by a pro. The slower but cheaper – and perhaps more gratifying way if you are into that sort of thing – is with grass seed that you can do yourself.
If you have a bit of a green thumb, there is something to be said for using grass seed to build your lawn yourself with some time, effort and watering.
How long does grass seed take to grow?
7 – 30 days is the rule of thumb for grass seed to begin to germinate but local weather conditions and your ability to properly water it account for a significant degree of this success.
6- 8 weeks for a fully grown lawn from grass seed is realistically achievable.
New grass seed should be watered frequently enough to prevent it from drying out. Birds also like to eat grass seed so the quicker it grows and the more it gets hidden in the wet soil the less likely it’ll end up as bird seed.
I saw a neighbor start their lawn from scratch with grass seed after their (admittedly small) backyard was dug up for landscaping. They put down a few bags of soil, spread the grass seed, and had a pretty decent lawn in about 2 months after alternating days of sun and rain for weeks on end which certainly helped.
Two years later their lawn is thick and full with little no weeds.
Interestingly, the park area next to our homes was a vacant lot for years before being built several years ago into a park with grass and playground. The city brought in over 30 dump trucks full of soil (I work from home and counted them), spread the soil out evenly and hand laid grass seed.
Several years later with no follow up other than lawn mowing, the park area grass is patchy and sparse.
So while our neighbor’s lawn is watered and cared for with fertilizing, the park area is largely left on its own and the results show.
Aerating your lawn for lusher and greener grass
Aerating the lawn refers to using a device like a gas-powered aerator to puncture the lawn and pull small plugs of grass and soil from the ground for the purpose of loosening compacted soil and allowing oxygen and water to better penetrate the lawn.
Over time with walking on the grass, playing on it and other activities, the soil of a lawn can get compacted and very hard. More so if your backyard has a high clay content which they often do.
Just like when you were required to loosen up soil and ground before sodding as mentioned above, over time the ground can become compacted and hard. This limits grass root growth which might be why you had grass trouble to begin with.
While aerating your lawn is something to consider doing once per year, don’t aerate it until 6 – 12 months after sodding. Not only does your lawn likely not need it at this early stage, you don’t want to damage the still developing sod.
How can you tell if your lawn needs aerating?
Pull a small section of the grass down around 6″ deep. Feel to see if the soil and ground is compacted and check how deep the root system is. If it’s only 1″ – 2″ in depth, it’s likely you have compacted soil and could use aeration.
If you live in an older house, have never aerated and notice hard packed soil, these are also great reasons to aerate.
When the roots of the grass are unable to penetrate the soil:
- Your lawn won’t be able to develop as full, thick and green as it otherwise could.
- The roots of the grass are impaired from growing.
- Less water, oxygen and nutrients is absorbed by the roots since they can’t penetrate deeply into the ground.
- Your grass makes less efficient use of rain water, leading to more run off and requiring you to water your lawn more frequently.
When and how to aerate your lawn
Lawn aeration is best done during the grass growing season which is why you may see people going door to door in the spring with an aerator machine offering to aerate your lawn for cash.
Here are the options you may consider:
Gas-powered lawn aerator
These are also known as core aerators and are the ones that you can rent from a hardware store. People go door to door using this style of aerator offering to do your lawn for a fee. The plugs that are removed are typically 0.5″ – 0.75″ in diameter and from 1″ – 6″ deep depending on how you set the machine. The plugs are spaced about 2″ – 6″ apart and look like the core of an apple, hence the name.
A professional machine like this can be adjusted as desired and quickly and effectively aerates the lawn. It is clutch-driven and digs into even dry compacted lawns to remove plugs of soil and grass which then turn into composts of sorts as they disintegrate and are returned to the earth. This is the quickest and most effective way to aerate a lawn.
You can rent a core aerator for about $90 for a day from Home Depot or Lowers or other tool store. Depending on your lawn size you may only need it for an hour so you could split the cost with several neighbors.
Manual aerator tools
You can buy handheld pitchfork-type instruments and other devices that you manually push into the ground to create drainage holes basically for aeration purposes.
While possibly useful for very small lawns it’ll be time-consuming to use on a larger lawn and given that it only pokes holes in the lawn, it’s suitability and usefulness is questionable. If you have a small area that isn’t worth the bother of a gas aerator this sort of tool might be worth your while.
Aerator spike shoes
Yes, they exist. These are strap on shoes that have sharp metal spikes on the soles. You strap the aeration spike shoes over top of your own shoes or boots and then walk around your lawn and aerate it manually. Having used these shoes on one occasion when I borrowed a pair from my neighbor, I can’t say if there was a benefit of not. We had a small yard at the time so I was happy to give it a try.
The shoes merely punch small nail-sized holes in your lawn about 2″ deep. Unlike the aeration machine no plugs are removed from the lawn and it’s likely the small nail-like spikes produce holes that will quickly repair themselves and cover themselves up again.
I wouldn’t bother buying a product like this unless your grass area is very small. The shoes are hard to walk on when they spike into the ground. The spikes would get stuck in the grass and the shoes would get yanked out of the straps. The spikes also don’t produce holes that are big enough to make a difference and aren’t suitable for large lawns anyways.
Within a week of using the shoes, most of the holes I made seemed to have disappeared. Even still, the spikes are only about 2″ long.
Bottom line: Aerating your lawn once a year by renting a gas aerator with your neighbors or paying someone to do it will help to loosen the ground to provide long term benefits for your grass.
Summary
- Check the description and video above for the complete steps to sod a lawn.
- Sodding done by a pro is the most expensive grass option. Self sodding is the next most expensive. Manually using grass seed on bare soil is the cheapest way to grow grass.
- Lawn aeration done once per year helps to establish better root growth for a thicker fuller lawn.
- Don’t water lawn in the late evenings as wet, damp grass left overnight can lead to fungus and disease. Best to water it in the morning before the sun comes up if possible.