How to Prepare for Sod Installation

Measure the Area to Sod

Multiply the length times the width. This gives you your total square footage to order. Most yards have some irregular shapes, so you may need to add a little extra.

Soil Preparation

1. It’s very important to clear the site of everything.   Current grass, rocks, stones or other debris that is larger than 2-3 inches in diameter.
2. Rough grade the entire area to eliminate drainage problems by sloping the grade away from building foundations and filling low-lying areas.
3. Till the existing soil to a minimum depth of at least 2 inches before adding any topsoil or soil amendments.
4. Add topsoil, if necessary, to achieve a total topsoil depth of 4-6 inches.
5. Test the soil pH.
6. Apply “starter fertilizer” that is high in phosphate (P, or the middle number on a bag of fertilizer), at a rate recommended for the particular product. Typical starter fertilizer recommendations are (N-P-K) of 10-10-10 or 19-19-19.  Lightly incorporate this starter fertilizer into the top 2-3 inches of topsoil to avoid root injury.
7. Lightly tamp or roll the topsoil to settle the surface and create an ideal surface for installing the sod.