When it comes to deciding how to get the perfect lawn, you’ve got two main choices; choosing between sod and seed.
When faced with the eyesore of raw soil on your property, there’s usually one thing on everyone’s mind: how to get the lawn you’ve always wanted just right. If you have done any kind of search online, you’ll quickly find two competing ideas: sod and seed.
These two methods are both ways of getting that green expanse you’re looking for, but there are some key differences in the way they work that are worth considering. We’ll go through those differences here, and tell you why we believe sod is the best way to get that perfectly manicured lawn.
Instant Results
Sod is known as having the “instant lawn” effect. Once the sod is delivered, you place it down immediately and as soon as you do, there’s a lawn in your front yard!
This is obviously vastly different to seed, which can take up to a year to mature to the fully grown lawn from first seeding. This growth period is affected by the time of year you plant the seed, too. Sod can be laid at any point of the growing season, except for in very high heat.
As well as having very specific seeding windows, seed requires that you choose from the vast variety of types of seeds out there to get the best mix for your area or soil type. This delays the start of your lawn even further.
Whereas sod is often grown locally by professionals who know what they’re doing, with seed you’re expected to understand how a particular seed fares in your climate, area, and soil type. This time investment comes before you can get your yard ready to seed.
Fast Establishment
When handled and installed by the professionals, new sod generally only takes two or three weeks to be what we call established in the soil. It doesn’t take long for the roots of the sod to embed themselves in the yard’s soil.
Germination differs between grasses of different types, but seeded lawns can take anywhere from 10 to 12 weeks to be established.
Walking on or disturbing a lawn before it’s established can ruin your hard work. If you want to use your lawn at all, or if you’re worried about neighbourhood animals, laying seed can be a risky prospect.
Alongside your quickly rooting sod, your professionally grown lawn will be largely devoid of weeds. Seeding your lawn will require constant maintenance during the long growing time to ensure that weeds don’t also establish themselves amongst your grass.
Immediate Lawn and Soil Control
Laying sod grants us immediate control over the erosion of soil in our yards, because the grass is already grown and provides a protective layer on top of the soil. This prevents wind and rain from picking up soil and dust and carrying it around.
With seeding, ther
e’s a chance that a heavy rain can wash away the seeds and soil, or even pool them together in clumps, which ruins your efforts to get that perfect lawn.
Even better, laying sod will be possible in what would be complicated or difficult growing areas. Seed can often be picky about what conditions it needs to grow evenly, or at all, and so those difficult areas are better suited to pre-grown sod.
Getting the Perfect Lawn with Sod
There are a lot of things to love about sod, from the instant lawn effect, to the lack of intense maintenance it requires, and there’s no denying that if you’re looking for a professional looking lawn, sod is the easiest way to get one.
