The biggest question facing the gardener contemplating a new lawn is whether to seed or sod. In our last garden we hail three small lawns, two of which were laid as sod and one sown. You really couldn’t tell the difference between them, so the outcome can be the same and as good either way.
Sowing grass seed to make a lawn is cheaper than buying in sod. There is also something rather magical about carrying that box or packet of seed into your garden and creating an entire lawn out of it. By contrast, the volume of sod bought in for a similar area is huge. There is also a lot more choice when you go to buy lawn grass seed. You know exactly which grass species are in the box, and in what proportions. The disadvantage of seed is the anxious wait for it to germinate and the fact that you’re at the mercy of the weather. Too much rain can wash the seed around, whereas too little sometimes forces you to water. On some soils, watering can make a “cap” or crust over the soil, which the grass shoots then have difficulty penetrating. While seedling grasses are thickening up, weeds can encroach into the embryo lawn and these need to be removed so they don’t compete with the grass at this crucial stage.
The main advantage of laying sod is the startlingly instant effect it creates. At the beginning of the day there is bare, brown earth and by the end of it, you have a green lawn. All the gaps are filled and there is no room for weeds to conic creeping in. Buying sod, though, can often be a bit of a lottery. It’s a good idea to see what you’ll be getting, but more often than not, you order the sod and hope for the best. Most of the time it will be good, but I remember receiving one had lot and having to insist that it was replaced. You should expect a good, uniform distribution of grasses with no or very few weeds. ‘The grasses should be short and the color rich and not yellowing. Expect the sod to be of reasonably even thickness and the grasses well rooted into good soil. The sods should hold together well and be easy to handle without tearing and falling apart.
Before ordering the sod, you need to be organized and have the site ready. Unlike a box of grass seed, sod will not store and should be laid as soon as it arrives. Each hour that it is stacked will see it deteriorate.
