To sod or not to sod?

Q: We want to plant a smallish space — 20’ x 30’ — in grass for the cooling effect. Would now be the time to lay sod in a space like that? K.G., Albuquerque

A: This time of year is nearly the most perfect time to lay down a lawn from sod. Seeding will be fairly successful too, but you’ll want to be able to offer sprinklings of water if it does get hot and dry again during that type of project. I’m confident that you’ve been turning the soil in the area where you plan to lay the sod. You’ve added quite a bit of soil amendment to the space too. You’ve been on guard, watching and plucking any weeds that have popped up because you’ve disturbed the soil and you’ve thought out and planned on how you’re going to water the turf. So, let’s go!

The laying of sod is a project that needs to be done all at once. No piecemeal, wait a few days for this work.

Just before you are going to lay the sod you’ll want to rake the space with a stiff tined rake. The soil shouldn’t look like a sheet of glass. The roots of the sod need to have ease of access to the soil that it’s aiming to grab onto so that’s why you want to have the soil roughed up. Not deep scars showing on the soil, just not truly smooth.

Just as you get ready to lay a piece of sod, dampen the soil bed. That will keep the root of the sod piece healthier in the long run.

Once you get all of the sod laid, you’ll want to either walk over the whole area, using very small steps to cement the sod to the soil beneath it. You might still be able to find a sod roller if you can. This is a tool — a large drum that gets filled with water that is attached to a frame looking rather like an old-fashioned push lawn mower. You fill the drum and push it over the sodded area to again, cement or push the sod down so it’s in perfect contact with the soil bed. Do whatever you need to do to get the sod firmly in contact with the soil beneath it.

Next, offer the area a good watering. The water will help the sod contact with the soil bed, encouraging the roots to grab hold.

Then consider an application of fertilizer — new lawn starter — which should be high in its phosphorus content to help the existing roots feed and create new healthy roots that spread into the prepared soil.

You’ll want to water twice a day, maybe three times so that the sod doesn’t stress in the least. In a week to ten days you can walk out, and gingerly, grab an edge to see if there is a certain amount of resistance going on. If you feel that tug that means all is growing as it should, the roots have and are grabbing the soil bed and the grass itself looks green.

Keep up with the watering for as long as the weather and you feel it’s necessary and all should be okay.

A month to six weeks after the first application of the new lawn starter fertilizer, I’d offer another dose to continue offering the newly laid sod the nutrition it needs to continue creating that healthy root mass it’s aiming for. Please, don’t apply a normal lawn food since it would probably have too high a nitrogen content and you’re not encouraging green growth now, you’re encouraging root development.

Then too, don’t forget to water the area during the winter months too. In these parts there is usually a certain amount of root growth going on, but without water that process could be stunted.

It’s some heavy lifting initially to set down a sod lawn, but getting the cooling effect near the patio you’re looking for, well, it’ll be well worth it. Happy Diggin’ In!

Tracey Fitzgibbon is a certified nurseryman. Send garden-related questions to Digging In, Albuquerque Journal, 7777 Jefferson St. NE, Albuquerque, N.M. 87109, or to features@abqjournal.com.