Quick Tips

New lawn, start to finish

1. How To Prepare For Your New Lawn: Soil prep is the most important step before laying sod. Proper prep can mean a lawn that uses 20-40% less water. The 5 steps CalTurf recommends.
2. How Much Sod Do I Need?: Measure your yard, divide the square footage by 8 (each CalTurf roll is 2 ft x 4 ft) and add 10%. Free sod calculator and area formulas for any yard shape.
3. How To Lay Sod - DIY Tips: Laying sod is an easy DIY job if the soil is prepped. Water 2 days before, start on the longest straight edge, stagger seams like brickwork, and pat out air pockets.
4. Watering Tips After Installation: Water new sod every day (ideally mornings) for the first 10-14 days so it never dries out, then every other day, then 1-2 times a week. First mow at about 3 inches.
5. The Benefits Of Sod: Sod costs more than seed up front, but it is usable in under 3 weeks, arrives mature and weed-free, needs less water than seed and stops erosion from day one.
6. Keeping A Healthy Lawn: 6 lawn care tips from CalTurf: water deeply but rarely, mow above 3 inches, switch mowing direction, use a 3:1:2 fertilizer, fertilize in fall, aerate yearly.
7. How To Remove An Old Lawn Before Laying Sod: Take the old lawn out, roots and all, before laying sod. Compare a sod cutter, herbicide, smothering and hand digging, and how to handle Bermuda grass.
8. Preparing Clay Soil For Sod In The Sacramento Valley: Clay soil needs loosening, compost and good grading before sod. How to spot heavy clay, when to work it, and how to water new sod on clay soil.
9. How Long Can Sod Sit Before You Install It?: Install sod the same day it is cut. Why sod cannot sit on the pallet, how heat shortens the window, and what to do if you cannot lay it all in one day.
10. Why Is My New Sod Turning Yellow or Brown?: New sod turning yellow or brown? Find the cause fast: dry seams, soggy soil, heat stress, fertilizer burn or sprinkler gaps, and how to fix each one.
11. How Long Does It Take New Sod to Root?: New sod puts down short roots in about two weeks and deeper roots over the next several weeks. Learn the tug test and how to water while it roots.
12. Fertilizing New Sod: The First 60 Days: When to fertilize new sod, what kind to use and what to avoid in the first 60 days, from starter fertilizer at prep to monthly feeding after rooting.
13. Where Can You Buy Fresh Sod in Sacramento?: Buying sod in Sacramento? CalTurf grows and cuts sod fresh to order at our Davis farm, with pickup or delivery across Sacramento, Yolo and Solano counties.
14. Fescue vs. Bermuda vs. St. Augustine: Which Sod Is Best for Sacramento?: Fescue, Bermuda or St. Augustine? How each grass handles Sacramento Valley heat, winter, shade and kids, and why CalTurf grows a fescue and bluegrass blend.
15. Sod vs. Seed for a Sacramento Lawn: Sod or seed for a new Sacramento lawn? Compare how long each takes, weeds, watering, erosion and timing so you can choose the right start for your yard.
16. Best Sod for Shade, Dogs and High-Traffic Yards: Need sod that handles shade, dogs and kids? What to look for in a tough lawn, how fescue compares, and simple care tips for busy Sacramento area yards.

Still have a question? See the sod FAQ or call us at (530) 364-5155.