Our sod loves to be fed. Soil conditions can vary literally from subdivision to subdivision. A simple way to determine richness of soil is to observe the darkness of color. The darker the better.

If you have lighter, sandier, or rockier soils we’d go with a well rounded (low numbers like 12-12-12) starter fertilizer applied liberally. This ensures your basic nutrient needs get covered.

If you have nice black or dark soil you may opt to use a nitrogen focused fertilizer such as 28-0-03

Hungry sod is going to start getting much lighter green in color, almost more of a lime green color or streaky areas. Our sod has a very dark green/blue when it’s very happy!

Grubs are the larvae stage of many common beetles in central Illinois. The way they cause the most impact is by eating the roots of your lawn and thus making the roots (shallow and short now not deep) susceptible to drought and the extreme heat of the summer. We recommend treating twice, Mid May and again 6 weeks later should protect your yard well.

Right about the time you end your initial watering period, your new sod will be ready for a cut. Mow it at the highest setting for the first 5 weeks and then you can gradually work your way down to desired height. Be sure to avoid leaving large clumps of clippings in the yard, these spots will die off. If your yard ever does have large piles of clippings you can simply mow again two days later to further break up the piles and disperse them. And repeat this process until your clippings are no longer a problem.

Our sod is a 3 way blend of Hybrid Kentucky Bluegrass. We use a premium seed that exceeds what you can buy at your typical store.

Well it depends, if you have newly laid sod, you most likely aren’t watering enough. Brown areas occur when the sod is stressed from heat and lack of water. Increase water/fix sprinkler misses and with a little time the areas will come out of it.

If your yard is established, brown grass is simply a defense mechanism against the freezing temperatures in winter and the scalding heat of the summer. We call this going dormant. Once the conditions become more temperate, the blades will spring back to life!

After 6 weeks of watering you have a rooted in yard! You’ll want to mow consistently (we prefer a little taller yard) and fertilize regularly to keep your yard healthy and beautiful. This will prevent major weed problems down the road.

You’ll want to water about once a week in the heat of the summer in the morning for an extended period of time. The idea is to drive the roots down deep. Short frequent watering is a recipe for disaster. Deep roots get through droughts and grub problems that otherwise might cause dead spots.

This can certainly make things easier on the install side and certainly will have the absolute best results. But it is very common to sod the front and sides and seed the backyards.

If your job is particularly large, you could even phase out the yard over several seasons or years. if you broke the full yard up into 3 years you’re likely going to still be far ahead of where simply seeding one time would get you after three years of headache.

We can finish grade and sod whatever you need! We even will finish grade and seed your backyard as well!