Lawns: What’s the value of laying sod verses dropping seed? This and so many other gardening and landscaping questions should be approached strictly from an economic standpoint. What is the cost over a 10 year period? To answer this question there is some information needed so an understanding of value is created.
Sod comes from sod farms. At these farms the soil that is seeded into is heavily fumigated creating a weed free environment to grow into. The greatest benefit to those using sod is the management associated with caring for sod. No weeds to worry about means greater lawn root systems not competing for nutrients. No weeds means less chemicals. I didn’t say no chemicals just less. Once sod becomes established with strong and deep root systems there is peace of mind that the soil the sod established in at the sod farm was good quality material. Now how does this compare to seeding your own soil?
When seeding for a new lawn there are a number of steps to take that will hopefully ensure the results you desire. The one thing you can’t guarantee as a business owner is to tell customers that there won’t be weeds. As the newly seeded area develops weeds will be managed over the next couple of years reducing the possibility of weeds. Unfortunately weeds are a battle that will always plague a lawn. It is this idea that puts sod as the only option for those who would like to have the greatest long term economic benefits. The amount of prep time, seed choices not to mention all the other materials needed to prepare soil for seeding can be time consuming and tedious. I have lay thousands of square feet of sod and seeded many different areas around Long Island to tell you definitively that the long term economics of laying sod outweigh the value of dropping and managing new seed in a residential or commercial environment.
I would go into the details of both but that information can be found all over the web. A simple google search can give you written instructions as well as video demonstrations. No matter what you decide the most important thing to understand is that sod gives you the greatest result, the fastest response with the least amount of long term management. Less management over time equates to less time and money being spent. Good luck and remember, you do get what you pay for demonstrated by the results of work performed. Until next time enjoy your self with the man made world surrounding you.