Sod is preferable over seed at one mile high

Denver’s sand and clay soils make seeding a lawn difficult

Spring is the best time to install new sod, according to Tony Nickerson, owner of A Better Landscape and Sprinkler Company, in the business of landscape design, replacement, installation and maintenance plus sprinkler system installation and repair for residential, multi-unit and commercial properties. The use of sod is the most common way of establishing a new lawn in Colorado, in part because the dry climate makes it more difficult to get grass seed to take root and grow vs. regions of the country with more precipitation.

Installing new sod requires adequate soil preparation, insists Nickerson, who’s been in the landscaping business for decades. Different grasses are used in different applications, i.e. play fields vs. golf course greens. Besides the differences in hardiness and maintenance, different grasses require different levels of water after installation.

Most soils in the Denver metro area are either sandy or clay, according to Nickerson, and neither is especially good for growing grass. The area to be prepared for sod should first turned and weeded, eliminating all of the weeds below the surface. At least one to two inches of compost or other rich organic soil amendments should be spread on top of the area then rototilled in to a depth of about six inches. The area must then be raked level and smooth before the sod is laid. Failure to adequately prepare the soil means grass will likely not flourish.

Turf grass makes a good play area for children or pets because it withstands wear and tear. It can be integrated into a landscape with many other elements like a sandbox and shade trees. Turf grass can also provide cover for an expansive lawn at less cost than pure Kentucky bluegrass, the sort used on well-tended golf course greens. Some of the sod farms on the Front Range grow hybrid blends of grass that do especially well in Colorado conditions. Other varieties of grass that can provide interest to a landscape are blue grama and plume grasses that add dimension due to the variation in grass blade widths and hues when integrated into a well-designed landscape.

“It’s important to get your sod from a locally grown sod farm because it is already acclimated to Colorado weather conditions,” cautions Nickerson. Imported sod can be more fragile and less able to take root because of either coming from a region with higher precipitation and because of the time it takes to transport to this area.

Turf grasses typically green up in spring and stay green until November, making spring the best time to put down new sod. Once the sod has been laid, the next critical step is to water appropriately for the first two or three weeks. Local water rules (the metro area is largely served by the Denver Water Board and those surrounding communities with other water service tend to adhere to Denver’s watering perimeters) limit watering to hours before 10 a.m. and after 6 p.m. For the homeowner or commercial property owner with new sod in their life, that means early and late watering duty particularly morning and evening until the sod is well established.

Planting new sod in the spring allows the turf to put down roots and green up prior to the harsh heat of the Colorado summer setting in.

During the peak of hot summer weather, Nickerson promotes watering grass two to three times each week in order to remain green and healthy. After the beginning of September, watering schedules can be cut back to fewer days each week, similar to early spring watering schedules. By October, grass needs even less water as it prepares to go dormant for the winter.

Nickerson can be reached at A Better Landscape and Sprinkler Company at 720-314-5990 or info@abetterlandscapedenver.com