Spring is optimum time to sod

Second best time of year to sod is late summer after the chance for a hot spell has passed

DENVER, CO - Spring is the time to plant sod and April is ideal. According to Tony Nickerson, owner of A Better Landscape and Sprinkler Company in Denver, Colorado, he uses Colorado-grown sod that is specially developed to withstand the extreme conditions of hot and cold in the high plains climate that is literally one mile high or 5280 feet above sea level.

Nickerson has been in the landscaping business for decades and his company’s services include residential, multi-unit and commercial property landscape design and installation along with sprinkler system installation and repair plus seasonal and weekly maintenance of landscaping and gardens.

Whether replacing dead grass with squares of new sod or covering a whole lawn with brand new sod, watering is critical to the outcome of newly laid sod.

“After sod has been planted, it must be watered twice a day, every day for a minimum of two to three weeks,” says Nickerson who recommends sod over seed in this climate. “Freshly laid sod can tolerate some traffic during the first weeks following installation, but the watering schedule cannot vary. “New sod must be watered twice daily without exception.”

Installation of the sod in April is optimum, says Nickerson, because the early spring planting gives the sod time to take root and to recover from the bruising process of being cut into strips at the farm, rolled and then transported by truck, sometimes twice, to it’s location before being slung onto the ground in straight rows.

“That’s a lot of shaking for any plant, even sod,” says Nickerson of the sod chain from seed to mowing.

The second best recommended time to lay sod is the last summer or early fall when the normal mid-summer heat has subsided. Fall installation still requires the frequent watering—morning and evening daily—however. The risk of having some strips of sod fail during the winter is increased when the sod is laid in fall vs. spring simply because the growing process has slowed and plants, including grasses, go dormant for the winter.

To schedule new sod or lawn repairs, contact A Better Landscape and Sprinkler Company. Nickerson can be reached at A Better Landscape and Sprinkler Company at 720-314-5990 or info@abetterlandscapedenver.com