Planting a new lawn and establishing turfgrass begins with understanding your region's climatic conditions. The United States has five climatic zones: Cool and Humid, Cool and Arid, Warm and Arid, Warm and Humid, and a Transitional zone. All turfgrass types have the ability to grow in any zone for a portion of the year. Finding the most appropriate turfgrass type for your location will provide you with the best chances for a lush, green lawn. Once you have determined your climatic zone, the question now becomes seed vs. sod.
Sod is a turfgrass that has been established by a sod farm. Purchased locally, types of sod may include rolls or plugs. Rolls of sod are purchased and delivered to your property on pallets. The rolls of sod are then laid over the soil, with strips tucked together and then rolled flat with a weighted roller. Plugs of sod are common with warm-season grasses. They are purchased by the bushel or torn from strips of sod. Plugs are planted in the soil in rows apart from one another, and over time they grow and fill in the barren areas.
The sun is shining, the grass is growing, and we're ready to go outside and invest a few weekend hours in making our lawns more beautiful. However, conventional wisdom about spring lawn care may not tell the whole story. In fact, the pervasive notion that spring is the ideal season to begin lawn maintenance may have more to do with our own mood than it does with the growing cycle. So, what practical steps can we take right now, while we’re feeling inspired, to improve our lawn’s appearance?
