Laying Sod Checkerboard

Is Laying Sod in a Checkerboard Pattern a Good Idea?

Call 281-431-7441.  In this video, Houston Grass South Owner Michael Romine talks about what happens when some people might try to save money by laying sod checkerboard across their project area.  This leaves bare dirt in between the pieces of sod.

Here’s Michael’s video.

This is a summary of the video.

Laying Sod - Houston Grass South
Laying Sod – Houston Grass South

That’s also the problem, a lot of people want to try to checkerboard, they ask about checkerboarding the yard, to basically cut the amount of grass in half that you need to do it with.

It will do that; the grass will grow together over a several month period, especially during the growing season. In the meantime, a lot of weeds are going to come up in that area, as well. You are going to have to fight those weeds.

If you want a pure St. Augustine grass yard, it would be an uphill battle. You would probably not achieve that doing the checkerboard pattern.

We also had a question recently on our Facebook page about controlling weeds when sod pieces are laid with gaps — with the expectation that the sod will grow together.  As Michael says in the video, the St. Augustine grass will eventually become established and will eventually fill in the gaps.  But in the meantime, you’ll have given weeds a foothold in those gaps all over your lawn, and those weeds will make your yard look bad for months.  There’s no weed control product that you can buy in a retail store  that will knock back the weeds without harming the St. Augustine grass.

So the best strategy is to pay a little more to buy enough grass sod to completely cover your project area.  It may cost more, but you’ll save the time fighting weeds and your lawn will look great.

If you have questions about laying sod checkerboard or in any other creative way, please call Houston Grass South at 281-431-7441.  We’re located in Arcola, TX, just off Highway 6 on FM 521 and just a few miles east of Sienna Plantation.  You can pick up your grass sod at our office or we can deliver your sod to your project site.

 

 

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