Installing sod is considered one of the best alternatives to laying seeds. It’s a faster and easier process compared to seeding your lawn. It also eliminates the guessing game of whether or not your seeds will germinate.
But even though the entire process is relatively easier, there are still a few challenges that some people may have to go through. One of those challenges is getting the sod to grow together.
When you first get your sod, you’ll get them broken down into pieces or slabs. Laying sods on your ground is much like laying tiles on the floor. You start from one corner, and then you work your way across until you reach the other side.
But unlike tiles, you don’t want any gaps in between your sods when you’re done. Getting them to grow together and make it look like one big lawn instead of sectioned-off pieces can be tricky.
Will Sod Grow Together?
Despite all of these challenges, sod will and can grow together. It’s just a matter of time and the right amount of care.
In about 2 weeks, you’ll start to see the edges of your sods melding and growing into each other. At around 6 weeks, it should be pretty much impossible to tell where one sod starts and the other one ends.
Here are a few tips to get your sod to grow together:
Water Deeply
Watering your newly installed sod is probably one of the most important factors in getting your sod to grow together. Watering is one of the primary needs of your sods to establish roots and start growing. But it’s not enough that you just water them every day.
Deep watering encourages the roots of your sod to grow deeper into the ground, which will help anchor your sod and make it less likely for them to lift during dry spells. It also helps prevent diseases and pests that may attack your sod.
You can use a garden hose to water your sod, or you can opt for an automatic sprinkler system.
Fill in the Gaps
Lay sods in a way that would fill in all the gaps as much as possible. Think of it as a giant checkerboard, and you want all the pieces to fit snugly together.
You can also use a sharp knife or utility knife to cut off any excess sod that’s sticking out and not laying flat on the ground. At the same time, if there are gaps in between your sods, you can use the same knife to cut off a piece of sod to fill in that gap.
Doing this will help your sod lay flat on the ground and touch as many other pieces of sod as possible. The more contact points there are, the higher the chance for them to grow together.
Leave the Mushrooms Alone
One way or another, mushrooms may start appearing on your lawn. They usually pop up after a few days or weeks of installing your sod.
While it may be tempting to get rid of them, mushrooms are actually beneficial for your lawn. They help aerate the soil and release nutrients that will help your sod grow together faster.
So unless the mushrooms start crowding out your sods, leave them be.
Fertilize
A well-balanced organic fertilizer will help your sod grow together by providing the nutrients they need to establish themselves in their new environment. You may go with equal parts of NPK, or you can opt for a fertilizer higher in nitrogen.
Nitrogen-rich fertilizers will help your sod grow faster, which will help them touch and grow together with the other pieces of sod on your lawn. Just follow the application rate on the fertilizer you’re using to avoid burning your sod.
Use a Lawn Roller
Your main goal is to get your sods to root as quickly as possible. You can use a lawn roller to help your sod establish deeper roots. A lawn roller is a cylinder-shaped tool that you can fill with water or sand. The weight will help flatten your sod and encourage the roots to grow deeper into the ground.
Lawn rollers are also effective in getting rid of any air pockets that may have formed under your sod. These pockets can cause your sod to lift during dry spells, so it’s important to get rid of them.
Rolling your lawn once a week for the first few weeks will help ensure that your sod is properly rooted into the ground.
Will Sod Grow Together? Final Thoughts
Sod will grow together, given the right conditions. Just make sure to water deeply, ensure there are no gaps in between the sod pieces, and encourage deep root growth by using a lawn roller and regular watering and fertilization.
In about a month or two, you’ll see your sod start to grow together and fill in any bare patches on your lawn. The lines will also disappear.