Sod Installation Questions

Around Toronto, mid-April to early June and late August through September are the easiest stretches. The soil is warm enough for roots to grow, and the air is cool enough that new sod doesn't dry out between waterings. Summer installs work too, but July heat means watering every day, sometimes twice. Spring dates go first, so if you want a May install, ask for your quote in March or April.

Often, yes. Sod can go down until the ground freezes, provided the farms are still harvesting. Fall sod needs less water because the days are cool, and it keeps rooting in the weeks before freeze-up. If a hard freeze arrives first, the roots finish taking hold when the ground thaws in spring, so keep foot traffic off it until then. Call us and we'll tell you whether there's still enough season left for your yard.

Yes, sod always goes down on soil, just not on any old dirt. Hard-packed fill, clay left behind by construction, or ground full of stones and roots won't let new roots grow down. The soil needs to be cleared of debris, loosened, raked level and sloped away from the house, with decent topsoil on top. That prep is where most of the work in a good install happens, and our sod installation page walks through each step.

It isn't a good idea. The old grass and weeds die and rot under the new rolls, leaving a spongy layer the new roots struggle to get through, and the finished lawn sits higher than your walks and driveway. Bumps and hollows in the old lawn show through as well. The proper way is to strip the old turf, fix the grade and lay fresh sod on prepared soil. That is exactly what our lawn replacement service covers, with removal and disposal in the price.

For shallow dips of a couple of centimetres, top dressing is the cheapest fix. Spread screened soil, or a soil and sand mix, over the low area, rake it in and let the grass grow up through it. Keep each layer to about a centimetre and repeat over a few weeks. Deeper hollows, bumps and ground that slopes toward the house need proper regrading, which means lifting the lawn. If the lawn is being replaced anyway, grading at the same time is cheaper than coming back later, because the old turf only comes up once. See yard grading and levelling.

At our rates, replacing a 1,000 sq ft lawn (about 93 m²) comes to $3,000–$3,750 before 13% HST. That covers stripping the old turf, hauling it away, basic prep and fresh-cut sod. If the ground is already bare, it is priced as an installation instead, at $2,000–$2,500. Where a yard needs grading, budget roughly another $1.00 per sq ft; any extra topsoil gets its own line. Our minimum job is $1,750, and the final price is confirmed at a free on-site visit. The sod installation cost page shows what moves the number.

It depends on what you need. Sod gives you a full lawn the day it goes down, can take light use within a few weeks, resists washout on slopes and starts out with far fewer weeds. Seed costs much less in materials, but it takes most of a season to fill in, needs the surface kept damp for weeks and lets weeds move into the bare spots. Seed can make sense for a big area where time doesn't matter. For a front lawn you want finished this season, sod usually comes out ahead. Our sod vs hydroseeding comparison sets out cost, timing and watering side by side.

More than most people expect for the first two weeks. Our crew gives the sod its first soak right after it's laid. After that, water every morning, long enough that the water reaches the soil beneath the sod. Lift a corner now and then: the soil below should feel damp, not muddy. On hot or windy days, add a second, lighter watering in the afternoon. Once the roots grab and a gentle tug won't lift the sod, usually after about two weeks, switch to deeper watering two or three times a week. By the end of the first month, about 2.5 cm (an inch) of water a week, rain included, is enough.