Jumpstart Your Yard with Sod Through New York Plantings Gardening Tutorial

If you are thinking about renovating your lawn and want to see results in a snap; then laying sod is the way to go. Growing a lawn from seed is time consuming and you don’t get a finished product for weeks, not to mention is also a hassle. Sod are now be pre-produced by garden suppliers and installed on your lawn. Depending on the size of your lawn, you can have a brand new lawn in as little as one day! We would like to share to you how you can renovate your lawn using sod. Here are some steps on how to lay sod.

Laying of sod in a front yard in Long Island

First things first; preparing the area. You will need to remove existing vegetation with a sod cutter. Using a sod cutter will ensure that your area is relatively smooth and even for the new sod to lie on. Once the vegetation is removed, the area will need to be smoothed and leveled by using a landscape rake. When you are leveling the area keep in mind that your sod will probably be an inch or so thick. So when you are leveling by driveways and walkways you will want the soil to be a little lower than the edge. Also keep in mind that if you are laying sod on loose soil, there would be some settling over time.

Laying sods in a straight line

Once the area is prepped you can then begin laying the sod. In order to do as little cutting as possible, you should lay in straight lines. So for instance, start on a straight driveway edge or sidewalk edge. If you do not have any straight edges to work off, use a string to lay the first line. Make sure that the sod pieces are as tight together as possible and be sure to stagger the pieces from row to row (as if you were laying out bricks). If you are laying sod on a hil,l be sure to use sod staples (at least 2 per piece) and lay the sod down the hill, not across. If you lay it across, the sod will slip down the hill easier.

Making sure sods are straight

As you are laying the pieces out, use a piece of plywood to kneel on so that the prepared surface soil would not get disturbed. If the soil is disturbed, use the landscape rake to smooth out the surface. When you come to an object (a tree or a driveway for instance) make sure you have a sharp knife to cut the sod (tip: do all the cutting last and just lay the sod over each object or up against it). Although if you have a sprinkler system make sure those are cut out as you go. You will be sorry if you miss any.

As you are laying the sod, keep an eye on the moisture level. You may have to start watering the sod while still installing them. The seams will dry out first. A simple impact sprinkler would work just fine. Move it every 15 to 20 minutes depending on the moisture level. The sod should not be sopping wet, just moist.

Once you are finished laying the sod and all the cuts have been made, all that’s left to do is to make sure that it is watered frequently for the first few weeks. Once the roots have penetrated the soil then you will not need to water as much. You can check periodically just by tugging on it lightly. Also depending on the time of year you are laying the sod, a starter fertilizer should be applied to get the roots going. (a 5-10-5 would be a good starter fertilizer to use).

Almost done in laying sods

New York Plantings Garden Designers and Landscape Contractors are also here to help you in renovating your lawn. We could actually do the job for you.  We specialize in Asian Garden Design and offer other services such as artificial lawn installation, front yard and backyard beautification, outdoor carpentry and masonry projects. We also offer irrigation services, such as sprinkle system installation, drip irrgation and other irrigation system that is right for your garden.

If you have any questions about this article or want your lawn renovated or have a garden on your own, feel free to contact julian@newyorkplantings.com or call 347 558 7051 or visit www.newyorkplantings.com for more information about our services.

Ground Cover Garden Features and Landscape Advantages to New York Yards

In a city where time is very important, some yard and garden owners have almost no time to spare for maintaining their garden or even their lawn. New York Plantings Garden Designers and Landscape Contractors have a way to serve the busy city with their efficient garden design and plant expertise, featuring- Ground Covers.

photo courtesy of: flamingpetal.co.nz

Ground covers are small sized plants that grow over an area of land almost independently, are very beneficial and are the latest must-have for garden designs and landscape purposes as it poses dozens of functions and delightful aesthetic effects at the same time. They could serve as shields to soil bed, such as hills and slopes, from being exposed to direct sunlight, avoiding fast evaporation of water, thus preventing erosion. Ground covers densely envelop the surrounding earth in your yard which could eradicate weed growth and add color to difficult cultivating areas, such as soils in the sunny areas. These could also serve as protector for beneficial insects and earthworms from predating birds and could serve as shelter for desirable species in your yard, such as butterflies and bees.

Todd Nappi, President of New York Plantings Garden Designers and Landscape Contractors, professional horticulturist, explicates that ground covers create a beneficial environment on the ground around root system that closely resembles of that of a natural setting. He also added that ground covers have the ability to provide trees and shrubs non-compacted soil surface that enables water to reach roots quickly. Ground covers prevent soil from washing away around and under the trees as well as open spaces thus providing sufficient water supply to other plants.

photo courtesy of: haablandscaping.com

What sets ground cover more convenient than lawn is the less landscape care and maintenance, meaning less lawn cutting. Many landscape and garden design have utilized low maintenance ground cover plantings to blanket areas which are traditionally covered by high-maintenance lawns. Ground covers, such as ivy and juniper, can save you time, effort and money on maintenance and create texture and color options that cannot be achieved by common turfs. Other ground cover highly recommended by garden professionals are Pachysandra Cotonester, Drift Roses and evergreens like the Japanese Skimmia that could provide a year round interest with its appearance of tiny white flowers in Spring, followed by bright red berries in Fall, and staying green all year round; this plant also requires no maintenance or pruning at all. There are other varieties of ground covers which suit different hardiness zones.

photo courtesy of: beautifulwildlifegarden.com

You may be wondering about the irrigation system suitable for ground covers, New York Plantings Irrigation Division recommends Drip Irrigation which is becoming one of the most common irrigation system recognized by garden experts and environmentalist as an effective way to conserve water and establish cultivation of ground covers. The system could foster quick plant establishment as well as maintaining ground covers’ health while actually saving a lot of money for maintenance. Indeed, ground covers are beneficial not just to gardens but also to budget.

So if you’re planning to grow ground covers into your yard, don’t hesitate  to call New York Plantings Garden Designers and Landscape Contractors at 347 558 7051. They specialize Asian Garden Design and also offer other beneficial services to your garden, such as custom planter boxes, fire pit installation, outdoor kitchen building, green roof installation and many more. New York Plantings Irrigation and Lighting Division offers services, like outdoor lighting, low voltage lighting, automatic drip irrigation installation and other irrigation maintenance. For more information about New York Plantings services, visit www.newyorkplantings.com.