Like seeding, sodding should be done in the early spring or fall to get
the best results. Oftentimes it is necessary to do the work in midsummer
and this, while not advisable, can be successfully accomplished if the
sods are laid soon after they are cut and then copiously watered every
day until all danger of drying out has passed.
In butting the sods together, use a wooden mallet, and pound the sod
into close contact with the loam beneath, flattening all joints so that
the growth will be uniform.
[Illustration: The inevitable result of sowing a cheap, ready-made
mixture of grass seed. It is worth while studying the qualities of the
various elements and making your own mixture]
On large seeded areas outline these with a border of sods, which gives a
well-defined edge and trim appearance to the work. If you should know
of a place where there is a particularly fine growth of grass, it would
be a paying proposition to buy sufficient sods from it to answer your
needs. Sods, cut and delivered, will cost about eight cents per square
foot. This price may be shaded somewhat if the sods are bought in bulk
and the cutting and carting is done by yourself. Under any circumstances
the work will be expensive.
On banks and terraces it is preferable to use sods rather than seeding.
The sods can be held in place with wooden pegs driven through them seven
or eight inches into the bank. Over this work scatter some seed and give
a light dressing of loam; then pound the whole to an even surface.
When the bank is too steep to hold the sods pegged in this way, they
should be piled upon each other horizontally, so that the ends will
form the surface of the bank. This effects the double purpose of
creating a permanent sward and also a depth of ten inches of loam upon
which it can feed.