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Sod Installation

Skyhorse Station Tree Farm and Landscaping installs a premium blend of sod that is more heat & drought tolerant, disease resistant. This premium blend also has uniform coloration and a growth rate not found in hydroseed mixtures. This will provide you with a lawn that will be beautiful and enjoyable for years to come.

Sod care guidelines
SOD vs. HYDROSEED

The Sod Option

Following are 10 reasons for considering the sod option:

1. Sod is a mature plant. Sod provides users with a mature, nurtured and developed plant. "It takes us a year or more to grow our seed into the lush, green carpeting that you'll see immediately upon installation."
2. Sod prevents the "mud factor." Customers with children or pets especially benefit from installing sod. "Sod is the easy solution to minimizing tracked in mud to your house."
3. Sod stops washouts. Washouts make for a bumpy lawn surface if the dirt is not smoothed out again. "Not only are you creat­ing more work for yourself in the long run, but you are also setting yourself up for mow­ing and maintaining a bumpy lawn."
4. Sod saves time. Because sod is a mature plant, it needs little attention until it is a root­ed, perfectly matured plant. Two to four weeks is the common amount of time needed for rooting.
5. Sod saves frustration. Take the idea of growing one stand of grass: producers face weather as the biggest challenge. There are other considerations in growing a good lawn, too, such as fertilizer and mowing height. Producers offer the advantage of years of experience in grass growing, which saves con­tractors and the end- user a bucketful of potential mistakes.
6. Sod saves money. Expenses for water, herbicides, insecticides and fertilizer-all the grass-growing aids-are always a factor. "Allowing professionals to take care of these initial applications will save you a fortune."
7. Sod looks better. These good looks are in the genes. "Want to win the best lawn award? To do this, you must start with plants that are composed of exceptional genes."
8. Sod avoids herbicides (in many cases). Popular support of environmental conserva­tion includes using a minimal amount of her­bicides, fungicides and other chemicals.
9. Sod is easy to grow. This is especially true for poor soils. If beginning a lawn with seed, top quality soils are needed to start the plants off right. "Fertilizer and water management become critical when you start from seed on poor soils. It takes more fertilizations to start seed:
10. Sod is instant. "No hassle. No nurturing. No wait. Sod is an instant lawn of lush, green turf."

A new sod lawn increases the property's value. With proper care, it will remain an asset, providing beauty, a clean playing surface and an improved environment.

SOD VS. SEED & HYDROSEED
Here are some comparisions of each that can help you decide:

HANDS DOWN! COVERAGE
Seed takes weeks to fill out. Seeded lawns are not uniform at first.
Sod makes an instatnt carpet of grass. New sod is rarely patchy or uneven in color

PLANTING
Not recommended for winter or summer, possible in spring, best in fall for most areas.
Year round installation if available.

COST vs. VALUE
Higher maintenance costs, increased water & chemical applications, as well as delayed use. These are trade off's for lower installation costs.
Installation costs are offset by added value of timing, usability, uniformity and visual appeal. Reduced maintenance, chemical and water costs.

EROSION
Heavy rains on sloping areas will cause seed, chemicals and silt to wash into sidewalks and into drain systems.
Capable of accepting heavy rains without erosion or damage.

WEEDS
Multiply applications of chemicals usually required to combat weeds until turf is established.
Minimal, if any chemical required

Why Michigan Grown?
70 Years Growing..
Michigan is one of the first states to start utilizing sod extensively, in fact, for over 70 years Michigan growers have been producing sod superior to others. We are from a rich diverse agricultural area that has many products to offer. Michigan sod is noted throughout our nation as having an outstanding sod product, we have obtained this statue by continually being educated and striving for the best product available to the industry.
Doing Your Part To keep It Here...
When you buy Michigan sod you are not only buying a superior product, you are also keeping your dollars here in the state to work for you. When you spend a dollar on sod, you would hope to get a portion of that back down the road. If you work in the golf course or tourism industry, more of that dollar will be kept locally and has a higher chance of finding it's way back to you. Not to mention a portion of the money spent will go to taxes to help to pay for roads, schools, research for better grasses, and support from our local extension offices to help us maintain better lawns, landscapes and other services. If you choose to buy sod out-of-state, it is much harder for any portion of that dollar to come back to you. If you choose to buy sod out of the country, it is impossible for you to realize any benefit back on the dollar you spend. Not only does it leave the area, it also generates zero tax dollars for our local infrastructure.
Things To Keep In Mind When Buying Canadian Sod...
Americans are paying the taxes for Canadian trucks to utilize our roads and highways
Even though foreign countries are using our roads to transport their product, this generates a drain on our local economy and eventually causes the local taxes to be raised to support the local infrastructure. Free Trade??
We are supposed to have free trade with Canada, however, many truckloads of sod come through this country, and we have yet to see Michigan sod transported to Canada.
Photosanitary Concerns...
When utilized properly, this is a good thing, however, it is being improperly used to keep our sod out of Canada. Each attempt to transport sod into Canada has been diverted for one reason or another. Double standard?
Michigan has some of the best grown turf in the world and has the prier turf program at Michigan State University, so when it comes time to purchase your next load of sod, I would hope you would ask...

(THIS TEXT IS DIRECTLY TAKEN FROM: © Michigan Sod Growers Association www.michigansod.org 2004 All Rights Reserved Webmaster: Sherry Cords Webmaster)

SOD CARE GUIDELINES

WATERING
Your lawn should be watered immediately to moisten the soil and the sod. Water thoroughly, providing about an inch of water over the entire lawn. The sod will require consistent moisture for the next 7-10 days to ensure good, even root development. Water the lawn to keep the sod moist at least twice daily; 15-30 minutes maybe sufficient. Visually inspect daily for any browning. Once the sod has begun to "knit" to the soil surface, gradually increase the duration and decrease the frequency of your waterings until you are watering once a week for 45 minutes to an hour (long enough to provide one inch of water). This schedule can be adjusted by homeowner for the weather, of course, with more frequent applications during the early stages if we experience hot, dry, or windy weather. Less water is needed during periods of rainy or cold weather.Watering is best done during the overnight hours. The hours between 10:30pm and 2:00am are best. This limits the amount of time the grass blades are wet, thus reducing the threat of disease establishment. Do not water from 6:00am through the remainder of the day. Watering during the heat of the day will not damage the grass, but too much of the water is wasted through evaporation loss before the grass ever has a chance to use it. Sod is a very perishable commodity. It can dry out very quickly in sunny, windy weather. Until the roots have grown down into the soil, it is critical that the sod not dry out. As long as this doesn't happen, your results should be excellent.

FERTILIZING

Your new lawn should be fertilized with a slow- release fertilizer 3-4 times per year. The most important application is in early September. A second application in November is the next most important. Sometimes an additional application in October is made for even higher quality turf. If this application is made, the November application is bumped to December. Just remember the "SOD" rule: September, October, and December.
Spring fertilization is not recommended. This has been shown to enhance fungal disease activity during the Summer months. Besides, the largest portion of the energy is directed into top growth. This just translates into more frequent mowing. Who needs that?!

MOWING

Mow your lawn as soon as the new sod is well rooted enough to permit the mower traffic without damage (at least a week). Never cut more than 1/3 of total height of grass. Allowing the new grass to become too tall is detrimental and can result in loss of some of the new stand. Always set the mower at 3 inches or above and mow frequently enough that you never remove more than one inch at a time. Do not use riding lawn mower for 45 days after sod is laid.
Keep mower blades sharp for the cleanest, safest cut. Lawns cut with dull blades loose moisture more rapidly, are more subject to disease, and take on a lighter, almost grayish cast. This comes from the shredded ends of the grass blades drying out and turning a pale brown in the sun.