Comparative chart of turfgrass grown for sod at Spring Valley Sod Farm

	Tifway 419 Hybrid Bermuda	Raleigh St. Augustine	Meyer Z-52 Zoysia
Area Adapted	Throughout	Throughout	Transition zone and south
Soil pH	Wide Range	Wide Range	Wide Range
Texture	Med. – Fine	Med. – Fine	Med. – Course

 

Tolerance to:	Tifway 419 Hybrid Bermuda	Raleigh St. Augustine	Meyer Z-52 Zoysia
Drought	Excellent	Good	Good
Salt	Good	Good	Good
Shade	Poor	Good-Fair	Good-Fair
Wear	Excellent	Excellent	Good
Nematodes	Fair	Fair	Good
Levels of Maintenance	High	High	Moderate
Major Use	Golf courses Lawns, sports fields	Lawns, commercial sites	Lawns, commercial sites

Measuring and Ordering

Sod is sold by the yard. To figure how much sod you may need you must use this formula:

(width x length = square feet) divided by 9 = square yard.

Preparation
Preparation of the area is very important. The soil must be level to prevent water holes. The soil must be 1″ below any driveways, sidewalks or curbs. You must incorporate a starter fertilizer such as 10-20-20 @ 10 lbs per 1,000 square feet. A soil sample will determine the ph of your soil. Ph is very important because turf grass must have a neutral ph level to intake nutrients properly. The soil conservation service should give you more information on taking soil samples.