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Why Sod?

Sodding provides many advantages over seeding:

  • Creates an instant green lawn or recreational surface.
  • Gives immediate erosion control.
  • Eliminates dust and mud.
  • Eliminates weed control during establishment.
  • Can be used quickly.
  • Can be established year round.
  • Can get the best turfgrass varieties from producers.
  • Can be used for total installation or repair of smaller areas.
 

What type of sod do you need?


The basic types of sod being grown in Virginia are Kentucky bluegrass blends, tall fescue or tall fescue-Kentucky bluegrass mixtures, Bermudagrass, and zoysiagrass. Each type is best suited to particular uses and geographic areas in Virginia.

Some sod is grown in the Virginia Crop Improvement Association (VCIA) sod certification program. This sod must meet established standards of quality, which also qualifies the sod to be marketed under the Virginia Department of Agriculture "Virginia's Finest" program.

VCIA certified sod or "Virginia's Finest" is sod of high quality, meeting rigid standards requiring preplanting field inspections, prescribed varieties and mixtures, periodic production inspections, and a final preharvest inspection. This program serves as a marketing tool and provides the consumer with guaranteed standards of quality. Consumers purchasing VCIA certified sod will receive a VCIA certified sod label with each load of sod.

While high-quality sod is available outside of the VCIA certified sod program, the consumer is encouraged to be aware of factors that are important in determining sod quality. Quality sod contains excellent turf varieties with good sod strength and has no serious insect, weed, or disease problems.

Kentucky Bluegrass Blends (KBB)

Kentucky bluegrass blends contain two or more varieties of Kentucky bluegrass. They are best suited for the north central Piedmont region and areas along and west of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, requiring moderate to full sunlight, periodic fertilization and irrigation, and good soil drainage in order to provide quality turf. Kentucky bluegrass blends can provide high levels of turf quality on lawns, athletic fields, recreational areas, and in situations where erosion control is necessary and moderate maintenance is possible.

Tall Fescue or Tall Fescue-Kentucky Bluegrass Mixtures (TF)

These mixtures generally contain from 90 percent to 100 percent improved "turf-type" tall fescues and 0 percent to 10 percent Kentucky bluegrass. Tall fescue is a broader-bladed grass than Kentucky bluegrass and therefore this sod has a slightly coarser texture than Kentucky bluegrass sod. Tall fescue sod is moderately drought and shade tolerant and performs well throughout Virginia. It is adapted to a wide range of soil conditions and management programs. It is not well suited to heavily trafficked areas but performs well on lawns, moderately trafficked recreational areas, and in situations where low maintenance erosion control is necessary. Since Kentucky bluegrass withstands traffic better than tall Fescue, it is sometimes mixed with tall fescue to enhance recovery from traffic injury.