You know a nice green lawn when you see it — the kind that makes you slow down and say, “Man, I wish I had a lawn like that.”
But how do you make sure you're getting the best sod before it becomes your lawn?
First you have to find the best place to buy sod in your area.
Here are some important questions to ask a sod seller near Orlando, FL.
1. Will You Help Me Choose the Best Sod for My Yard?
There’s more than one variety of grass available for your Orlando property. Nobody expects you to be an expert.
The best sod installers will walk you through it. They should ask you as many questions as you ask them.
Is your property sunny or shady? Does it get a lot of foot traffic? Do you have an irrigation system?
Matching the right sod to your site’s conditions is a crucial first step to sod installation success.
It helps if you’ve given some thought to your yard’s needs — and your expectations.
Expect more maintenance with Zoysia than St. Augustine or Bahia grass.
Celebration Bermuda has great wear tolerance, which makes it good for sports and pets.
ProVista is engineered to be slow growing, which means less mowing.
Expert sod providers can help you hone in on the best sod for you.
2. Where Do You Get Your Sod?
All sod isn’t the same. If some sod installers offer prices much lower than others, it’s probably not the best sod. You need to find high quality sod.
You don’t want the cheapest sod. You want the healthiest sod — ready to take root, thrive, and make your property look fantastic.
You want sod that’s been well cared for and ready to make a great transition to your yard. You want to be sure it hasn’t been sitting out on a pallet, drying out.
Our sod is cut fresh the day it’s scheduled for delivery to you, not stashed on a pallet somewhere baking in the sun.
3. How Do You Ensure Your Sod is Fresh and Healthy?
Don’t be afraid to ask detailed questions about where your sod comes from and how it’s cared for before it lands in your yard.
It’s good to be picky. This is a big investment. Quality sod installers will appreciate the questions — if they have the right answers.
At Ground Source, we drive about an hour farther than we need to and pay about 12 percent more in order to get sod that’s consistently high quality and holds up great, even in the more challenging installation months of June through September.
Our sod provider is the only one in the area that uses an expensive webworm preventative, to keep the sod free of those summer-time damaging pests.
Take the time to know exactly where your sod comes from, and how quickly it arrives and will be installed after being cut on the farm.
The sooner your fresh sod goes from farm to your soil, the better, so it doesn’t dry out. The same day is best.
What should high quality sod look like?
- Dense, with nice, even color
- Moist soil near the roots
- Roots should be intertwined close together
- The attached soil should be about one inch deep
- There shouldn’t be any thatch. That’s a sign that it's old sod, not recently harvested.
4. What Happens to the Sod Between the Farm and My Property?
When reviewing who sells sod near Orlando. You should ask what happens after the sod leaves the farm. The ideal answer is, hardly anything.
We pick up fresh-cut sod from the farm and bring it directly to your property.
But that’s not always the case with other sod suppliers.
Some sod installers might store the sod overnight, or over the weekend, and water it to keep the top pieces green. When temperatures heat up the grass will become hot and diseased.
5. What’s Your Sod Installation Process?
Maybe you just want to find where to buy the best sod and install it yourself.
But if you’re considering sod installation, ask about the process.
Will your sod installer:
- Apply materials to kill off all weeds and existing grass beforehand? If your installer skips this step, the old grass and weeds can creep back in and infiltrate your pristine new lawn.
- Flag all irrigation heads, strip the area with sod cutters, and haul away all the old sod? These are important pre-installation steps.
- Level out any imperfections on your lawn? The last thing you want is to spend money on new sod installation and then realize later that there were low areas that weren't addressed or humps that you could stumble over.
- Deliver and install farm-fresh sod? When you’re looking at sod prices in Orlando, remember that a higher price can mean the grower and/or installer has invested in quality that you’ll appreciate in your healthy new lawn.
- Check and adjust all irrigation heads? Once your sod is installed, keeping it watered is crucial. Roots dry out quickly, and gaps can appear if the sod loses moisture after installation, causing the pieces to shrink. Your sod installers should make sure all irrigation heads are up and running, and properly adjusted so all corners of your lawn get water. Then, if they have access to your timer, they should set it accordingly.
- Leave you with detailed care instructions, so you can enjoy your impressive and healthy new lawn? Water too little, and your sod will wilt and die. Water too much, and disease will set in.
Here at Ground Source, we offer a detailed sod care guide. You’ll know what times to water, for how long, and even which of your irrigation heads to use for what amount of time.
6. What’s Your Sod Warranty?
Not every installer offers one, but we warranty sod for 30 days during certain times of the year, as long as customers adhere to our post-care requirements, which include treatment with a starter fertilizer, an approved insecticide, and an approved fungicide, as well as following our watering instructions. Some restrictions apply.
Looking For The Best Place to Buy Sod in Orlando? Trust Ground Source
We’re happy to deliver our high-quality sod to you for your DIY lawn project.
Maybe you’ve researched sod installation prices in Orlando and figure you can save money by doing it yourself. But be prepared before those pallets of sod arrive. There’s a lot more to laying sod than simply getting it down.
If you want your new lawn to thrive, install the sod as soon as you receive it.
Water it right away. Roots dry out quickly, and gaps can appear if the sod loses moisture after installation, causing the pieces to shrink.
Or, spend your weekend relaxing instead of lugging around heavy rolls of sod. 
Let the pros at Ground Source handle the delivery and installation for you.
We’re sod experts, but our skills don’t stop there. We’re with you every step of the way as you plan your perfect outdoor space.
Sod, irrigation, landscape design: Let us transform your yard from an embarrassing eyesore to a place you spend every spare minute.
Are you ready to enjoy the vibrant, impressive yard you've always wanted? Request a quote today! We’ll help you review your options and then transform your property.
