How to Remove Sod

Moving sod by digging it up and moving it to another location produces quick tidy results and stops your lush lawn from being thrown away. Here's the best method to get rid of sod without harming it.

Tools Needed to Remove Sod

Before you start, make sure you have these gardening tools in your arsenal:

• Hose or sprinkler
• Sharp spade, shovel, or edger
• Spade or pitchfork

How Do You Remove Sod?

Here are the best techniques to employ when you are getting rid of sod:

• The grass should be watered: A few days prior to when you intend to dig the sod, you should water the area thoroughly in order to make the soil more manageable to handle. After drying for a couple of days, you'll end up with moist but not too wet--soil that sticks together but it's not too heavy.

• Cut the sod into pieces: Utilizing a sharp spade edger or shovel, cut the entire perimeter of the grass that you intend to get rid of. Then, you can cut the sod into 1-foot by two-foot pieces or one-foot square pieces. It's only necessary to dig through the soil's top layer. Don't stress about digging too deep.

• Sod is to be pried up: Dig under one side from each section of sod and then push a spade or pitchfork underneath it to cut deep taproots. Take the piece that has been cut and shake the loose soil to the surface.

• The sod should be rolled up: If your pieces are large enough, you can the pieces can be rolled up as carpeting. If you choose square pieces, arrange them close to the spot where you're planning to plant the sod.

Caring for Sod Before Laying It

If you are unable to transfer the sod in a hurry, you can wait for up to 5 days before you spread it out before the grass ceases to grow according to the season and the weather conditions. In the summer months, active growing sod can show signs of stress in less than 12 hours. This is why it is recommended to prepare the area for sod prior to digging it out from the soil.

If the sod you've dug up has to sit out for longer than a day, keep in mind that water is essential to its continued existence. Place the strips or squares of grass in a sunny place where the sun won't dry the soil. If it takes several hours, you're not able to unroll the grass so it can be watered. This will also allow heat to escape so that grass does not end up dying until you've completed the transplant.

Get Professional Assistance

If you're aware of how to take care of sod, you might be eager to start. Remember that sod is extremely heavy and, therefore, you'll require assistance from a third party for this task. In reality, for your safety, we advise leaving big projects like sod removal to an expert.