Sod vs. Grass Seed: I Tried Both!

When we had our stone shore erosion structure built this summer the machinery chewed up our lawn and it was looking pretty… tore up from the shore up (lol), so we had to decide between sod vs. grass seed – and we tried both!  Here’s my take on the pros and cons of grass seed and sod, plus tips for getting both sod and grass seed to grow.  Plus I’m sharing my lawn before and after photos after weeks and months.  I should mention that I can’t guarantee a poop-free post.  I took a good look at the photos but, between the two pups, the foxes, the bears, the deer and a zillion geese, I pretty much guarantee there’s a turd hiding somewhere in these photos.  So if you’re at your desk eating, say, an Oh Henry bar, you might want to set aside your treat.

The Lawn Before Grass Seed and Sod:

Here’s a look at our yard after it was shored up (I’m on a roll):

The company we hired to save our shoreline from erosion smoothed out the mess when they were done (thank you!), and then added a layer of top soil to help restore our yard and prep it for sod and grass seed.  The doggies LOVED our new dirt lawn and dirt path.  They were super bummed when we covered it up because neither of them like the feel of grass on their feet – they will both pee on the gravel driveway from time to time, or stare at the deck longingly.  Hubby and I were not fans so as soon as the prep work was done, we drove straight to a sod farm.  We were advised to lay at least one strip of sod along the shore’s edge, to keep the soil from seeping in to the lake.  We bought a pallet wof sod and that ended up being a few rows (pretty much up to the fire pit edge).

SOD VS SEED PROS + CONS:

I’ll delve more into the sod vs seed pros and cons below, with tips on how to lay sod and how to get grass seed to grow.  But below is a quick bullet point list for the pros and cons of each.

Grass Sod Pros + Cons:

• Expensive to buy
• Best if purchased fresh from a sod farm
• Requires a truck/trailer to acquire – or a steep delivery fee
• Heavy to lift
• Ultimately easy to install, if you have some muscle
• Immediately looks good!
• Durable and walkable after about 4 weeks
• Takes a few years for the “seems” to disappear

Grass Seed Pros + Cons:

• Inexpensive to buy
• Can be purchased lots of places – even online
• Easy to pick up, or have shipped/delivered
• Easy to sow
• Birds can steal seeds
• Takes a long time to see results
• Takes more care to get it to grow
• Can take weeks or months before its walkable and grown in

How to Get Sod to “Take”:

Here’s my best tip for sod: get it fresh from the farm.  The sod farm we called was so serious about the freshness that they wanted to know the exact minute we’d pick it up, so they could time removal of the sod perfectly.  It wasn’t enough for us to say, “sometime today” – we had to commit to a time within the half hour.  As a result, the sod we got was fresh and that’s what really helped it take, so skip the big box retailers, rent a truck if you need to, and go for a scenic drive because it’s worth it to get your sod fresh from a farm if you can.  If you can’t, try to find out when the sod will be delivered to wherever you’re buying from and try to be first in line to buy it.  The fresher the better!!  Before laying the sod, we also sprinkled some fertilizer onto the top soil, which we picked up in bulk from a local farm supply store (perks of living rural).

How to Lay Sod Yourself

The sod was heavy and wormy, but we worked together to lay it, staggering the seams.  It was not easy work and we were both exhausted and super dirty after.  I think it took us a few hours to lay a few rows, but I divided my time between working on the sod with hubby and mucking around with our rock wall, adding some pieces to hide the landscape fabric underneath.  I had to stand knee deep in the lake, which was SO cold (plus I found a leech) – but hubby touched more worms, so I’m not sure who had the worse job.

How Often to Water Freshly Laid Sod?

Once the sod was laid, we diligently watered it (lightly – not to the point of getting it soaked), three times a day, and kept puppies and humans OFF the lawn – which was no easy feat!  Get off it, you monkeys!

Why Can’t You Walk on New Sod?

When sod is first laid, the roots are just sort of floating there.  They need time to work their way into the ground.  So if you walk on new sod, you can damage these roots and so those sections of sod may never take properly and the grass will ultimately die.  If you “tug” a chunk of sod and it comes up, it’s too early to walk on it but if you tug it and it stays fixed to the ground, you can rest assured the roots have worked there way down and the sod is doing well and can probably be walked on.  Give it at least a month before you walk on new sod.

Seed vs Sod with Dogs:

Keeping the dogs off the sod was a challenge but it was ready for them more quickly than the grass seed, which was still patchy after months so we kept the dogs away for basically the entire summer.  Grass seed remains a big ole pile of dirt for weeks, which may prove too tempting for some dogs!  Whereas with sod, you really only need to wait a few weeks or maybe a month before letting dogs on sod and there isn’t the temptation of a big dirt pile.

How Much More Does Sod Cost vs Grass Seed – Sod vs Seed Price?

When it comes to sod vs. grass seed, I wish we could have afforded sod for the entire lawn, but that pallet of sod pictured (70 rolls) was around $250 (although I got $30 back when I returned the pallet).  We were able to re-grass the same area for about $35 of grass seed (a 40lb bag is only $50).  Prices will vary, based on where you live.  We probably saved money on sod buying direct from a sod farm.  We also bought the grass seed in bulk from a farm supply store.  But the spread is still notable: $220 vs $35 for the same approximate square feet of grass coverage.

What are the Disadvantages of Sod?

Really, the biggest disadvantage of sod is the cost!  It costs a lot more than grass seed.  Plus it’s heavy and so delivery and installation are a bit more challenging – but doable – for the average DIYer.  If you can’t handle the heavy sod yourself, there’s the added cost of installation whereas I think more folks would physically be able do a bit of raking and sow grass seeds.  This is a nitpicky little point but a year after installing the sod, from an aerial view, the “lined” were still a bit visible.  Not sure who this matters to, but it’s worth pointing out as another disadvantage of sod.

How to Grow Grass from Grass Seed:

For the rest of the dirt heap we used grass seed, which was much cheaper and way easier to bring home – I got a lot of weird looks pulling my Camaro up to the rural farm supply store where I bought the seed, haha.  I just like an excuse to drive it and grass seed was a tiny little bag.  Just like with the sod, we fertilized first (with those little pellets, something like this, photographed below), then I raked the soil to loosen it up and work in the fertilizer, and then we sprinkled the grass seed (bottom of the photo).  After it was sprinkled, I raked a bit to help bury the seeds (no more than 1/4 inch of soil) – although flocks of birds still stole some.

How Often to Water Grass Seed?

I watered the grass seed three times a day, watering lightly as opposed to soaking the ground, and eventually little blades of grass began to sprout.  A couple of months later it was still patchy but had grown in quite a bit (we had not mowed it at all).  Once we saw that the grass seed took (I was doubtful), I bought more and have seeded up the path along the side of the property but that’s less willing to grow because it’s shady and the pine needles fall and choke the growth a little.  I am probably also a little too late in the season – I might have had a better chance if I had planted all of the grass seed at once.

How to Get Grass Seed to “Take”:

My best tip for grass seed: try to actually “plant” the seeds as best you can because little creatures will steal them.  Also, buy from a farm supply store if you can because you’ll get a great deal in bulk and they can help choose the right seed for your soil/location – and buy extra, because you can add it to patchy areas if it’s not seeing growth there.

Grass Sod vs Grass Seed Results After 3 Weeks – Side by Side Comparison:

The photo below shows the growth after about 2-3 weeks.  You can see what I meant about sod vs. grass seed and the waiting being the worst with grass seed – you really need patience.  I was watering diligently but then our well ran dry so there was some time that I couldn’t water as dutifully, that might have stunted the growth.  As well, the geese were a nuisance before we figured out how to keep them off the lawn, so that hindered the grass seed growth as well.  You may have better/worse results depending on your climate and location.

Here’s a photo of the lawn, a couple of months later, after a period of heavy rainfall:

You can see a line in the top third of the photo where the sod is noticeably more lush and the grass is patchy but still – I’m so proud of this grass that I grew!  If you’ve been following Dans le Lakehouse for any length of time, you know that I do not have a green thumb.  But this summer my orchid flowered, my outdoor container plants stayed leafy until the first frost, and I grew grass from seed.   So I guess I should add that, when weighing the options of sod vs. grass seed, there’s a certain satisfaction that comes with growing a lawn from almost nothing.  I have a new appreciation for farmers!

Does Sod Work Better Than Seed?

In my experience, yes, sod works better than seed.  With proper fertilization, watering, and keeping animals OFF the grass, the sod took really well.  The grass seed needed more coaxing to grow and it was patchier, requiring more grass seed to fill in areas.  It also took months for it to really grow in an look “good”.  I’ve watched neighbors struggle with professional hydroseeding as well – it can take awhile to grow and needs good conditions.  Many years later, even with the geese pecking at the lawn, the sod areas withstood the wear and tear much better than the grass seed.

SOD VS. GRASS SEED – WHICH IS BETTER?

So, having tried both, which would I recommend: sod vs. grass seed?  I would totally pick sod if I could afford it – or I didn’t want to look at a dirt yard for too long.  Sod had that thrill of being almost instant, immediately hiding a chunk of our dirt lawn.  Really the only downside was the the manual labor (we needed the exercise anyway), the cost (why do things have to cost money), and the effort to get it (but luckily we have a truck just for this kind of thing).  We had tried grass seed in the townhouse and nada, so I wasn’t hopeful.  But I learned that the grass seed was effective, easy to bring home, way more affordable – so there are many perks for grass seed vs sod.  This was a good experiment because I’d like to seed some other areas that are patchy (ahem, thanks puppies).  I think that next year, with some strategic seeding, I might finally have a nice, lush lawn!

I hope this was helpful to anyone consider sod vs. grass seed but I’ll be honest: I literally wrote this entire post just so I could use the expression “tore up from the shore up” 😀