5 Feb

How to water your new sod!

Posted by shelbycooper in Sod Maintenance. Tagged: , , , , .

Water is the most important resource that insures this world’s existence. It is life and death; therefore, water is the key element to having a healthy, beautiful, lush lawn.

Butterworth machines function similarly to law...The most important thing to remember is that grass and sod does not waste water, people do.

Water is very important when installing new sod because it is a perishable commodity; therefore, it must be watered as soon as possible once it has been laid. The first few days of watering are critical! Your sod will start to establish itself in this time period and, “build up the subsoil moisture” that will help start the process of the roots knitting itself with the soil. The amount of water your newly laid sod needs depends on the depth of your topsoil. If you have only 4” of topsoil then you will water your sod until it is “soaked” all the way down to the clay, which holds the water. To know that your sod is getting enough water, use a long screwdriver to probe the soil to help determine the depth of the moisture (remember the depth you want to measure depends on the depth of your topsoil).

Be sure to keep you sod “soaked” for the first 10 to 12 days. You may have to water 3 to 4 times a day to make sure the sod blades and root zone stay moist, depending on numerous factors such as wind and temperature. After the two-week duration has passed your sod should be thoroughly knitted with the soil and already growing quickly. You should water your lawn every 2 to 4 days. It is better to apply 1/2 to ¾ inches at each application rather than lesser amounts daily.

The 3rd week is considered the transition period, where you go from watering daily to increasing the number of days between each watering. This is also the time when you can begin routine maintenance for you lawn. After your lawn has been fully established you can increase the number of days between watering depending on the season and the weather. Make sure to keep you eye on your lawn and use common sense to see if your lawn is dehydrated or not.

Visit http://www.rockymountainsodgrowers.com/watering.html for a graph that depicts the average weekly water requirements to maintain a healthy lawn.

29 Jan

Choosing between purchasing sod or seeding your own lawn

Posted by shelbycooper in Sod Facts. Tagged: , , .

The main question as to purchasing sodor seeding your lawn is; do you want instant gratification or are you willing to wait for a beautiful lush lawn?

A Striped Lawn
Newly sodded lawn, in great condition

The cost of purchasing sod is ten times the amount of purchasing seed, but what it boils down to is that over time the costs you incur with a seeded lawn exponentially outweigh those of purchasing sod. When trying to deciding if you want to lay sod or seed your lawn you need to take into account two factors: cost and time; both are very important.

Sod is more expensive than seeding your lawn, but, it is more convenient and easier to maintain. A major pro for sod is that it gives you an instant lush lawn. The sod can be delivered and installed at your home, business, park or any other location within a matter of hours, as long as the soil has been prepared properly. Installing your own sod is also an option. It is physically more difficult than seeding your lawn, but is very doable for the common man or woman. Sod takes about five to ten days to fully knit itself in with the soil and requires heavy watering for the first two weeks. Water is the key to having a lush, beautiful lawn in practically no time. Also, you only need to fertilize your yard about twice a year. Maintenance for your new law will start immediately once the sod is laid.

Growing your own lawn from seeds is a difficult task. The initial cost of the seeds are very cheap compared to sod. It requires you to invest more time and effort in trying to get your seeds to mature and provide uniform cover throughout your lawn. A lot of the time the seeds do not germinate, thus, leaving large empty patches throughout your lawn. The biggest problem you face with a seeded lawn is wind erosion and water erosion. This will require reseeding and can happen over and over. The entire process could take up to two years to get your lawn to be as lush as a lawn that was laid with sod. The cost of irrigating, fertilizing, and tending to the seeded lawn will lead to a higher cost in the long run. Therefore the best bang for the buck is to purchase sod directly from a sod farm.

Seeds did not germinate, thus leaving patches
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23 Jan

Emerald Sod Farms Selected to Renovate Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver

Posted by emeraldsodfarms in Projects.

Gravesites located in a very new section of Fo...

Emerald Sod Farms is honored to be selected to renovate and restore Fort Logan National Cemetery, in Denver Colorado. Emerald Sod Farms is delivering and installing over three million square feet of our four-way blend of Kentucky bluegrass, and the project is ongoing.  Fort Logan played an important role in the history of Denver and the settlement of the West and though it’s role has changed as a National Cemetery, it continues to serve as place to honor our Nation’s military heritage.  We appreciate this opportunity to honor our Nation’s heroes by restoring their final resting place.  This video shows how we install our turfgrass between the rows of headstones, while carefully avoiding any damage.

The following information about Fort Logan comes from the Fort Logan website:

Fort Logan National Cemetery is located near the southwest boundary of the City of Denver. By the 1880s, with the removal of much of the Native American population to reservations, the federal government had begun to close many frontier forts because the rapid growth of the railroad had made it easier for the Army to quickly move troops to where they were needed. The frontier posts that had played such an important role in the development of the West became increasingly obsolete and expensive to support.

Still, the citizenry of Denver, in relative isolation and apprehensive about increased immigration from the East and abroad, petitioned the Army to establish a post near the city. In 1886, Colorado Sen. Henry M. Teller introduced a bill in Congress authorizing construction of the post, and it was signed into law in early 1887.  When Fort Logan was established, a little over three acres was set aside in 1889 for a post cemetery. The first recorded burial was Mable Peterkin, daughter of Private Peterkin, who died on June 28, 1889.

The first soldiers to arrive at Fort Logan were members of the 18th Infantry from Fort Hays and Leavenworth, Kan., who immediately set up a temporary barracks and guardhouse while construction began on permanent facilities. The name of the fort, originally known as “the camp near the city of Denver,” became Fort Logan in August 1889. The fort was named for General John A. Logan, who rose to the rank of Union Army general and commander of volunteer forces during the Civil War.  After the Civil War, General Logan headed the veteran’s organization called the Grand Army of the Republic.   As the head of this organization, he issued General Order No. 11, establishing May 30 as “Decoration Day” to honor the Civil War dead. This later became a national holiday we now know as Memorial Day.

English: General John A. Logan statue at Grant...

Although 340 acres of land were added to the fort in 1908, by 1909 Fort Logan was reduced to a recruiting depot. This remained its sole function until 1922 when the 38th Infantry was garrisoned at what locals sometimes referred to as “Fort Forgotten.” Despite a brief resurgence of activity in the 1930s and early 1940s, Fort Logan closed in May 1946. In 1960, much of the land was deeded to the State of Colorado to establish a state hospital that still operates as the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Fort Logan. On March 10, 1950, Congress authorized the use of military lands at Fort Logan as a national cemetery, but limited the size to no more than 160 acres. Since that time, the cemetery has expanded from the original 160 acres to 214 acres.

Emerald Sod Farms grows the highest quality turfgrass sod you’ll find in the Denver area, and our sod is specially adapted for the harsh climate associated with the Front Range and the Rocky Mountains.  If need quality turfgrass for a project, big or small, give us a call for more information at 303-654-0202.

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