Pro Tips From Central Florida Sod & Turf Experts

Lake Jem Farms – The Trusted Source for Sod & Turf for Over 30 years!

Orlando Sod Replacement

Jun 7, 2017 | Lawn Installation

Whether you own or manage a commercial building, apartment complex, restaurant, or a private residence in Orlando, an attractive lawn is appealing to your guests, customers, and potential buyers of your property. By simply replacing your sod, you can dramatically improve the aesthetics of your property, increase its value, and obtain more rental revenue.

If you reside in Central Florida, you are probably already aware that sod that was once healthy can quickly deteriorate. Whether your lawn is established through sod installation or from seed, the visual appeal of your property is greatly impacted by the health of your lawn. There are a number of indications for when you need to replace your sod:

Signs to Look For

While it’s true that lawn maintenance such as fertilizing, watering, regular mowing and pest control can increase your lawn’s life, you will still have to replace your sod occasionally.

Weeds Everywhere

If your lawn is covered with various types of weeds that keep spreading even though you attempt to control them, it is time to replace your sod. There are several kinds of weeds that resist weed control chemicals and other weed control methods and they will keep spreading until they dominate your lawn. If your lawn has this issue, you must be sure that all of the weeds are completely eradicated by their roots prior to placing new sod, or you could end up with the same problem again.

Bare Spots

If your lawn is beginning to have bare spots and looks sparse in some parts, even after you have fertilized and watered it, you should probably replace the worn areas with new sod. Bare sports can result from waste from pets and other animals, heavy foot traffic, an insect infestation, or an area that is unable to retain water and nutrition. If the problem is due to insects, you will have to take measures to eradicate them as soon as you can, so they cannot spread.

Change To A New Variety of Sod

If the lawn you have is becoming worn and you want to change to a different type of grass, you can easily do so. For example, if your property came with Seville St. Augustine and you would like to change to Celebration Bermuda, you can do this fairly quickly by simply replacing your sod, rather than going through the laborious process of establishing a new lawn from seed. Lake Jem Farms can help you to establish a new lawn in no time!

Lawn Shrinkage

Central Florida has two kinds of soil. One of them is primarily sand and the other is muck. Soil that is muck based can shrink, which will result in gaps in your lawn. If this occurs, you’ll need to fill in the gaps with sod in order to maintain a seamless lawn.

Frost Damage

Even though frost does not occur frequently in Florida, it can occur during the winter when temperatures can go below freezing. Most types of grass will turn brown when they are damaged by frost. Sometimes those brown patches will revive themselves, sometimes they will not and you will need to replace them with new sod.

When Is The Optimal Time For Sod Replacement?

The relatively mild climate of Orlando and its environs will permit sod replacement throughout the year. Nevertheless, certain types of sod will become established much sooner when placed during the right season.

Cold season sods should be places some time from September to mid-March, whereas warm climate sod should be placed from April to July. The ideal daytime temperature should be about 65 degrees Fahrenheit. If it is significantly colder, the new sod may suffer shock. If it is a lot warmer it may dry out quickly. Another issue to be mindful of is how rapidly sod will dry out even when outside temperatures are not excessively warm. You must ensure that your new sod is kept moist regardless of the outside temperature. It is particularly important to maintain moist sod before it becomes established with its roots firmly embedded in the soil, otherwise, it is likely to die.

How Lake Jem Farms Can Help

Lake Jem Farms grows and places several different types of sod for both commercial and residential properties. Here’s how we can help you select the right type of sod for your property so you will have an attractive long-lasting lawn to beautify your property.

We’ll help you select the right kind of sod for your individual needs. Sod sales and installation is our specialty, and it contributes to 100% of our annual revenue. We have a great deal of experience and expertise in selecting the proper type of sod based upon a number of factors such as soil conditions, amount of sunlight, presence or absence of an irrigation system, and numerous additional factors. Selecting the right type of sod may seem intimidating, but we can guide you to the right choice based upon our many years of experience.

Prior to installation, we thoroughly prepare the area upon which the sod will be placed. We make certain that all existing turf and weeds are removed by the roots before sod placement begins. Some types of grass like Torpedo, and Bermuda will return after several weeks if they aren’t completely removed by proper soil preparation. We make use of professional grading equipment to ensure that your soil is immaculately cleared, graded, and leveled before your new sod is installed.

We also analyze your irrigation needs. New sod won’t survive unless it is properly irrigated. We inspect your existing irrigation system and give advice on how to best use it to your advantage. We will also help you to set the timing of your irrigation system and provide you with detailed instructions on how to best care for your new sod so that it will become well established.

We have relationships with many landscape companies in Central Florida. We have many years of experience in lawn maintenance and we’re familiar with the best companies to use in order to ensure the proper maintenance of your new lawn.

Lake Jem Farms will provide a warranty for your new sod that will last through the time your sod is established which should be between four and six weeks. The warranty is in effect provided that adequate irrigation and maintenance is carried out in accordance with our maintenance instructions.