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  • Buffalo Horticulture. The Landscape by Matthew Dore
  • Services
  • BLOG: Buffalo Landscape & Border Gardening
  • Matthew Dore, Landscape Designer, Buffalo, NY
  • Contact
  • Journal: \\"The Buff Hort Project\\"
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Border Gardening

"Border Gardening" is intended to represent the Buffalo Horticulture ideals as a "Design and Build Landscape Construction and Garden Care Service". It is soft, or hopes to be, and writes with a voice for those in search of value(s) in and from the landscape.

5/22/2016 2 Comments

Some Notes On The Use Of Sod


​1. Not that sod wasn't done a lot as I grew up, but, to an extent, it was a big deal if someone decided to sod their lawn. It would be a major expense to have an instant lawn. And so I've always shied away from sod thinking it was expensive and that clients were better off in the long run using seed.
​However, always (trying to be) engaged in self-critique, I think establishing a lawn with seed is a "higher level" horticultural operation and so seeding always appealed to me. But, in reality, this idea of sod being a large expense comes from a world where lawns are 20,000 and 30,000 square feet. In the city, lawns are 1000 square feet so for a couple hundred dollars one eliminates the work and concern of seed establishment and brings the client to rest and relax with their yard immediately.

​2. The biggest challenge with using sod in small quantities is the logistics of getting the material. We did two works in the last week where we used 250 square feet of sod (25 rolls)or less. The sod itself costs (+/-) $50, but the expense of acquisition - driving to Clarance, NY (14032) - to pick it up costs the client $100. Trucks aren't inexpensive. The first of the two jobs, I made the agreement that the client go pick the sod up and have it available for us when needed.

​3. I throw a lot of sod in the garbage (well - it gets composted). This has upset some clients in the past year. But here's how it is. It costs too much to run out. If you fall one roll short for some reason you need to drive all the way to Clarence to get one or two rolls. This was a big conversation with Jan who saw me "gift" our extra 15 rolls of sod to a friendly neighbor. She saw the "gifting" of sod as wasteful which she was ideologically opposed to. I saw the "gifting" as a conservation of labor, as to me, I am ideologically opposed to the wasteful expense of life. 
2 Comments
Jenny
5/23/2016 07:31:40 am

I watch a lot of HGTV and they always sod. I also lean towards seeding over sodding. But. they. always. sod.
Some of the 'two months later' updates have bad yards with dry dead seams where the sod hasn't grown or, taken.
What's the deal with making sure the sod takes? Is it more expensive replacing sod where it didn't work?
How much maintenance vs. seed does sod take in the beginning.

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Jenny
5/23/2016 07:42:46 am

This is a lot of questions. Surely it would be best for me to address them with another essay on sod installation. However...in summary...

Don't worry about sod. All you need to do is water it. "Just add water." "Sod that doesn't take," well, that just doesn't happen. There is only sod that isn't watered enough.

Beyond that - care for it as you would any high quality lawn - mow, fertilize, irrigate.

And...back off the HGTV Jenny. It melts your brain.

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    Matthew Dore

    Landscape designer and Proprietor of Buffalo Horticulture

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