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.