Is sod or seed more beneficial?

Anyone who's ever laid down their own lawn has had to come to the decision

eventually: once the ground has been prepared, is it best to go with sod or seed? Not surprisingly, like many other decisions with respect to homeowning,

choosing between sod or seed is not an easy call.

Part of what makes the sod versus seed question hard to solve is that there's

often no right answer. Most of the time, the decisions need to be looked at on a case-by-case basis. Before you go ahead with deciding what's best for you, consider

the following factors that could weight heavy in your decision. + Price: One of the first things any homeowner wants to know when it comes to

repairing or improving his home is what it's going to cost. The same goes with

the yard, where prices can differ greatly depending on the choice you make.

When it comes to a new lawn, seed is far less expensive than sod. Sod is

essentially seeded grass that someone else tended to. As a result, the cost of

sod reflects the effort that went into tending to the grass. While seed doesn't cost as much, you'll have to be diligent in tending to your lawn once you've laid

down the seed. But if cost is your chief concern, seed is your best bet. + Time of year: While you can apply seed any time of the year, it's not going to

grow outside of growing season. Typically, growing season is in late spring or

early fall. If you've missed seeding season, don't even bother throwing down

seed. It will prove to be an expensive mistake that yields no result, and you'll just have to apply seed again once the season returns. Sod, on the other hand,

can be laid down throughout the year (though laying sod in the dead of winter

would be a bad idea) and take to the soil.

+ Landscape: Neither seed nor sod take to every lawn. For instance, homeowners

whose yards are laden with trees should choose to go with seed. That's because sun is a big factor in whether or not most sod will take to the soil. If you

seed areas under trees, be sure to choose a seed that will thrive without much

sunlight. Ask you local lawncare professional for the best seed for such areas. On the other hand, if your yard is hilly or slopes a lot, you'll probably want to go

with sod. This is to ensure rains or water won't wash the seed down the hill. + Why you're planting: Homeowners hoping to sell their house and increase the

home's curb appeal with a new lawn should consider sod as opposed to seed.

That's because sod will look better instantly, whereas seed will take a while to

grow into a beautiful, lush lawn. Another example where time plays a role is if you're hoping to have an outdoors party where you don't want your guests stepping

in and then tracking mud into your home. Sod doesn't take time to cover up, so you won't need to worry about guests getting dirty and tracking that dirt

into your home.

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