Seesawing Between Seed & Sod? 6 Advantages of Grass Seed You Need to Consider

When building a new yard, you have two choices for grass: seed and sod. Both have pros and cons, so you might find yourself sitting on the white-picket-fence about which is best for your lawn. Sod is instant, but grass seed is less expensive. Along with being inexpensive, grass seed has a few other tricks up its sleeve that might be worth your while. Here are six advantages of grass seed that will make you believe in greener pastures.

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Grass seed costs less than sod

Even if you buy grass seed from high-quality grass seed providers like Nature’s Seed, it costs significantly less than sod. In general, sod costs on average about $1 per square foot. Seed costs on average $0.05 per square foot. If you have a 1,500 square foot yard, you’re talking about a difference of $75 versus $1,500 to grow grass.

If you hire a company to lay the sod for you, the expenses will increase as you add labor costs. Grass seed is doubtlessly the most economical option for planting a yard.

Spreading grass seed is easier than laying sod

While sod does provide an instant yard, that instant yard comes at more than a hefty price. It is a labor-intensive job to carry each roll of sod, unroll it, and lay it. Most people cannot lay sod on their own because the rolls are too heavy and bulky for one person to carry.

You only need a seed-spreading tool to plant grass seed. This task requires you to walk back and forth over your yard while the machine spreads it evenly.

Seed roots establish better than sod roots

To produce the rolls of sod, farmers have to cut the grass at the roots. When laying sod, there’s no guarantee the roots will re-establish, especially after the trauma they experienced. Ideally, you should lay sod immediately after the sod farmers lift it. Most sod sits on trucks for several days before it reaches its final destination, making it less likely to successfully re-establish roots.

On the other hand, grass seed grows where it lands, so it is likely to establish strong and successful roots. With thicker roots, grassy yards need less maintenance, as the roots are more likely to access water and nutrients below the ground.

Grass seed offers more choices than sod

If you have unique circumstances, like a shady yard or hours of sun, your yard will need a specialty seed. Most sod is bluegrass or a mixture that includes it, which might be a variety that will not thrive in your yard. When you choose grass seed, you can choose the exact variety that will succeed in your region and yard.

Preparing your yard

Before you seed your yard, it is necessary to prep your yard for the process. Take time to remove weeds and other plants that could interfere with the growth of your new grass seed. Weeds slow the development of new grass seeds as they both work hard to establish themselves in freshly prepared dirt.

However, once your grass seed establishes itself in your yard, it will root firmly and prevent weeds from taking over. Unfortunately, this resistance is not always the case with sod, as weeds can establish under the safety of the sod blanket and poke through after you think your sod has set.

You can buy fresh seeds

All too often, homeowners have no idea how long sod has been on a truck before it arrives at their homes. When you buy grass seed from a reputable seller, you can ask about the freshness, and the seller can tell you exactly when they harvested the seeds.

Wrap up

Planting your yard with grass seed from a quality seed seller might take longer to grow into a green yard, but the long-term benefits of planting grass seed outweigh any negatives. Once your grass seed grows, you take care of it by watering, fertilizing, and mowing it. Though sod might be a consideration if you’ve got the extra cash to throw at it, the advantages of grass prove that the grass is greener on the other side.