When Is it Time to Resod?

A grass-covered lawn that's perfectly green can beautify your property and give kids and pets a fresh surface to play on. Like all plants, however, grass needs to be maintained. Resodding is one way to do this. The process involves tearing up the lawn with a sod cutter and replacing it with fresh sod. Every lawn is different, and finding the best time for you to reseed will ensure that your grass flourishes for years to come.

The most common time to resod in the United States is in the fall, especially if you live in the north. Because grass is sensitive to heat, seeding in fall months will give your grass time to grow during the cool parts of the year. Late August and early September are ideal times to resod, especially if there are no other factors affecting your decision, such as vacation, strange weather or a patchy lawn. Avoid planting sod less than one month before the first winter frost.

Other than fall, spring is an effective time of year to resod a lawn or field, especially if you live in the southern United States. You want to avoid warm, dry weather, so if summers are especially hot where you live, plant sod early in the spring.

You can resod anytime if your lawn or field looks like needs it. Look out for brown patches of grass or bare spots. You don't need to pull up the entire lawn. Instead, clear the affected spots of unwanted grass, weeds, roots and debris. Use a rake to smooth the surface and plant your sod.

Before you resod, you will need to prepare your lawn no matter what time of year it is. As with patches of dead grass, remove all debris using a hoe or other instrument. Till the area and rake it until it's completely level. Spread some fertilizer and water the ground lightly.