Sod installation in Tavares, FL

What a sod job includes

• RemoveThe old turf lifted with a sod cutter, so new roots meet sand instead of a dead mat.
• LevelRuts and dips filled, and the grade crowned away from the slab so storms drain off the house.
• Irrigation firstEvery zone run before a single piece goes down, with heads raised or re-aimed to reach the new edges.
• InstallTight joints, staggered rows, and clean cuts along beds, walks and the seawall cap.
• Water inA long soak the same day, then the first-weeks schedule taped to your controller.

St. Augustine, Bahia or Zoysia for a Tavares lot

Floratam St. Augustine is what most Tavares lawns already are, so it’s the usual choice for patches that have to blend in. It fills in fast in full sun but struggles under heavy tree cover, where a shade-tolerant St. Augustine such as Seville holds up better.

Bahia is the low-input option. It handles drought, needs less water to stay alive, and suits big open lots and the back of a waterfront parcel that nobody waters much. It looks coarser and thinner than St. Augustine, and goes off-color in a dry spell. Zoysia gives a dense, fine carpet but recovers slowly from damage and wants its mowing height kept exact.

Laying sod on a lakefront lot

On a lot that slopes down to the water, fresh sod can slide in a hard summer storm before it roots. On steeper banks we pin the pieces in place. We also stop the sod short of the lake: the strip along the water is better as an unmowed native buffer, which is what UF/IFAS recommends for protecting the lake.

How long sod takes to root, and watering it

In warm weather, new sod usually knits into sandy soil within a few weeks. A quick test: if a corner no longer peels up when you tug it, the roots have taken. Hold off the first mow until then, and keep foot traffic off it. Late spring into early summer is the easiest time to lay it, with the rainy season helping out.

The Phase III water shortage order (No. 2026-017) from the St. Johns River Water Management District gives newly laid sod extra watering days for its first weeks. After that it goes onto the address’s regular day: odd-numbered addresses on Saturday and even-numbered addresses on Sunday. No irrigation between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. The same limits apply to a sprinkler system that pumps from the lake. Check the water management district’s watering page for the current rules.

Pricing sod by the square foot of your lawn

What a sod job costs depends on the area, the grass and the prep work. We measure the area from parcel records and a recent aerial photo, so the quote shows the square footage you’re paying for, and it stays a fixed price for the whole job. Once the sod has rooted, it can go straight onto our weekly mowing route.

Want your number? Fill in the form, or call (352) 744-0101 with the Tavares address.