From School to Garden – Where Sod Comes From

Sod is always a great choice if you want your garden to be green quickly, easily, and without fuss. It offers many advantages: it's already grown, so there's no long wait for the first grass shoots to appear.

Sod is the fast alternative to grass seed. But surely sod must have been sown at some point, right? And where does that green roll actually come from? These are common questions you might have wondered about.

Just like trees in our gardens typically come from tree nurseries, sod (Rollrasen) comes from turf farms (which you could playfully call "sod schools"). It makes sense, doesn't it? But what does sod learn in "school"? Since a sushi master likely won't teach it how to roll itself up, it learns something else: how to grow.

Turf farms cultivate sod on large areas to produce the lush green carpets that are then laid in gardens. And just as every class has its class clown, overachiever, princess, and daredevil, there are also different types of sod. Shade sod, play sod, or premium sod are just a few of the varieties available.

Sod (Rollrasen) is truly ready to be "off the roll" only when it can be harvested. This moment depends on whether the grass area is closed and densely grown. After all, you want to cover brown spots with the rolled-up green, not create new ones.

How long the sod needs to stay in "school" depends entirely on the grass itself. Typically, high-quality sod grows for 12 to 14 months at the turf farm before it's ready to move to your garden. Only this extended growth period ensures that the sod is free of weeds and moss and has developed strong, lush green blades during its time at the turf farm.

If you've decided on sod, it's best to prepare your garden in advance. Once the sod receives its "school diploma" and is released, it needs to be laid within 36 hours. If not, the roll can start to mold and the grass will turn yellow.

By the way, a roll of sod typically weighs between 15 and 20 kilograms. This weight can vary depending on the weather conditions when the sod is harvested. So, when it comes to freshness, sod is as good as it gets! The sod is harvested in the morning, transported, and laid by evening at the latest, ready to finally put down roots forever. After all, who isn't glad to have their school days behind them?