Benefits of Sod
Sod provides the most direct route to a well established lawn. Carefully cultivated on a local farm, sod provides mature, dense grass that allows an exposed landscape to be quickly transformed to weed free turf without the care and attention needed with seeding. Sod is an exceptional choice for those wanting to establish a lawn with minimal effort and be able to use the lawn in the least amount of time.
Local Sod Source
With almost 20 years of experience cultivating sod, Top Notch Turf south of Kalispell is our source for the locally-grown grass we install. Top Notch Turf sod is a preferred product for top landscapers. Top Notch Turf grows varieties of sod that are specifically tailored to our climate and provide drought and disease resistance. We provide a brief explanation of each of these varieties below. You can find more details of each variety on the sod farm website here.
Sod Varieties
KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS BLEND
The chief cool-season turfgrass in northern latitudes, including Montana, is Kentucky bluegrass. Its vast rhizome network makes it an ideal sod species, anchoring the turf together as it is cut, rolled, and handled. With a high tolerance to cold, traffic, drought, and heat, Kentucky bluegrass is the grass of choice for open, sunny areas with well-drained soils. Not only will it bounce back from a long Montana winter, it will also handle the abuse of your neighborhood football, baseball, and soccer games! Kentucky bluegrass spreads by sending out rhizomes repairing areas of the yard that get damaged. Kentucky bluegrass does not do well in high shade areas.
As microclimate and shade conditions vary from property to property, the Kentucky bluegrass we install is seeded in a blend with other certified bluegrass varieties, as is recommended by Montana State University’s Extension Horticulture Specialist Cheryl Moore-Gough.
(Reference: Dr. Peter Landschoot, Professor of Turfgrass Science at Penn State University)
FINE FESCUE BLEND
Just as the name implies, this blend of grass has finer blades than Kentucky bluegrass giving a very uniform appearance across the lawn. Fescue is also a cool-season turf grass adapted to northern latitudes, including Montana. Fine fescue has good tolerance to a wide range of temperatures– midsummer heat and winter hardiness. It tolerates shade better than other turf blends and requires the less nutrients per year than Kentucky bluegrass. It has fair resistance to wear and is drought resistant. Fine fescue will not self-repair like Kentucky bluegrass and would need overseeding to fill in areas that are bare from overuse.
TALL FESCUE BLEND
Also a cool-season turf grass, tall fescue boasts one of the most extensive root systems making it more drought tolerant and an excellent choice for erosion control. Tall fescue is more shade tolerant than Kentucky bluegrass but less shade tolerant than fine fescue. It is a bunch grass and will spread by over ground tillers making it easier to keep out of neighboring landscaping. Tall fescue will not self-repair like Kentucky bluegrass and would need overseeding to fill in areas that are bare from overuse or damage.
Dimensions
We arrange for your sod to be cut, delivered, and installed on the same day. Depending on the layout of your property, we may request that your sod be cut in the following dimensions:
- Small rolls: 10 square feet (2′ x 5′) rolls installed by hand
- Big rolls: Rolls installed by machine for larger areas
