Sod or Seed: Which is Better?

If you’re wondering which to choose, sod and seed each have their own advantages and disadvantages—and slightly differing uses, too. For instance, if grass already exists, but it’s just a bit sparse, re-seeding might be the best way to freshen up a lawn. If there is no more than bare earth, however, sod gives you an instant lawn. Simply unroll it to carpet the yard in green.

Read below for other advantages and disadvantages to each.

Advantages of Sod

Not only does sod give you instant results, but if you need to prevent soil erosion quickly, then this is a great option for that, too. That’s because as soon as the sod has been installed, it acts as a barrier to prevent water from wearing away the soil below.

Another major advantage to sod is that it’s less restrictive in planting times. Grass seed should be planted earlier in the year so that it has plenty of time to establish, but you can get away with installing sod in later summer months.

Sod is also the lower-maintenance option. Because it completely covers the soil beneath, it blocks weeds from sprouting. You also won’t have to worry about covering it with straw or another mulch the way you would with grass seed, nor will you need to worry about birds and other wildlife eating the seed.

Advantages of Seed

Seed has its own set of advantages. For one thing, it’s easier to DIY this job—and grass seed is much cheaper than sod, too. There are also more varieties available. If you can’t find a certain grass species available as sod, chances are, you can find it as seed.

One of the biggest advantages to grass seed is that it’s best for patching and for re-seeding. In areas where grass is sparse, you can simply put down new seed to refresh it. If an existing lawn has bare patches, then use grass seed of the same species to regrow those patches, and you won’t have to worry about mismatched grass varieties.

As you can see, both have their own uses and their own drawbacks. Choose the option that best fits your budget and your needs.