Sod spec builder

Pick the options and get a numbered sodding section you can copy or print. It starts from the sample spec text on our specs page, which follows Turfgrass Producers International's guideline specifications, Texas A&M AgriLife, and the TxDOT and ODOT standard specifications. It runs in this browser; nothing is sent.

Project

Project name (optional)

Section number

Sod

Species and cultivar

Name the cultivar, not just the species. AgriLife describes Tifway 419 as a hybrid bermudagrass that needs full sun; for shade see the turf selector.

Certified sod required?

Not every cultivar is in a certification program. Ask the grower whether the sod is certified and by which agency before you require it.

Harvest to install

AgriLife says less in hot weather.

Format

Soil preparation

Soil test from a recognized lab; amend per its report Work amendments into the top 4 to 6 inches (AgriLife) Remove debris and stones larger than 1.5 inches from the top 4 inches Firm the bed; no footprints, depressions, or mounds; never lay on dry or frozen soil Irrigation heads 1/2 to 3/4 inch above finish grade (AgriLife, for sod) Topsoil to a depth shown on the drawings (blank for the specifier)

Slopes and drainageways

Secure standard pieces on slopes of

Securing method

Include swales and drainageways (pieces across flow and pegged; large rolls with the flow)

Watering and establishment

Water supplied by

Maintenance period (days)

TPI's default is 30.

Mowing height (inches)

No mowing until rooted; remove no more than 30% of the leaf per mowing

Acceptance

Accept installation within (hours of completion)

TPI's guideline is 12.

Final acceptance: rooted (resists lifting at the corners), uniform, reasonably free of weeds and disease Replace dead or failing sod at no cost to the Owner and extend the period for replaced areas Dormant-season installation only with written approval

Roadway references

Texas: TxDOT 2024 Standard Specifications, Item 162 and related items Oklahoma: ODOT 2019 Standard Specifications, Section 230 and Subsection 735.01

Inserts the references and a governing-document clause. On roadway work the agency's specification and the plans govern; this does not replace them. See roadway notes.

Your spec section

Pricing a specified job

Send the area, address, date, and format. A partner grower quotes it. Soddesk does not set the price.

Start a job Spec notes Sod calculator

Sources

Turfgrass Producers International, “Guideline Specifications to Turfgrass Sodding,” revised 2006: 24-hour harvest-to-install, 0.60 ± 0.25 inch cut, 3:1 slope securing, 12-hour installation acceptance, 30-day maintenance, 30% mowing rule. Read from a copy of the 2006 revision; confirm its current position with TPI.
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, How to Select and Install Sod (SCSC-PU-125) — best within 36 hours of harvest.
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Turfgrass Establishment for Texas (SCSC-PU-079) — certified sod; amendments in the top 4 to 6 inches; firm surface free of footprints, stones, depressions, and mounds; irrigation heads 1/2 to 3/4 inch above grade for sod; sod heating.
Oklahoma State University Extension, Establishing a Lawn in Oklahoma (HLA-6419) — never sod into dry soil.
TxDOT, 2024 Standard Specifications, Items 160–169.
ODOT, 2019 Standard Specifications, Sections 230, 233, 234, 241 and 735.01.

Every option and clause comes from the specs page and the sources above. Bracketed text [like this] is a choice or blank for the specifier.