Sod
Three grasses a Katy builder actually orders
Which one goes on a lot depends on sun, the homeowner's upkeep and what your community's plan says.
- Sun to part shade
St. Augustine
The usual choice for builder lots in this area: coarse, thick and easy to find in volume. Takes some shade.
Needs steady water in summer
Creeps by runners
- Full sun
Bermuda
Full sun, tough and quick to knit. A fit for open lots, parks and the strip along a street.
Goes tan in winter
Does not like shade
- Sun to light shade
Zoysia
Dense and fine-bladed with a more finished look. Slower to establish, so it is asked for on higher-end sections.
Slower to fill seams
Holds a clean edge
Your community's plan and the sod supplier's stock decide the final choice.
Install
Pad finish, pallet drop, laid in a day
Sod goes down within hours of the pallets arriving, because it's alive and heats up in a stack.
What the crew does
Pad raked and rolled to a smooth finish
Pallets dropped by the lot, never stacked in the street
Seams staggered and tight, edges cut to walk and curb
Rolled, then watered in by the crew
Calendar
When sod goes down around Katy
Warm-season grass can be laid most of the year here. What changes is how fast it roots and how much watering it needs.
January – March
Slow growth and tan color until it warms. We lay sod when the ground isn't frozen or soaked; plan for a slower green-up.
April – June
The fastest rooting of the year. Most builders book their biggest sections in this window.
July – September
Laid early in the day with more watering days on the homeowner's sheet. Heat and storms can move a date.
October – December
Good rooting until the first freezes, then the grass goes dormant. Closings in winter get sod that will green in spring.
General guidance for the Katy area; the sod supplier and the weather decide each week.
Sod questions
Before the pallets arrive
How soon can you start, and how long does a lot take?
Start dates come from your release. Once the pad is graded and water is on, sod on a standard lot is usually laid in a day, and sprinklers go in before it. Your bid lists the working days for each step.
What about rain, freezes and the summer heat?
Standing water or a hard freeze moves the date, and we text the new one. In July and August we schedule early and ask the homeowner for extra watering days on the sheet we hand over.
What should a lot look like before we arrive?
Pad graded close to final, utilities flagged, a live hose bib or other water source, a clear path for the pallet truck, and no stockpiles or concrete washout on the area to be sodded.
Who waters new sod?
The new owner. We leave a one-page watering sheet for each lot, in English and Spanish, that your sales office can hand over at closing. Sprinkler zones are set up and the controller is programmed before we leave.