BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES: The Sod Solution

In today’s society, nearly everything is on-demand. Need a bite to eat? Dash to the drive-through. Dying to outfit the living room with the latest and greatest HDTV? Whip out the plastic. Unfortunately, this immediate gratification often leads to trouble – and the good-for-you instant options can be hard to pin down.

But the landscaping industry is one of the few offering a “right now” choice that is often better than the wait-and-be-patient option. Namely, sod. 

“Sod is quick and clean and completes the job,” says Tom Keevan, vice president and treasurer of Emerald View Turf Farms in Columbia, Ill. “That is why we sell sod – because it finishes the project and makes it look nice.”
 
And industry statistics confirm that the popularity of so-called “instant grass” is growing. According to the East Dundee, Ill.-based Turfgrass Producers International, nationwide production of sod has increased from 218,161 acres per year in 1992 to more than 386,000 in 2002. And, as of 2002, the United States boasted more than 2,100 sod farms, up from just 1,614 for the 10 years prior. All-in-all, it is a $147 billion-per-year industry, with 56 percent of contractors reporting that they offer sod installation as a service, making up 80 percent of all sod farm sales.

MAY BE SIMPLER THAN SEEDING. But what about good old-fashioned seeding, or even hydroseeding? Sure, some customers still ask for them (many even believe they ultimately produce better lawns). And seeded lawns can wind up lush and green, but getting it to that point takes special skills – skills the typical person doesn’t possess. 
 
Without this education, the results can be disastrous – from something as basic as a weed infestation to uneven seed distribution and erosion. Plus, many homeowners lack the time or patience to devote to fertilization, mowing and weed control, so unless they hire a professional to tend to the lawn until it reaches maturity, they will likely be disappointed. And disappointed clients mean more complaints and callbacks to the contractor, something less likely to occur with sod.
 
“Properly installed sod combined with a customer who has been properly briefed in its care certainly should generate fewer callbacks than seeding,” says Ben Copeland Sr., president of Patten Seed and Super-Sod in Lakeland, Ga.
     
Nonetheless, some potential clients shy away from sod because the initial financial investment seems too steep, as high as 50 cents per square foot for sod, compared to as low as 9 cents for seed. But that initial investment can be deceiving. Despite the up-front price, seed can cost as much as sod over time.
 
“If you are really honest with yourself, the cost of sodding and seeding are pretty much the same, if you look at the long-term cost of trying to grow in a seeded lawn,” says Randy Tischer, who co-owns Green Velvet Sod Farms in Bellbrook, Ohio. In fact, many customers end up investing in sod after being disappointed in their attempt to grow grass themselves, he adds.

QUALITY CLUES. Not all sod is created equal. While most growers strive to produce and sell high-quality sod, some do peddle substandard varieties.
 
“When you are buying grass you pay for quality,” Keevan says. “And you get what you pay for.”
 
But by learning to identify the good from the bad, contractors can ensure these “bad seeds” don’t get passed along to customers. First and foremost, Copeland says make sure the root system and soil are attached to the grass.
 
“It should hold together and have good construction,” he says. “And, it should all be mowed to the same height and be alive and well.”
 
Other tips include looking at the product before agreeing to a purchase, checking the sod farm’s references and inquiring about whether the grower  stands behind the product with guarantees and  offers support and service before and after the sale.
 
Choosing the right type of grass for the application is also a priority. For home lawns and commercial/business landscaping, Blue Fescue sod is common. Bermuda works well for athletic fields, and Zoysia is a popular choice for golf courses. Bluegrass, one of the most widely-used grass varieties, is also an excellent option for things like highway roadside landscaping as well as some home lawns.
 
Contractors can also increase the odds of customer satisfaction by making sure the soil is properly prepped before installation. Not doing so is one of the biggest mistakes contractors make when installing sod, Copeland says. Start by removing all rocks, debris and existing vegetation. Then, till the soil, create a soil root zone, and grade the ground for proper drainage.
 
“You don’t want little bird baths in the lawn or the (sod) won’t perform well,” Keevan says.
 
And while it may seem obvious, some contractors forget to leave clients with basic operating instructions.
 
“Homeowners tend to over- or under-water because they have not been briefed on how to water,” Copeland says, adding new sod should be kept constantly moist for two to three weeks, with no standing water, until roots are established. They should also hold-off on mowing during this time.

INDUSTRY INNOVATIONS. Historically, higher labor costs have contributed to lofty sod prices. But as the industry grows, innovations are bringing labor costs down, ultimately making sod a viable service for more and more contractors to offer. The introduction of larger rolls, for example, is a major factor in this phenomenon. Instead of tiny squares delivered on a palate and placed onto to the soil by hand, these large rolls are put into place with a tractor.
 
The actual size of a large sod roll varies slightly by grower. Emerald View, for example produces rolls ranging from 42 to 48 inches wide and 104 to 135 feet long. At Green Velvet, large rolls are 48 inches wide by 85 feet long. Regardless of the size, installation is speedy, as the tractor does most of the work. And while it used to take an entire day and a large crew to sod an average lawn, now two or three people can do the job in a few hours, Tischer says.
 
In addition to more efficient installation techniques, the industry has morphed into a major player in residential landscaping. 
 
In fact, some zoning agencies in the southeastern U.S. require it, Copeland says, as do regulations within individual subdivisions. And while these regulations do give the neighborhoods a neat-and-tidy look, they aren’t about curb appeal.
 
“If the builder goes ahead and sods the yard, there is less likelihood that in a rainy time the soil will erode,” Copeland says. 
 
“Sod is the best erosion control blanket that there is,” says Tischer, explaining that because sod has already had an opportunity to develop a mature root system, it comes with at least ¼ layer of thatch. The thatch acts as a filter, which will in turn act as a sponge for rainwater and other runoff, pesticides and fertilizer. “Usually, sod is 18 months to 2 years old at harvest, and by that time it has a pretty good layer of roots,” he adds.

THE PRICE IS RIGHT. All this knowledge, however, is futile unless landscape contractors are actually successful in convincing clients that sod is the way to go. The key, of course, is the right price, one that allows contractors to earn profits without causing sticker shock.
 
Contractor Russ Harris, owner of Harris Sod and Seeding in Van Dalia, Ohio, charges by the square foot, 26 cents on the low-end, 30 cents on the high end, which includes the sod itself, along with rock hounding and grading. And though 30 cents per square yard is usually his high-end, it only applies if the landscaper finds perfectly-prepped soil at the job site.
 
“If there is extra prep-work, we let them know it is going to cost extra,” Harris says.
 
But even the most careful landscaper with the most precise bid can run into obstacles, such as a terrain that turns out to be more difficult than anticipated.
 
Harris, who meets regularly with his crew to ensure all jobs are going along as planned, says there is only one way to keep these issues form erupting into huge problems: good communication.
 
“That’s the best strategy,” he says.