Sod is mature turfgrass cultivated on specialized farms. This allows for the rapid establishment of a lawn or turf area, providing immediate green cover that would take months to achieve with seeding. Harvesting involves carefully separating the mature grass, its dense root system, and a thin layer of soil from the field. The product must move quickly and efficiently from the farm to the final installation site while ensuring the root mass remains intact for survival.
Preparing the Turf for Harvest
Growers must first ensure the grass is mowed to an optimal, short height just before the harvesters arrive. This final trim is important for reducing the bulk of the grass blades. Reducing bulk helps prevent the sod rolls from overheating once they are stacked and awaiting transport.
Moisture control is a delicate balance that farm managers must achieve in the days leading up to the harvest. The soil needs to be adequately damp so that the root mass holds together firmly when cut, preventing the sod from crumbling during handling. If the soil is too wet, however, the heavy, muddy sod can jam the harvesting machinery and increase the product’s overall weight, making transport inefficient.
The turf must have reached a sufficient level of maturity, typically requiring a growth period of 10 to 18 months to develop a strong, dense root structure. Harvesting operations are sensitive to environmental conditions, generally pausing during periods of heavy rain or freezing temperatures. These constraints ensure the integrity of the soil and the safety of the field operations.
The Mechanical Cutting Process
Harvesting the mature turf is accomplished using specialized machinery known as sod harvesters. These large, tractor-drawn or self-propelled units execute a precise cut that separates the turf from the underlying soil. Modern harvesters use technology like GPS to ensure straight, uniform cuts, minimizing waste and maximizing efficiency across the large fields.
The depth of the cut determines the amount of root mass and soil remaining with the harvested product. The harvester blade is set to cut just beneath the dense root structure, usually maintaining a thickness of approximately 0.5 to 1 inch of soil attached to the roots. Cutting too shallowly risks the sod falling apart during handling. Cutting too deeply adds unnecessary weight and bulk, stressing the grass and making handling difficult.
The machinery cuts the sod into standardized dimensions to facilitate handling and installation.
- Residential and small commercial projects typically utilize small rolls, often cut to be 16 to 24 inches wide and 4 to 6 feet long.
- Larger commercial projects may use “big rolls,” which can be several feet wide and up to 100 feet long, requiring specialized equipment for laying and transport.
After the cut is made, the machinery immediately guides the separated strip of turf through a mechanism that either rolls it tightly or stacks it flat.
Rolling, Stacking, and Immediate Storage
As the sod exits the cutting mechanism, it is immediately prepared for transport. The small rolls are generally handled automatically by the harvester, which wraps them tightly enough to maintain their structural integrity without damaging the delicate grass blades. Flat slabs are instead cut into manageable sections and stacked directly onto pallets.
Once rolled or slabbed, the individual pieces are stacked onto wooden pallets. The stacking pattern is deliberate, designed to maintain stability during mechanized loading onto trucks and to allow for some airflow between the layers of sod. A typical pallet can hold enough sod to cover between 480 and 700 square feet of area, depending on the thickness and dimensions of the cut product.
The period between cutting and installation is time-sensitive because sod is a highly perishable living product. Once the turf is separated from the ground, the dense stacking pattern on the pallet can cause the grass to generate heat. To prevent overheating, dehydration, and root death, the harvested sod must be installed quickly, ideally within 24 hours of being cut. This urgency governs the entire logistics chain from the moment the harvester blade enters the soil until the sod is unrolled at its final destination.