Winter Newsletter 2024

Thank You for Your Business in 2024

The Sod Guy would like to give a sincere Thank You to all of you for your business. We have stopped harvesting our sod for the 2024 season and expect to start offering it again mid-March of 2025. We’d like to wish all of you a very Happy and Safe Holiday Season and look forward to helping you with your future projects. The Sod Guy understands that it is our customers who keep our business open and we are committed to assisting you with your lawn projects. Thank You again and we look forward to 2025.

Our newsletter will provide some seasonal information for you as well as helpful hints and tips for the care and maintenance of your lawn for the season. Please take a moment to read our latest articles.

Dog Tuff™ Grass!

The Sod Guy introduced a new grass product called Dog Tuff in 2024. Dog Tuff was selected in order to have a product that would accommodate the WaterWise movement in Colorado. It was our first year with it and we have learned a lot about the product. 

Dog Tuff is a Bermuda Grass and when completely established is a great option for a drought tolerant, low water and low maintenance grass. It is also great for dog owners because it holds up well to dog traffic and dog urine unlike other grasses. The establishment period is much longer than typical sod products since it is installed in a plug form. It can take a full season to fully establish the grass and if installed in the middle of the summer, it will likely need to go into the following year to complete its establishment cycle. 

If you or your family or friends are needing a dog friendly grass and are considering Dog Tuff for your yard, please contact us in the March timeframe to get a quote and get on our schedule for a spring install. This will allow the grass to use the whole summer season to get established and ready to get through the winter. 

The photos below show what the Dog Tuff looks like the day they are planted in their plug form and the progression over a 3-4 month period. The last two pictures show the Dog Tuff not mowed which has a lumpy look due to the plug process and then after mowing which shows a more groomed look. Here are some of the pros and cons of Dog Tuff.

Pros:

• WateWise turf grass – only needs water 2-3 times a month once established
• Low maintenance – Grows to only 3-4 inches and does not need to be mowed if the length is acceptable
• Thrives in full sun
• Durable for foot traffic and play
• Soft to touch
• Resistant to dog traffic and dog urine

Cons:

• Lengthy establishment period (3-4 months)
• Needs a lot of water during establishment especially through the first month
• Does not do well in shaded areas
• Shorter green time – Comes out of dormancy late May early June and goes dormant Early to late October

Winter Lawn Care

Although most of us believe there is no maintenance needed on our lawns over the winter, this is not true. Winter watering may be necessary on long stretches of warm dry weather over the winter. Not much water would be necessary but getting your hose out and putting some water down on the lawn would help the lawn recover better in the spring and will also help keep spider mites from getting to your lawn once the winter starts ending and spring is near.

We do not recommend turning your sprinkler system on during the winter unless your prepared to winterize it again after the watering. A hose would be sufficient during this time only giving it a small amount of water.