FieldScience
The biggest issue from a growers' side between thick- and regular-cut is the cost of shipping because of the extra weight
and of having to regrade a field if you have to cut an extra inch of soil in some places. The benefit of thick-cut to the customer is being able to play on it sooner. We have shipped sod with 2 inches of dirt on it on a Thursday and they played soccer on it 3 days later. If there is no rush to play on it then there isn't an advantage to getting thick-cut.
—Mark Woodard, Cane Creek Sod, Poplar Bluff, MO
says. "So after rolling out thick-cut sod, you need to use a 2-ton vibratory roller to mash down and even out the high and low spots
for a nice surface. One minor issue with sand-based sod is losing
sand during transport. Every road bump can cause a bit of sand to
fall and you lose more with a sandier base.
"While silt/clay profiles can make for better maintained edges
during a short-term fix, if you get rain right after the installation
you can have a very soggy field with little to no short-term percolation," Marman says.
JAMES BETTS,
Tuckahoe Turf Farms, Hammonton, NJ
Our standard cut big roll is ¼ inch soil below thatch layer. From
past experiences, we strongly feel the thinner you cut turf without
scalping (1/4 inch soil +-) the sooner it will root.
Thick-cut sod does have its place, however. We would recommend these guidelines for any sodding project:
18 SportsTurf | March 2013
• Any athletic field—¼ inch soil for any sod done in the fall and
will be able to winter over for play the next spring.
• Any athletic field—¼ inch soil for any sod done in the spring
and play in the fall.
Baseball, Softball, Soccer, & Field Hockey—1 inch soil for play 3-4
weeks after sodding.
• Football 1¼ inch soil for play 3-4 weeks after sodding.
• Baseball, Softball, Soccer, & Field Hockey—1½ inch soil for
play 1-2 days after sodding.
• Football—1¾ inch soil for play 1-2 days after sodding.
After thick cut sod is used we suggest topdressing lightly and
deep-core aerating to promote root growth when 3-4 weeks of recovery time is allowed. Please note that when sodding in the summer all new turf shuts down and the rooting process slows down. If
summer sodding, you might want to look into a thick-cut sod.
Cost justifications for thick cut sod: If you purchased 1-inch
thick cut sod your cost would be more than our standard cut be-
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