New sod rarely goes down perfectly smooth. Even with careful grading and installation, there will be some small gaps, air pockets, raised seams and subtle bumps. Rolling the sod shortly after installation can help you expose and correct these imperfections.
When choosing a roller for this application, you might wonder how heavy is too heavy for new sod. It depends on the roller width, soil conditions, sod type and installation location. Sports field guidance sometimes recommends multiton rollers on newly sodded athletic fields, and parks departments have successfully used large asphalt rollers for decades to smooth out new sod.
Golf courses can apply the same idea. Broad, flat rough areas can often handle a half-ton roller. On shorter-cut playing surfaces, a standard putting green roller weighing 600 pounds or more can provide enough pressure to settle seams, close air pockets and smooth minor blemishes. I recently visited a newly constructed course that used a 3-ton roller on bluegrass sodded fairways!
The key is timing. Do not wait several months for the sod to become established before deciding the surface is uneven. Once the roots have knitted into the soil, smoothing the bumps may require repeated topdressing, cultivation or even removing and re-laying sections of turf. Roll it firmly and early so the problem areas become obvious and can be corrected sooner rather than later.
Additionally, soil conditions are important. Avoid heavy rolling when the surface is saturated, muddy or visibly shifting beneath the equipment. Stop if any seams begin moving, water pumps to the surface or the roller leaves ruts.
All that said, do not be afraid to put some weight on new sod. A properly prepared surface and an appropriately sized roller can deliver better sod-soil contact, smoother turf and fewer long-term problems.
West Region Agronomists:
Brian Whitlark, regional director, West Region – bwhitlark@usga.org
Ross Niewola, agronomist – rniewola@usga.org
Heather Schapals, agronomist – hschapals@usga.org