How to Sod a Lawn in Florida

Press an auger into the first 3 inches of soil in 15 areas of the yard. Collect the soil from all locations and mix in a bucket. Pour a pint of the soil into a container, and take it to your Florida county extension office. Wait a few weeks for the results to be mailed. It is essential to test your soil's pH range to ensure that it is within range of your desired grass type. For example, zoysia grass must be grown within a range of 6.0 to 6.5. Amend acidic soil with lime and alkaline soil with sulfur. Retest in six months, because it takes that long for the soil amendments to change the soil pH range.

Till the soil on the lawn to break up any clumps. Grade the soil, so that there is a slight slope leading to the street. Because Florida experiences an abundant amount of rain, you want the excess water to drain off the lawn in order to prevent your grass from sitting in standing water, which can encourage fungal diseases.

Water the sod in the morning when it arrives. The heat in Florida even in the early spring can dry out your sod's roots. Lay the sod around the perimeters of the lawn and work your way in. Stagger the rows as if you are laying bricks. If you see any cracks in the sod, use dirt to fill these cracks. Cut sod for small areas with a sharp trowel.

Fill a lawn roller halfway with water, and push it over the sod to establish good sod to soil contact. Water the lawn thoroughly to keep the soil moist. Walk out to your lawn everyday for first seven days of sod establishment, and feel the first 3 inches of soil. If it feels dry or it did not rain at night, water the lawn to moisten the soil.

Fertilize your sod in four to eight weeks with a fertilizer high in nitrogen. Use 1 lb. of nitrogen for every 1,000 square feet of lawn. Because hot weather raises the risk of your lawn burning from nitrogen, fertilize in the morning, and water thoroughly after applying nitrogen slow release fertilizer.