Do Grass Plugs Work?

Advantages

• Over the various ways of planting a lawn, installing grass plugs has several advantages. You will have an established lawn quicker than you would with seed and, while not as quick as a sod lawn, it is significantly less expensive. Only 18 grass plugs are sufficient to establish a 50-square foot planting area, according to growers at All About Lawns. Of course, you can obtain quicker coverage the more plugs you install.

Disadvantages

• For quick coverage, plugging is substantially more expensive than planting grass seed. Although a minimum of 18 grass plugs will eventually provide you with a 50-square foot lawn, up to three growing seasons may be required. Quicker coverage requires more plugs -- at least one plug for every 6 inches of planting bed. Installing plugs requires digging holes for the individual plugs, which may be tedious and time-consuming. Plugs require more care before planting than seeds; they dry out quickly when exposed to the sun and heat. Your choice of turfgrass variety isn't as extensive with plugs as it is with seed.

Installation

• Preparation of the soil is the same when planting plugs as it is for both seeds and sod. Preparation includes clearing away all rocks and weeds, adding required soil amendments and grading the bed so that it drains away from the home's foundation. Plugs are planted in holes in a moist bed, 1 inch wider than their tiny rootballs, placed in a checkerboard pattern across the bed. Plug fertilizer, or a lawn starter fertilizer, is placed in the holes to get the roots off to a healthy start.

Considerations

• Get your soil tested before planting the grass plugs. The success of the lawn depends upon nutrient-rich soil with adequate drainage. All lawns require lots of water to establish. Generally, four to six weeks will pass for the plugs to become sufficiently rooted, and they require consistent moisture throughout the establishment period. Keep people and pets off the area until the grass plugs begin growing.