The soil should be kept moist while the seed germinates. This takes about 10 days for bentgrass, rye and the fescues and up to three weeks for the bluegrass. Once the grass germinates, it should grow to a height of 2 inches before it is mowed the first time. The first mowing forces the grass to form side shoots called tillers and also rhizomes or stolons. Thus, it spreads out faster, forming a thick turf.
Sod is grass grown elsewhere and cut in sheets with a thin layer of roots.
To lay sod, a string line should be placed through the center of the area and the first course of sod laid along the string. This avoids bare spots that develop when bending sod. Each section of sod should be made as snug as possible to the last section. Sod should be laid in an alternating pattern as in a brick wall. To lay a curve in the lawn, sod should be trimmed to fit rather then bent to fit the curve.