Sod Installation in Canmore, Banff, and the Bow Valley
Intelligent Lawn Solutions provides complete sod installation and lawn replacement in Canmore, Banff and throughout the Bow Valley.
We install sod for new lawns, replace lawns that are badly damaged or uneven, and repair areas affected by construction or landscaping work. We can also install or adjust irrigation as part of the project.
How We Install a New Lawn
Good sod installation involves more than laying new turf over the existing ground. The soil underneath needs to provide enough depth for the roots to establish, while the finished surface needs to be properly graded and level.
Depending on the condition of the property, our process includes:
Stripping and removing the existing sod
Removing unsuitable soil and other material where necessary
Supplying and spreading screened topsoil
Grading and lightly compacting the soil
Checking or installing irrigation
Laying and trimming fresh sod
Rolling the finished lawn
Applying starter fertilizer
Watering the sod and providing establishment instructions
Bow Valley properties often have shallow, rocky or heavily compacted soil. Adding enough quality topsoil is one of the most important parts of the job and gives the new turf a much better chance of establishing properly.
When Can Sod Be Installed?
Sod can be installed throughout the growing season, generally from spring until mid-October. Cooler fall weather can actually be helpful because the turf loses less moisture while its roots establish. As long as the ground isn’t frozen and water is available, a fall installation can establish well and continue rooting the following spring.
A Recent Sod Installation
For this project, we removed the existing lawn and stripped the area back to a suitable starting point.
We then brought in enough topsoil for roughly 4 inches accross the lawn. The soil was spread, graded and lightly compacted to create a smooth surface and provide enough growing medium for the new turf.
Fresh sod was then installed, fitted around the edges and landscape features, rolled and watered. Starter fertilizer was applied to help the roots begin establishing in the new soil.
Our Experience
Intelligent Lawn Solutions is owned and operated by a former Golf Course Superintendent with a degree in Turfgrass management.
Our experience includes golf-course construction, soil preparation, grading, irrigation and the establishment and maintenance of high-quality turf. This helps us identify the conditions that caused the original lawn to struggle and prepare the site properly before installing the new sod.
If we believe an existing lawn can be improved through topdressing, overseeding or better irrigation instead of being completely replaced, we will explain those options as well.
Sod and Irrigation
New sod needs consistent watering while it establishes. If the property does not have suitable irrigation, we can install a new system or improve the coverage of an existing system before laying the turf.
Completing the irrigation and sod together avoids disturbing the new lawn afterward and makes the establishment period much easier. Below are pictures of a project where we installed a new lawn and irrigation at the same time. This reduces the labour of installing a new irrigation system, as the lawn is already ripped up.
Learn more a bout our irrigation system installtions.
Before we started
Installing the Irrigation
Final prep before topsoil and sod
Laying the sod
Fresh sod with irrigation running
Sod installed in the early season can initially look dormant, but it quickly greens up once rooting beging and growing begins.
Finished result one month later!
Request a Quote
If you are considering replacing or installing a lawn, send us your address, approximate lawn size and a few photographs of the area.
We can arrange a site visit, assess the soil and irrigation, and provide a quote for the work required.
