If your lawn suffers from acute soil compaction, rampant weed problems, heavy thatch, or nutrient and organic matter deficiencies, you may want to remove your existing turf and replant your lawn. That's a big job, but like a new roof, your new lawn will last a long time. There are four ways to replant a lawn: by applying seed, planting either sprigs or plugs, or laying sod.

Seeds are applied to a new lawn as discussed in the previous section, except that they are applied to soil from which all the turf has been removed.

Sprigs are typically planted by machine over large lawns; in small areas, they can be planted by hand. Sprigs consist of cut-up lengths of underground or aboveground runners, called rhizomes or stolons, upon which there are typically 2 to 4 joints, or nodes, from which the new grass blades emerge. Sprigs can be broadcast and then pressed into the soil or planted in shallow furrows.

Plugs--round or square pieces of sod that measure about 2 inches across--are planted in holes that are evenly spaced throughout the lawn. After several months, the grass plants from the plugs spread and fill in the gaps.

Sod is available in carpetlike sheets that are usually about 3/4-inch thick, 1-1/2 feet wide, and about 6 feet long. Pieces should be laid perpendicular to a slope in a staggered pattern, as you would lay bricks.

Additional Resources:
University of Florida Cooperative Extension Service
Basic Principles of Landscape Design

University of Minnesota
Fitting Trees and Shrubs into the Landscape
A Design Glossary
Mulching the Home Landscape
Principles of Design

Handy Magazine
Building a Stone Walk
Building a Water Pond