Compare · Sod vs. seed
Sod or seed for a North Texas lawn?
For most DFW yards the choice is made before you get to cost, because the grasses that do well here cannot be grown from seed. Here is the honest comparison, including the case where seed wins.
Price my lawn
Finished today.
Or maybe
next year.
St. Augustine has no seed.The thing that decides it.
Warm-season turf in North Texas is mostly propagated vegetatively, not from seed. St. Augustine has no commercial seed. The hybrid Bermudas are sterile, so Tifway 419, TifTuf, Celebration, and the rest exist only as sod, sprigs, or plugs. Zoysia seed exists but it is a different, coarser grass from the Palisades and Emerald people actually want, and it takes a full season to fill in.
So if you want any grass on our sod page, seed is not an option. The real comparison is seeded common Bermuda against sod, and that is the table below.
Side by side.
Prices change with farm and fuel costs. Delivery runs $95 to $250, depending on your address and fuel. Installed prices start at $850 a pallet and depend on the grass and the prep your yard needs. Our numbers are the ones published on this site. Seed cost is a range you can check at any DFW supplier, not a figure we are asking you to take on faith.
| Seeded common Bermuda | Sod, delivery only | Sod, installed | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Roughly 5 to 15 cents in seed, plus soil prep | From $0.60 for Bermuda, $0.58 for St. Augustine, $0.83 for Zoysia | Bermuda: from $850 / pallet; Zoysia: from $850 / pallet; St. Augustine: from $850 / pallet, with prep |
| Time to a usable lawn | One to three weeks to germinate, a full season to fill in, often two | Rooted in 10 to 14 days on prepped soil | Rooted in 10 to 14 days, finished look the day it goes down |
| Grasses available | Common Bermuda only | All 15 varieties we carry | All 15 varieties we carry |
| Shade tolerance | None worth having. Common Bermuda needs full sun | St. Augustine handles four to six hours | St. Augustine handles four to six hours |
| Weeds while it establishes | Open soil for months, so weed pressure is constant and pre-emergent is off the table | Closed canopy immediately, very little weed pressure | Closed canopy immediately, very little weed pressure |
| Erosion and slopes | Seed washes off any grade in a North Texas storm without netting | Holds a slope the day it is laid, staked at the top course | Holds a slope the day it is laid, staked at the top course |
| Watering needs | Keep the surface damp for weeks; miss two hot days and you reseed | Check root-zone moisture; adjust to weather and rooting within current local watering rules | Check root-zone moisture; adjust to weather and rooting within current local watering rules |
| Best season | Late spring only, once soil is reliably warm | Any month the ground is not frozen | Any month the ground is not frozen |
One pallet of sod covers 450 square feet. Installed prices cover the sod, laying, rolling, and the prep the yard needs.
Seed is the better call when
- The lot is large, flat, and in full sun all day
- Common Bermuda is a finish you are happy with
- You can wait a full season, sometimes two
- Budget matters more than how it looks this year
- Nobody needs to use the yard while it fills in
We do not sell seed, and we will still tell you when you are in this case.
Sod is the better call when
- The yard has any real shade, which rules seed out entirely
- You want a hybrid Bermuda, Zoysia, or any St. Augustine
- There is a slope, or an HOA clock, or a house going on the market
- Kids or dogs need the yard back this month
- The soil is bare and would otherwise wash or grow weeds
Sod vs. seed questions.
Can you seed St. Augustine?
No. There is no viable St. Augustine seed sold in North Texas. It is grown vegetatively, which means sod or plugs. If your yard is shaded enough to need St. Augustine, the sod-or-seed question is already answered.
Can you seed Bermuda?
Common Bermuda, yes. The hybrid Bermudas we sell, Tifway 419, TifTuf, Celebration, Latitude 36, and the rest, are sterile and propagated vegetatively, so they are not sold as seed at all. Seeded common Bermuda is a coarser, less dense lawn than any hybrid on our list.
Is seed cheaper than sod?
Per square foot on day one, yes, by a wide margin. Over the first year the gap narrows: seeded lawns need repeat seeding on thin spots, more weed control while the ground is open, and topsoil or erosion netting on any slope. Sod costs more up front and is finished the day it goes down.
How long until I can walk on it?
Sod roots in about 10 to 14 days on prepped soil and takes normal use in three to four weeks. Seed germinates in one to three weeks, needs to stay wet the whole time, and is not a lawn you use until the second season.
When does seed actually make sense?
A large, flat, full-sun lot where you want common Bermuda, you are not in a hurry, and the budget matters more than the finish. That is a real case and we will tell you when you are in it. We do not sell seed.
Keep reading
Delivery vs. installation vs. doing it yourselfThe complete guide to sod in Dallas-Fort WorthWhat to know before you buy sodHow to keep new sod aliveNot sure which you are?
Tell us the sun hours, the square footage, and your timeline. We will say which way we would go on your yard.
Written by the Sod Friend crew. Delivery and installs are done by the crew at Loera’s Landscaping, who have laid sod across Dallas-Fort Worth since 2010.
Price it as sod.
Tell us the square footage and the sun, and our team gets back to you with a straight number.