Connect Virtually with Us at the Northern Green Expo

As the ground hardens and snow blankets our sod farm, our focus shifts from growing and selling sod, to connecting with our commercial partners and planning for the season ahead. For over 20 years we have participated in the Northern Green Expo, a trade show held each January. This unique event is presented by the Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association and Minnesota Turf and Grounds Foundation, bringing together a wide variety of professional outdoor resources to educate and network. Usually, the expo is held at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Due to the circumstances, this year’s event will be held virtually.

Held January 11th-14th 2020, virtual attendees can take part in training modules and social events, meet with exhibitors, listen to keynote speakers, and showcase trades related to outdoor supplies or maintenance. Supported by major industry leaders in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, it is a great opportunity to learn more about landscaping, nurseries, ground maintenance, and anything related to planning and living in the warmer weather months.

In the past years, more than 6,000 people visit the Northern Green Expo to network and eagerly plan the next growing season. If you are interested in learning more or would like to register to virtually attend, please click here for additional details. Visit our virtual booth to meet our family and discuss the best sod options for your spring plans.

B&B Hoffman Sod is currently closed for the season, but are always available to answer questions at 763-434-6572. We hope to “see” you or hear from you at the Northern Green Expo in January!

Avoid These Common Fall Lawn Care Mistakes

Even though the temperatures are starting to drop, it’s important not to abandon lawn care yet! Help ensure that your lawn is healthy and beautiful this spring by avoiding these common fall lawn care mistakes. 

Leaving Fallen Leaves

Minnesota autumn brings a vibrant display of leaves in hues of red and orange that are beautiful to view. However, once these leaves fall to the ground it can set your lawn up for trouble. You may be tempted to ignore them but too much leaf cover can suffocate your grass and prevent oxygen from reaching its roots. Leaf cover can also trap moisture and prevent oxygen from reaching your lawn, creating a good environment for lawn disease to thrive. Cleaning up fallen leaves or mulching them with your mower will help promote your lawn’s health.

Watering as Usual

As the weather gets cooler and the days grow shorter, your lawn will not need as much supplemental water to survive. Cutting back on how much you water in the fall will help prevent fungal growth and prepare your lawn for winter. However, if you have just installed your sod make sure you are watering adequately. Water your new sod every day for 1 week and long enough so that when you step onto the sod it’s squishy. Then after one week, (in the fall only) you can water every other or every three days; just don’t let it dry out.  Squishy isn’t necessary.  

Forgetting to Fertilize

While many homeowners may think fertilizer should be applied in the spring, fall is an ideal time to refresh your lawn before going dormant in the winter. Fall fertilization will assist in storing food and ensuring strong roots throughout the winter, and greener grass after the spring thaw. Apply fertilizer around the first week in October for the best results. We recommend a blend of 20-10-10, which can be purchased at our shop.

DON’T Avoid Planning Ahead for Spring

If you’ve been holding off until spring to lay sod, there is still time yet this year. Cool temperatures and regular rainfall this time of year encourages our natural sod grass to retain moisture. Consult with our experts, purchase sod, and find winterizing fertilizer at B&B Hoffman Sod Farms in Elk River by visiting us online or calling 763-434-6572.

Can I Install Sod in the Fall? Learn What you Need to Do

Your time outside this summer may have you planning for how you can update your lawn for next year. If your grass is on the list for an upgrade, why not start this fall?! Due to the warm weather, it is often thought that summer is the best time to install sod, but this isn’t true! Sod can be installed at any time throughout the growing season. However, there are a couple of factors to consider when installing sod in the fall. 

Cool fall temperatures.

Fall usually brings cooler temperatures and the occasional rainfall. Not only are these cooler temperatures easier on your new grass, but it is also easier on you or the laborer laying the sod. By laying sod in fall weather, you have less risk of your sod overheating. You still have to water your lawn regularly, but you will need less water as it isn’t evaporating as quickly. You can still be successful when laying sod in the summer, however, summertime is usually busier and if you’re planning on going to the cabin every weekend, it is probably best to wait for the fall to lay sod. 

When is it too late to Install?

It’s never too late to install sod if we can harvest it in our fields. There are some things to keep in mind when it comes to watering your sod. If you are blowing out your irrigation system, you will still need a water source (think garden hose & sprinklers). If it’s JUST before winter, give it a good soaking and if it freezes it will go dormant and take off in the spring. However, if it warms up again you may need to drag out the hose/sprinklers. This usually occurs in the late October/early November timeframe. We do harvest sod up until the ground is frozen or the snow is too deep, but the rule of thumb is to try and have your project done by end of October as our Minnesota November weather is very unpredictable.

Fall is a great time to lay sod. Follow these steps when installing and caring for your sod in the fall, and don’t forget to fertilize your lawn (mid-October) with a 20-10-10. If you have any questions regarding the installation of sod feel free to contact us at 763-434-8231.

Creating a Yard Your Kids Will Love

With a little bit of planning, low-maintenance landscaping, and the right natural turfgrass in Minnesota, it’s easy to turn your yard into an oasis that your whole family can enjoy. If you have young children, consider the following tips to ensure they will love heading outdoors to enjoy your yard.

Creating a Lush Lawn

Your lawn is the starting point for a kid-friendly backyard– it provides a soft, comfortable area for all kinds of activities. Whether your kids enjoy picnics outdoors or want to play a game of touch football, a healthy lawn will make a perfect area. Installing sod in your yard is a great option if you don’t currently have grass, or your existing lawn is unhealthy. Within a few hours, turfgrass sod transforms bare soil to a living carpet of grass with a mature density that looks great instantly.

Kid-Friendly Landscaping Options

Depending on your budget and your yard, there are multiple options for landscaping. Large trees are great for backyards to provide shade. Consider planting flowers that consist of your kids’ favorite colors or giving them their own garden areas to maintain. If you have young children, be sure to research before choosing plants for your landscaping, as some can easily end up in curious toddlers’ mouths.

Fun Options for Play

Kids are sure to love a trampoline, sandbox, or maybe a playground as a fun element in your backyard. Other options could be lawn games such as bocce ball, or corn hole. If your kids (and maybe you) want to stay cool during the summertime, you may want to add a sprinkler or an inflatable pool into your plans.

The options are endless, use your creativity, and create the perfect backyard oasis! If you want a lawn that is family-friendly, and can be enjoyed this summer, beautiful natural turfgrass sod is a great start.

B&B Hoffman Sod is your source for the highest quality sod in Minnesota. Our friendly, knowledgeable staff are committed to answering all of your questions to ensure a stress-free experience with your new Minnesota sod lawn. Whether you wish to sod a small play area for the family or an entire neighborhood or business, B&B Hoffman Sod can help you make it happen. To learn more about  B&B Hoffman Sod Farms and our family business, visit us online at bbhoffmansodev.wpengine.com or call 763-434- 6572.

 

Visit B&B Hoffman Sod at the Northern Green Expo

As the ground hardens and snow blankets our sod farm, our focus shifts from growing and selling sod, to connecting with our commercial partners and planning for the season ahead. For 19 years we have participated in the Northern Green Expo, a trade show held each January at the Minneapolis Convention Center. This unique event is presented by the Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association and Minnesota Turf and Grounds Foundation, bringing together a wide variety of professional outdoor resources to educate and network.

Held January 14th-16th 2020, attendees can take part in training modules and social events, meet with exhibitors, listen to keynote speakers, and showcase trades related to outdoor supplies or maintenance. Supported by major industry leaders in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, it is a great opportunity to learn more about landscaping, nurseries, ground maintenance and anything related to planning and living in the warmer weather months.

More than 6,000 people visit the Northern Green Expo every year to network and eagerly plan the next growing season. If you are interested in learning more, please click here for additional details on the event. Stop by booth 709 if you are around to meet our family and discuss the best sod options for your spring plans.

B&B Hoffman Sod is currently closed for the season, but are always available to answer questions  at 763-434-6572. We hope to see you at the Northern Green Expo in January!

Fall cleanup: rake, mulch, or do nothing?

A common question this time of year is the best way to complete fall yard cleanup. Is it beneficial for your lawn to spend time raking and bagging leaves, or should you plan on mowing over everything and mulching the rest? Better yet, spend a couple of extra hours at the apple orchard or pumpkin patch–and do nothing at all?

The truth is, it’s up to you and depends on your lawn and landscaping needs. Essentially, homeowners want to avoid more than 10-20% of their grass to be covered in leaves when the snow falls. Excessive leaf matter going into winter may smother the grass and inhibit growth, as well as promote mold diseases, and encourage turf damage from critters like voles and mice. Read on for the three most common fall clean up techniques and the pros and cons of each.

Raking. Improve your arm strength by raking (or using a leaf blower) to gather a pile, then bag for disposal, or deliver to a compost site. Depending on the size of your lawn and number of trees on site, this may take an hour or a full day. In order to rake efficiently, lawns should be dry and trimmed. Additional bag fees or compost facility charges may deter people from going this route, but the excitement of jumping in a large leaf pile has its benefits too.

Mowing and mulching. Chopping grass and leaves into small pieces (also known as mulching) so they incorporate into your lawn canopy via a lawn mower benefits the soil in a number of ways. Nutrients and organic matter may add nitrogen to the lawn and assist in root growth. Some leaf types have even been shown to reduce weed germination over time. Mulching may require more frequent mowing in the fall, but specialized attachments and mulching mowers can also be purchased to make this job easier.

Leaving it be. If you have no trees and the wind blows away more than 10% of your lawn coverage, you may be off the hook for raking and mowing. Use your extra time wisely before the snow sets in!

Planning ahead for spring. Already dreaming of epic outdoor parties for next year? Don’t wait to upgrade your lawn! Apply fertilizer every fall to provide nutrients for grass to create deep roots and stay healthy in a dormant season. If you’ve been holding off until spring to lay sod, there is still time yet this year. Cool temperatures and regular rainfall this time of year encourages our Kentucky Bluegrass turf to retain moisture. Make sure to water regularly until the ground is frozen.

Consult with our experts, purchase sod and find winterizing fertilizer at B&B Hoffman Sod Farms in Elk River by visiting us online or calling 763-434-6572.

 

Thanks for supporting our family farm for 30 years

B&B Hoffman Sod farm is celebrating its 30th year of producing high quality sod for Midwest homeowners, landscapers, and builders. As a family run company deeply rooted in the sod growing business, we are committed to producing the best Kentucky Bluegrass turf in Minnesota.

Our sod is grown at one of three farms in central Minnesota, offering a slight variety in temperature and terrain to ensure a fruitful season. Seeds are planted in late summer (a lot of seed, about 70 pounds per acre!) and we irrigate as necessary. Our sod is fertilized regularly to produce lush, beautiful grass. Typically, sod is harvested about 12-16 months after plantings to ensure a hardy root structure.

We take great pride in mowing every field, every other day. It is one of the most important parts of the growing process, as mowing stimulates root growth. After each field is mowed, we follow up with a roller to compact the soil and counteract any tire marks.

Sod is harvested when the ground isn’t frozen–usually April to November. We prefer to harvest in the morning, so the ground temperature (and therefore the sod temperature) is lower, increasing the shelf life of the product.  We offer two sizes of sod for our customers, small rolls are ideal for homeowners, while large rolls are perfect for wide open spaces or commercial properties. B&B Hoffman Sod offers convenient delivery throughout the Midwest or pickup at our Elk River, MN location.

We are proud to grow about 600 acres of sod every year. Our family name is not just on our trucks, but in every blade of grass we grow, every delivery we make and every question we answer for our customers. We know this is what makes our company so strong.

To learn more about  B&B Hoffman Sod Farms and our family business, visit us online at bbhoffmansodev.wpengine.com or call 763-434- 6572.

Lawn Maintenance in Hot August Heat

August often brings high temperatures and sparse precipitation, leaving homeowners wondering how to best care for their lawn. Here are some tips to keep your lawn healthy throughout the season.

Reduce lawn maintenance–for now

Help your lawn beat the heat and make sure your mower is on the highest setting. This will help evenly distribute the moisture it receives and slow the spread of disease (and maybe allow you an extra hour or two on the lake!). Since August is typically a hot, dry month, you may notice browning in some areas, which is natural. Established grass is able to survive during a mild drought and can quickly rebound when moisture levels stabilize.

Review your sod options

Sod can be installed in August however, homeowners will need to be very diligent on watering, doing so at least once or twice a day for 8 days. After 8 days, the grass will tell you if it needs water by appearing bluish in color. If you have the opportunity, lay sod on a cool, overcast day to minimize plant stress. Stagger rolls in a brick-like pattern and place seams together without overlapping. Moisten the soil to a depth of 4 inches or until you can lift the sod and see that the water has penetrated through and saturated the ground underneath. After 8-10 days gently tug at the sod, if you feel a little resistance, then you know the roots are starting to anchor in the soil and it is safe to mow. Mowing stimulates root growth; therefore, you want to mow around the 10 day mark.

To learn more about sod, summer lawn care, and the products that B&B Hoffman Sod Farms offers, visit us online at bbhoffmansodev.wpengine.com or call 763-434- 6572.

B&B Hoffman Sod Farms – July Blog

When, and How Much, to Water Your Lawn

Our lawns need moisture to grow and thrive in the hot summer months, sometimes Mother Nature doesn’t take care of that for us and we need to water our lawns ourselves. But how much water does a lawn need? And when is the best time of day to do it?

A well hydrated lawn is a happy lawn. Most lawns need one inch to 1.5 inches of water every week and if that does not come from rainfall, it should be done through irrigation. Water should soak 5-6 inches deep into the soil for best results.

Homeowners should wait as long as possible between waterings without allowing the plants to go into water stress. Once a week should be plenty for most soil lawns. Those with poor soil may need to water twice a week. It is best to water a lawn heavily and infrequently. This causes plants to develop deep, strong root systems that can extract water from a much larger volume of soil than the shallow roots associated with light, frequent irrigations.

The most efficient time to water your lawn is in the early morning hours between 4-8 a.m. At this time, there is less sunlight and the temperature is lower so there is less water lost to evaporation. The wind is typically calmer in the morning hours, so distribution is improved. Mid-day watering is good for the plants because it cools the plant temperatures, but it is not efficient because some of the water will evaporate before it even gets into the soil.

Watering at night is not recommended because the lawn then sits wet all night. This can cause moss to grow, as well as different types of weeds, algae and possibly diseases.

B&B Hoffman Sod Farms can help keep your yard in shape with its easy-to- use small sod rolls that make laying turfgrass yourself easy and efficient. Don’t need sod? Check out B&B Hoffman’s supply of fertilizer to help your lawn build strong roots and keep your grass healthy and thick.

To learn more about summer lawn care and the products that B&B Hoffman Sod Farms offers, visit them online at bbhoffmansodev.wpengine.com or call 763-434- 6572.