Our Sod Service
Paff Landscape, Inc. has been in the sod business for over 40 years, and due to these years in the industry, our expertise and experience in all phases of the growing, harvesting, installing and caring for Florida grasses has been consistently developing and improving.
Since 1973, the Paff family has been helping our area “go green”. From our sod farms to your job. Paff has continually diversified to conform with the changing environment.
We grow or have excellent suppliers enabling us to make every type of sod available to our customers. Some of the most common varieties of sod used in Florida include…
Bahia Sod:
One of the most commonly used sods in Florida. The two most popular varieties of Bahia sods are Argentine and Pensacola.
Argentine bahia is typically the more desirable for lawn grass as it has a wider blade and does not produce the Bahia “seed head” as quickly during growing season as the Pensacola variety.
Pensacola bahia is the most drought tolerant of any grasses available in Florida. A drawback for residential and commercial lawns is that this variety produces seed heads every 7 to 10 days during the growing season that some folks consider unsightly. With our society’s ongoing concern regarding water usage, this variety may become more attractive as water usage restrictions increase..
Empire® Zoysia Sod:
Varieties of this grass have recently (within the last 10 years) been developed to grow well in the Florida climate. This grass is a thin bladed grass resembling Bermuda or Centipede grass. Like Bermuda and centipede grasses, it spreads by runner and has a medium drought tolerance. Zoysia has a very soft texture and when maintained correctly, can be the most attractive and darkest green of lawns. Zoysia requires more frequent, yet smaller quantities of fertilizer. Paff is a certified supplier of Empire Zoysia which is the recommended variety for the Florida climate.
St. Augustine/Floratam Sod:
There are many varieties of St. Augustine grass. Floratam, Floratine, Palmetto, Raleigh, Bitter Blue, Seville, Jade, and Floralawn are a few of the more popular varieties. St. Augustine grasses feature wide blades and spread by runners and stolons. One of the advantages of sodding with this type of grass is, if an area is damaged or killed, it will eventually spread and recover unless damage is massive. St. Augustine cannot be grown from seed and all varieties are hybrid grasses that can only be established by plugs or sod. St. Augustine has a more shallow root system than other sods and are not considered drought tolerant in Florida.
Centipede Sod:
Centipede is slow growing and is usually maintained at about 2 inches. It is a thin bladed grass that also spreads by runner and grows very slowly compared to St. Augustine or Zoysia sods. Centipede requires very little fertilizer with its primary drawback being its slow growth, making recovery from any damage a lengthy process. This sod is very drought tolerant.
Bermuda Sod:
This grass is predominantly used as a golf course or sports field turf and more recently it has been used along highways. It can be used as residential grass and looks best when mowed with a reel type mower, however it but can be mowed with a rotary mower. Bermuda has a higher fertilizer requirement and has a medium drought tolerance.
Here are some photos of our crew at work installing sod in Central Florida.
