I was considering installing a new lawn using sod rolls and got to thinking about all the terms used for ground cover. You can almost use the terms, lawn, lawn, and lawn interchangeably, and most people will know what you mean. But since I like to be somewhat correct in my choice of words, I researched the difference between these terms. To achieve this I decided to use a dictionary and in each case I went with the first dictionary option. Here are the results. Turf: A topsoil containing a dense growth of grass and its matted roots. Turf: A grassy section of topsoil held together by matted roots. Lawn: A patch of grass, usually tended or mowed, such as one around a residence or in a park or farm.
Of the three definitions, turf stands out as the most different from the other two. Lawn is more of the finished product, like what would surround a house or a park. To illustrate, grass would be like a fully tiled floor in a house, not the individual tiles before they are installed.
Sod and Turf are a bit closer in definition but not exactly the same. Both have a topsoil or dirt layer, both have grass and roots matted down. The difference in definitions I found is that Sod is a “section held together” by tangled roots. Turf rolls come in sections and must be held together by matted roots. Even if they use netting to help keep the rolls together, they still need the roots packed down.
Turf is not held together by matted roots and does not necessarily come in sections. It is a surface layer. When people claim an area as ‘their territory’, it is larger than a section of grass.
My conclusion is that the more correct term for grass rolls is Sod. Having a new lawn installed could include the use of sod rolls, but could also, by definition, include having an area sown with grass that will eventually become a lawn.
Once a sod farm cuts away sections of matted grass and roots, those sections become turf. They are then rolled up and shipped to the requested location. Once on site, the turf is laid out on the ground, one matted section at a time. Going back to the illustration, the grass is laid out like tiles on the ground. Once the sections are laid out and attached, it becomes a lawn or lawn.
Well I’m ready to have a new lawn installed. To do so, I will order my turf rolls from a respected turf farm.
