Question
My sod was cut on Saturday morning, I actually had about 75 square feet left over.  I thought that I would patch some holes in the front yard with the extra sod.  So my questions are:  Can you cut sod into small patches or is there a recommended size for a patch?  And it is now Tuesday and I still have about 60 squares left over, is it too late to install the sod although I have kept the sod rolls in the shade and have kept them damp?

Thanks

Answer
Richard, this is a Very Sod Story, I'm afraid.

Sorry, I could not resist.  Because it really is Sod.

You cannot wait 2 days to install Sod and expect satisfactory results.  Here it is Tuesday, going on Wednesday by the time you read this, 3 to 4 days.

Will it take?

I would not bet on that.

But you have nothing to lose.  The weather here has been cool and tame, which is just about as perfect as it could be if your life depended on this Sod installation working out perfectly.

Give it a shot.  Maybe this is your lucky week.

I was just talking with someone about a product called 'Messenger', which would boost your chances.  Lawn care professionals have not caught onto this, and it is not marketed very well, but if this was my sod, I would run over to the local Hicks Garden Center on Jericho Turnpike and pick some up, then drench my Sod with it after installation and hope it lasted.

There may be another product on the market with the same makeup -- Harpin Protein -- marketed by a company that bought the rights to sell it to the Lawn Care Market.  So if you come across Messenger under any other name, buy it.  Harpin Protein, developed and patented by Cornell University, is the generic name.  It accelerates healing of damaged tissue and stress.  This Sod is definitely stressed by now, and the root tissues are definitely damaged.  Just my opinion.

Thanks for writing.  Keep me posted.