Soil and Seed Instead of Sod for Woodbury Lawns Affected by Roadwork

A statewide sod shortage means people whose lawns were torn up during summer construction will see soil and seed laid down instead.

City Administrator Clint Gridley relayed the news at Wednesday night’s City Council meeting.

KSTP reported on the dearth of sod in late August, saying sod farmers switched over to crops such as corn and beans when the recession slowed the construction of new homes and hence the demand for sod.

The city will encourage people to water their lawns after the seed is put down, and plans to issue permits allowing those homeowners to violate Woodbury’s odd-even watering ordinance, Gridley said.

About 700 homes in Woodbury will get seed instead of sod, City Engineer Klayton Eckles said. He couldn’t recall the city having to go that route for homes affected by roadwork in the past.

Woodbury will likely issue a blanket watering permit for those homes, Eckles said.

“Seed needs a lot of TLC for the first four weeks or so,” he said.

The city has always allowed people to request permits for new sod or seed, though the ones for the homes where roadwork is occurring will get a 30-day permit instead of the standard 14.

Even with a permit, people still are not allowed to water from noon to 5 p.m.

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