Lawns don’t always last forever. Sometimes they wither and die out of neglect, and sometimes they need to be pulled up and replaced lock stock and root. When the time comes for you to replace your lawn in whole or in part you will come face to face with the sod cutter vs tiller question.
Both devices are designed to remove portions of your lawn, although they approach the task from different angles. Tillers churn the grass and the top layer of soil together, creating a kind of compost that you then either seed or lay your sod on top of. The sod cutter by comparison slices away the top layer of soil, grass and all. It’s not unlike peeling paint off a wall with a putty knife.
I’m here today to look at both of these devices and answer a question I get all the time “Should I use a sod cutter or tiller?”
Sod Cutter vs Tiller: What’s the Difference?
This is not like comparing an aerator and a power rake. Those are tools designed to do entirely different things. Sod cutters and tillers, on the other hand, are intended to do essentially the same thing: clear away the existing grass and prepare the ground to receive new sod or seeds. So let’s start by taking a close-up look at each device.
What is a Sod Cutter?
The sod cutter is also referred to as a turf cutter or a lawn cutter. But whatever you call it, this device is designed to slice horizontally into the layer of soil under the lawn and lift it up, grass and all, to expose the ground underneath. The process results in long strips of turf being removed that can either be replanted somewhere else or disposed of. If you’re trying to figure out how to dig up a lawn quickly – this is it!
Once the layer of turf is lifted and removed you are left with flat, exposed ground a few inches lower than the original level of the grass. You can either sow new grass seeds onto this ground, or install new sod, perhaps with a different kind of grass. As far as major backyard projects go, removing an old lawn with a sod cutter is a fairly neat process. Stuff doesn’t go flying everywhere and the excised strips can be stacked for later use or removal.
What is a Tiller?
Whereas sod cutting is a relatively neat and orderly process, tilling the ground is not. The tiller is designed to slice into the ground with a twisting motion that pulls the under layers of soil to the top while turning the top layer under and largely (though not always entirely) out of sight. Where sod cutting will leave a more or less level surface onto which you can seed or install new sod, you will have to relevel the tilled earth before you seed or sod.
Whether you decide to use a sod cutter or tiller you are in for quite a bit of work. The tiller, however, will leave you with plenty of organic material that will break down and serve as food for the new grass. When you just remove everything with a sod cutter you are losing those potential nutrients.
When Should I Use a Sod Cutter?
The general consensus is that if you plan a complete replacement of the existing grass a sod cutter is your best bet. As I mentioned, it helps you maintain an orderly work area, which is important on big jobs, and it will leave you with a more or less flat surface to work with, which also reduces your overall workload.
If you are inclined to use a tiller but the grass you want to turn in contains lots of weeds and weed seeds you may be better off just opting for the sod cutter and removing that potential problem. If there’s a downside to a sod cutter it’s that you need to find some (legal) way of disposing of all the turf you remove. Some would say you could use it to create a compost heap. But if you’re redoing your entire lawn that’s going to be one ginormous compost heap.
When Should I Use a Tiller?
If you’re wondering “can you use a tiller to remove sod” the answer is “Yes”. In fact, some would describe the tiller as a more environmentally friendly alternative to the sod cutter. That’s because it doesn’t produce mountains of turf that needs to be disposed of. And while that turf is not really an environmental hazard it cannot be dumped just anywhere. Transporting it to the disposal site may require a gas-powered vehicle.
That’s not a concern with a tiller. Tilling simply disrupts the outer layer of grass and soil, mixing it all up into an organic stew that will then provide nutrients for the new grass. Tilling is a messier process but one that is more self-contained. It is also more labor-intensive, and for that reason, people will often choose tilling to redo a small section of lawn and sod cutting to do a large section, or the whole lawn.
Sod Cutter Pros
- Keeps the jobsite very neat and orderly.
- Creates a nice flat surface to plant your new lawn on.
- A good choice for large areas or whole lawn replacement.
- A good choice for replacing grass on a slope.
Sod Cutter Cons
- All the turf you remove will need to be disposed of.
- The machine itself may tire you out.
Tiller Pros
- Considered to be slightly more eco-friendly.
- Doesn’t create mountains of turf to dispose of.
- Provides nutrients the new grass can use.
Tiller Cons
- You may have to wait several weeks for the tilled ground to settle.
- Could bring weed seeds to the surface.
- The process as a whole is messier than sod cutting.
Conclusion
The sod cutter or tiller debate is one of the tougher ones in lawn care. They both have a lot going for them and, when done right, they will each enable you to effectively replace your lawn. Sod cutting, however, is a simpler process and, in my opinion, more likely to produce an agreeable result, especially on large areas or hilly terrain. At the end of the day, however, it’s a personal call.
I wish to replace my turf with native grasses. I also plan to create small hills to give a more mounded look in areas. I don’t mind mess, I’m really more of a wild/natural look type person. Should I till then?
Hey Steph!
This is an experiment I have done myself. I would go with tilling but there are a few things I want to clarify to make sure we’re on the same page.
While tilling is a wonderful option, unless you are using an industrial tiller (usually the kind attached to a full-size tractor) with deep tines, you are unlikely to pull up or cut the grass in such a way that some of it will not root itself back into the soil. This means that you either need to go back over the soil and remove the remaining grass/roots by hand/heavy rake or you need can accept that some of the turf will remain mixed among your newly-planted native grasses. It’s also good to note that removing the original grass will be much easier after tilling as most of the grass will have been uprooted.
If you are planning to allow your new native grasses to grow up to their natural height instead of mowing them, they will likely outcompete most residential turfgrass types. As it is gentler on the soil, I prefer tilling where possible and for projects like this or any type of planting that aims for a natural grassland or meadow look. Once the new seeds have been planted and allowed to grow, they are almost certain to take over.
I hope this helps 🙂
Tom.
Hey, just wanted to share how I fixed the big turf desposal problem with sod cutting and combined it with the big pro of tilling. I applied fertalizer right on the grass and then turned my strips of sod over! The grass & weeds now facing the wrong way die off and the seeds that used to be on top are ‘planted’ too deep, plus with the fertilizer burn basically garentees that nothi g survives. The fertalizer is also deep enough after the flip that it wont burn your new plants. So thats how I redid my entire large lawn with a sod cutter and had NOTHING to despose of after!
Good luck 🙂