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Lexicon Sod _____________________________________________________ Sod or turf is grass and the part of the soil beneath it held together by the roots. Wikipedia. In Southern African construction, the use of cut sod blocks is found in those vernacular buildings of pioneer settlers where there are suitable vleilands to find the root-bound clays. It is decidedly a white settler technique derived from their European forebears as it is also found in other colonies, but not in the traditional architecture of the endemic peoples. Because of the need for water-logged terrains it is not commonly encountered but where it is localised, it is a prevalent construction technique such as at the settlement of Venterskroon, North-West Province, South Africa. Examples are also to be found in the areas around Piet-Retief and Bethal in the Mpumalanga Province. The layers of spaded blocks, characteristically having diagonal interlocking faces at the bond because of the angle of the spade when digging them out, creating a herringbone pattern as the earthen blocks are laid with the culms facing downward. The pattern of laying is reversed in each layer for bonding, creating a herring-bane pattern. The making of openings would have followed the same techniques as for other earthen constructions. Compare: Adobe Cob Rammed earth