Sod? Anyone?

[GB-man]

My front lawn is likely original to my 1950s home and appears to have been about as well taken care of as Keith Richards liver. I have all sorts of clover and random weeds, built up thatching, bald spots, prickly weeds, dandelions lol it's a riot out there if I don't mow it every 3-5 days in the warm season.

After three years I'm sick of it.

My wife thinks we can fix it by throwing some seed down and hand pulling the weeds

I'm guessing half my front lawn is a weed of some sort.

I want to have a landscaping company remove it and install sod. Anyone here done this before? Waste of money? Good choice?

[mmutte]

We sold our house this past July. In order to get it ready to put on the market, we had to re-do all of the landscaping, spread dirt, then lay sod. It wasn't a large yard, in fact, it was one pallet exactly. It took an entire day, starting at 6am, until sun down. I told my wife that once we move into the new house, I will gladly pay a lawn man double his asking price. It is back-breaking work.
Though, I will tell you, looking at your completed yard, flower bed, etc is one of the most gratifying feelings you can have. It really is a sense of accomplishment once you see the finished product.

[GB-man]

Thanks for the reply Matt.

I do all my own yardwork even though I'm not particularly skilled at it. I guess I figure I'll hire it out once I'm older and have more excuses like spending time with kids or bad knees

For now I like to handle it myself as I often need to exercise anyways

With that said, I'm looking to outsource this. Ballpark quote is 2-3k for front and side yard. Back is staying as is (it's not as bad and my dog wreaks havoc back there anyways).

I realize it's largely a vanity thing but I don't like having the worst lawn on the block.

Originally Posted by mmutte

We sold our house this past July. In order to get it ready to put on the market, we had to re-do all of the landscaping, spread dirt, then lay sod. It wasn't a large yard, in fact, it was one pallet exactly. It took an entire day, starting at 6am, until sun down. I told my wife that once we move into the new house, I will gladly pay a lawn man double his asking price. It is back-breaking work.
Though, I will tell you, looking at your completed yard, flower bed, etc is one of the most gratifying feelings you can have. It really is a sense of accomplishment once you see the finished product.

[mailman]

Call a lawn treatment company local to you like Tru Green or similar. I use a local guy here. He might be able to save your lawn with treatments and aeration. It will save you money too if he can do it.

[77T]

Originally Posted by mailman

Call a lawn treatment company local to you like Tru Green or similar. I use a local guy here. He might be able to save your lawn with treatments and aeration. It will save you money too if he can do it.

This is definitely an option. It can take almost a year to do a rehab and the total annual cost is almost the same.

I've done it all 3 ways and helped neighbors with a 4th option. I've reseeded and done the sport of weed control. Did all the work and it worked out - just took a whole season. If you want quick results and lowest cost, throw a beer party for neighbors/friends and resod it DIY style. The prep work isn't as bad as the backbreaking layment process.

But the best option? Have your own personal beer party while watch a pro team do the work. No labor and they know how to slope the yard for correct drainage. Then you have an easier time maintaining it.

Just my


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[cop414]

Originally Posted by mailman

Call a lawn treatment company local to you like Tru Green or similar. I use a local guy here. He might be able to save your lawn with treatments and aeration. It will save you money too if he can do it.

I'd give this a try first, good luck.

[MonBK]

Order a truckload of sod, rent a Bobcat and do it yourself.

I did, it's a lot of fun.

[Abdullah71601]

If you're already doing it yourself, and aren't moving any time soon, you can easily manage it yourself.

First step is to buy a thatching rake and pay the neighbor kid to rake it for you. You can do it yourself, but if you have a large yard and like to golf or fish, having someone else do it is worth it. A lawn company will charge you quite a bit for aeration.

Next step is to apply herbicide to get rid of the weeds. Lowes or Home Depot has all you need. Wait for the weeds to be dead, then over seed with a perennial grass variety that is robust in your region. You can call your county extension office and they'll tell you the best variety. A good greens keeper can sort you out as well, if you know one.

Perennials take a while to look good, so also seed with an annual rye that will fill in the gaps this summer and die off over the winter. Fertilize with a starter mix when you plant and keep it well watered until the grass is 3 inches tall.

Always use weed and feed fertilizer and fertilize spring. summer and fall. Use a mulching mower and don't let the grass get too tall. I keep mine about first cut of rough. It helps retard weeds, mulches more evenly in the mower, and looks better.

[MonBK]

Originally Posted by MonBK

Order a truckload of sod, rent a Bobcat and do it yourself.

I did, it's a lot of fun.

Pics to prove it and the end result.

[brandrea]

I had the same with my lawn when I bought the house I'm currently in.

Depending on where you live and what type of grass you have, I'd spray it within Round Up. It kills every kind of weed, it's fast and let's you start over.

There are different kinds of Round Up, so make sure it's suitable for your grass type.

[mjclark32]

Last summer was brutal, basically no rain. Did some real damage to the lawn.
Just laid 45 2x5 pieces of sod in problem areas. Each roll cost ~$5, or $.50/ft, which was in line with what the local golf club pays.
We hired a couple guys from the local private club where I know the pro.
We also have tru green, and I'm not impressed so far. I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt at the moment saying it's last years drought. They're cheap enough to keep another year and see, but I don't mind doing it myself either. They aerate and seed in the fall, and spray for weeds a few other times throughout the spring/summer. We have just over half an acre and pay about $600/year.
Two years ago I rented an aerator from Home Depot for about $110 then bought seed for another $150ish, and that was for our smaller property. So, I figured for a few more bucks they can do it all.
Abdullah has some good advice above.
But at the end of the day, if you're being quoted just $2-3,000 I'd do it in a heartbeat. The areas we sodded look awesome. Worth it to me.
Hope any of the above helps. Good luck!

[BBL]

Hi Mon... like your pics and dedication to effort!
Say, what is the little shrub/tree in front of your light post? Will it keep that density of foliage and shape as it grows? Is it fast growing?
DM

[MonBK]

Originally Posted by BBL

Hi Mon... like your pics and dedication to effort!
Say, what is the little shrub/tree in front of your light post? Will it keep that density of foliage and shape as it grows? Is it fast growing?
DM

It's a Ficus.

Extremely fast growing, grows while you blink.

[MonBK]

Here's a pic after the truck dumped it.

[BBL]

Originally Posted by MonBK

It's a Ficus.

Extremely fast growing, grows while you blink.

Thanks, it looks very nice. I couldn't tell on my screen what it was. I thought it may be an option for my yard, but my climate's temps' fluctuations would stress these plants; therefore, not a good choice for outdoors here.
Have a great day!! DM

[Knappo 1307]

No matter if you sod it or seed it, if you don't fertilize it you will end up with the same problem......

[MonBK]

Originally Posted by BBL

Thanks, it looks very nice. I couldn't tell on my screen what it was. I thought it may be an option for my yard, but my climate's temps' fluctuations would stress these plants; therefore, not a good choice for outdoors here.
Have a great day!! DM

I planted a hedge in my backyard when I moved in to my last house.

Two years later it looked like this.

[BBL]

Mon, my goodness! I love your ficus hedge. Wish that was an option here.
Thanks, DM

[Etschell]

Originally Posted by MonBK

It's a Ficus.

Extremely fast growing, grows while you blink.

I have a double hedge in my back yard. ficus on one side of the wall and podocarpus on the other side. the white fly was really bad 7 years ago so i planted the podocarpus which were about 1 foot high. slow growers but now about 8 feet high. immune to white fly.

here is how it fills in (example):



as for my lawn it too has fungus and weeds but i dont care that much.

[milov]

How big is the lawn area? Eradicating a well established weed contamination takes more effort than most people are willing to put in. If you can afford the cost, dig it up, remove it. Then lay fresh soil and turf (I build gardens for a living).

[jnelson3097]

I just signed up to have our front yard regraded and have sod laid down. I asked about seed and our landscaper told us for the extra money ($200-300), just get sod. We had grub damage on over half our front yard so sod was about the only option for us.

[uscmatt99]

We built our home on a purchased lot several years ago, so our situation is different. The lot is large enough that sod would have been astronomically expensive, so we used hydroseeding, like most of our neighbors. It took a season to grow in, and 2-3 seasons to be thick and lush. I don't have the time or fortitude to do the lawn treatments and mowing, so we hire a couple of different local companies for those tasks. Whichever way you go, if you're tearing it all up, make sure your irrigation is up to snuff.

Since we don't have to deal with the lawn, it gave my wife and I more time to mess with the other landscaping. Most are flowering perennials that don't require watering any more now that they are established, so it's just weed control. We swap out the annuals yearly, and have recently moved to bulb plants. I have to say that the tulips turned out pretty killer after 45 minutes of planting last fall, in USC-ish colors to boot!

DSC05118.jpg by matthewcummings99, on Flickr

[Alexwwjd]

Originally Posted by Abdullah71601

If you're already doing it yourself, and aren't moving any time soon, you can easily manage it yourself.



First step is to buy a thatching rake and pay the neighbor kid to rake it for you. You can do it yourself, but if you have a large yard and like to golf or fish, having someone else do it is worth it. A lawn company will charge you quite a bit for aeration.



Next step is to apply herbicide to get rid of the weeds. Lowes or Home Depot has all you need. Wait for the weeds to be dead, then over seed with a perennial grass variety that is robust in your region. You can call your county extension office and they'll tell you the best variety. A good greens keeper can sort you out as well, if you know one.



Perennials take a while to look good, so also seed with an annual rye that will fill in the gaps this summer and die off over the winter. Fertilize with a starter mix when you plant and keep it well watered until the grass is 3 inches tall.



Always use weed and feed fertilizer and fertilize spring. summer and fall. Use a mulching mower and don't let the grass get too tall. I keep mine about first cut of rough. It helps retard weeds, mulches more evenly in the mower, and looks better.

This sounds like rocket science!


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[GB-man]

Wow thanks so much for all the feedback everyone

Mon I admire your bobcat skills. Bonus with that method is I could flip over my incredibly annoying neighbors car!


The lawn is relatively small. I have a 1/4 acre lot and the front/side area I'm looking to redo is probably 2-3k sq feet.

Now that I do the math, I'm thinking the price sounds low for installed so hopefully the quote doesn't double when the guy comes next week to give the formal estimate.

I think I could doctor the lawn back to acceptable in 2-3 years but it's temping to get it done now, enjoy the increased curb appeal and then have it good to go for when I eventually sell (likely around 5 years out).

My lawn is also super bumpy and lumpy out front. It is like my lawn mower is in need of a long travel suspension set up so regarding may be a nice benefit.

[swils8610]

I've done it. TurfTech out of Lockport did it. Price was decent. You can get the sod from Lakeside in Clarence. It's actually pretty cheap...like $1.50 per roll. It's very heavy to lift. I also have my lawn sprayed fertilized and whatever 5 times a year. Cost is about $450 per year. No weeds or other issues. Don't bother replacing with sod if your not going to have it fertilized and maintained yearly. It will go to hell quickly. You might want to have someone like TurfTech look at it and see if it can be salvaged. Good luck!


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[GB-man]

Originally Posted by swils8610

I've done it. TurfTech out of Lockport did it. Price was decent. You can get the sod from Lakeside in Clarence. It's actually pretty cheap...like $1.50 per roll. It's very heavy to lift. I also have my lawn sprayed fertilized and whatever 5 times a year. Cost is about $450 per year. No weeds or other issues. Don't bother replacing with sod if your not going to have it fertilized and maintained yearly. It will go to hell quickly. You might want to have someone like TurfTech look at it and see if it can be salvaged. Good luck!


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You were satisfied with the results Shannon? I plan to use a company for a treatment regiment in my front lawn only (where the sod is going), due to having a dog with very strong allergies.

I saw lakeside but assumed they merely sell and don't install.

[Porter]

Originally Posted by MonBK

Pics to prove it and the end result.

I like that RR in front of your garage. 👍

"If you're not having fun you're doing something wrong". Groucho Marx.

[MonBK]

Originally Posted by Porter

I like that RR in front of your garage. 👍

"If you're not having fun you're doing something wrong". Groucho Marx.

You have sharp eyes Carlos.

[1st amg]

Tom, I had this same issue with my home at one point two summers ago. I tried the throw some top soil on top and re seed and the weeds and clovers still came back. What I did in the end was the best solution. I went to Home Depot and rented a sod cutter, this machine gets underneath the sod and cuts it and you simply role up the old sod and discard. Then, I rented a Roto tiller also from home depot, I turned all the soil and then raked out all the weeds and clovers that I could see. I then called a truck load of good topsoil and had it dumped on my driveway. With a wheel barrel and some extra manual labour guys I spread the top soil. Lastly, I had enough new rolls of sod delivered to me and again, the same extra manual helpers were called and we laid all the new sod. It has been almost three years and the lawn looks like a golf green, remember, lots of watering is the most important key. Good Luck...and for the extra help can be found on local adds for people willing to do anything for cash.

[Abdullah71601]

Originally Posted by Alexwwjd

This sounds like rocket science!


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It's as easy as spreading fertilizer and managing a garden hose.

Originally Posted by GB-man

Wow thanks so much for all the feedback everyone

Mon I admire your bobcat skills. Bonus with that method is I could flip over my incredibly annoying neighbors car!


The lawn is relatively small. I have a 1/4 acre lot and the front/side area I'm looking to redo is probably 2-3k sq feet.

Now that I do the math, I'm thinking the price sounds low for installed so hopefully the quote doesn't double when the guy comes next week to give the formal estimate.

I think I could doctor the lawn back to acceptable in 2-3 years but it's temping to get it done now, enjoy the increased curb appeal and then have it good to go for when I eventually sell (likely around 5 years out).

My lawn is also super bumpy and lumpy out front. It is like my lawn mower is in need of a long travel suspension set up so regarding may be a nice benefit.

2-3K sq ft is not much. I did this on 1.5 acres of actual lawn around my house and shop (minus the thatching, I burned that off).

Going the weed killing/seeding route will cost you about $100 and your time on a lawn that tiny.

Whether you go with sod or reseeding, you need to manage the long term care of your lawn if you want it to stay nice. You'll be throwing your money away if you don't regularly apply a good weed and feed to keep the grass healthy and prevent weeds.