Sod? Anyone?

[swils8610]

Turf Tech actually put the sod down for me and I use them for yearly maintenance. Very happy with them. If I get one or two dandelions a year that's it. I have 3 dogs. 2 Basset Hounds and a German Shorthair and never had any issues with them after a lawn treatment. Lakeside sells the sod to wholesale and retail customers. I've actually went and bought a few rolls of sod to replace dead spots in the lawn instead of seeding and watering.


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[GB-man]

Originally Posted by Abdullah71601

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







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.

Thank you very much for taking the time to share your experience. I might go this route because the missus is not pleased with another recreational purchase I have lined up. Maybe I can say hey, I'll fix the lawn for 100 but I need that new sea doo so 1:2 ain't bad eh ?

Originally Posted by swils8610

Turf Tech actually put the sod down for me and I use them for yearly maintenance. Very happy with them. If I get one or two dandelions a year that's it. I have 3 dogs. 2 Basset Hounds and a German Shorthair and never had any issues with them after a lawn treatment. Lakeside sells the sod to wholesale and retail customers. I've actually went and bought a few rolls of sod to replace dead spots in the lawn instead of seeding and watering.


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Thanks Shannon. I might actually reseed the front myself after treatment and then use some sod from them to patch a couple dog areas in the back yard.

Last but not least...I LOVE German shorthair pointers!

Such energetic and fun pups

[swils8610]

She's 10 now. Smartest dog I've ever had.


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[bdex75]

We bought a foreclosure that had close to 100% of the yard made up of clover, creeping charlie and all sorts of other landscape delinquents and invasive species. We decided to save it. De-thatched like a mad man, aeration like crazy. Lots of weed and feed. Overseeded twice in the first year and lots of water.

We were able to bring it back. If you have time and don't mind the little work it will take it is really a rewarding experience to bring it back.


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[GB-man]

Originally Posted by swils8610

She's 10 now. Smartest dog I've ever had.


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Beautiful dog

Originally Posted by bdex75

We bought a foreclosure that had close to 100% of the yard made up of clover, creeping charlie and all sorts of other landscape delinquents and invasive species. We decided to save it. De-thatched like a mad man, aeration like crazy. Lots of weed and feed. Overseeded twice in the first year and lots of water.

We were able to bring it back. If you have time and don't mind the little work it will take it is really a rewarding experience to bring it back.


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Thanks for the encouragement Brandon

[George Burdell]

If the weeds are that bad, I would NOT seed or sod until they are killed. If you do, they'll come back again and again. I would suggest spraying a non-selective herbicide, e.g., glyphosate (RoundUp), 2,4-D, 2,4-D-dicamba, or heck, even diesel on everything. It should then be allowed to work.

Once everything is dead, the seeds will germinate. Do it again. If you short cut, you'll be pulling weeds for a while.

From there, you want to make sure you select your new turf as a function of your environment, the desired turf quality, the amount of maintenance you plan to give it, and what you want to use your law for. Think about things like shade, traffic, climate, water, etc. You wouldn't plant bluegrass in lower Alabama due to the heat, and wouldn't plant centipede if you're going to be walking on it all day, for example. Bermuda needs sun, etc., etc.

I would then recommend getting a soil test. They're like $15 at a good university (Auburn and Georgia both do them in the southeast). It will tell you the nutrient makeup of your soil and what nutrients might be added. Additionally, it will tell you the percentage of sand, silt, and clay in the soil. If you're high in clay and low in sand, I would add sand.

If you just dump general starter fertilizer on the soil, there's a good chance you'll add too much phosphorus. That stuff leaches into waterways and kills fish. It promotes growth when you need it, but if you've got plenty P to begin with, you may only need a little nitrogen.

If you plant sod, make CERTAIN you get it from a reputable source that sells quality sod. If you go cheap, you'll get sod and probably a good crop of nutsedge or something else lurking beneath. Buy quality and cry once. Go cheap and weed your heart out.

Turn all that stuff under with a rototiller. Smooth it into a seedbed (if using seed), or a base for the sod. If seeding, you'll want some soil control atop the seed (hay, for example). If sodding, lay the sod. It then needs to be judiciously watered for 3-4 weeks to keep things moist without being saturated.

Fire up the barbecue and enjoy.

[milov]

Glyphosate is not as good an idea as people once thought it was. Best avoided if possible. I prefer to excavate the existing lawn and the top 100mm or so of soil. Replacing that with quality underlay and rolls of turf will produce an instant healthy result.

[77T]

Originally Posted by GB-man

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.

Oh heck, I didn't know it was that size, here's another option....

$25 in seed + $10 to an urban outdoorsman = done!

[GB-man]

Originally Posted by 77T

Oh heck, I didn't know it was that size, here's another option....

$25 in seed + $10 to an urban outdoorsman = done!

Looks like he's already on my lawn.

That's basically what I have been doing for the past 3 years and no result lol

[77T]

Originally Posted by GB-man

Looks like he's already on my lawn.

That's basically what I have been doing for the past 3 years and no result lol

Yes but he's the one who taught Mon his mad lawn skillz- look where it got Mon!

For an additional $5 he'll tutor you...

[Abdullah71601]

Originally Posted by George Burdell

If the weeds are that bad, I would NOT seed or sod until they are killed. If you do, they'll come back again and again. I would suggest spraying a non-selective herbicide, e.g., glyphosate (RoundUp), 2,4-D, 2,4-D-dicamba, or heck, even diesel on everything. It should then be allowed to work.

Once everything is dead, the seeds will germinate. Do it again. If you short cut, you'll be pulling weeds for a while.

From there, you want to make sure you select your new turf as a function of your environment, the desired turf quality, the amount of maintenance you plan to give it, and what you want to use your law for. Think about things like shade, traffic, climate, water, etc. You wouldn't plant bluegrass in lower Alabama due to the heat, and wouldn't plant centipede if you're going to be walking on it all day, for example. Bermuda needs sun, etc., etc.

I would then recommend getting a soil test. They're like $15 at a good university (Auburn and Georgia both do them in the southeast). It will tell you the nutrient makeup of your soil and what nutrients might be added. Additionally, it will tell you the percentage of sand, silt, and clay in the soil. If you're high in clay and low in sand, I would add sand.

If you just dump general starter fertilizer on the soil, there's a good chance you'll add too much phosphorus. That stuff leaches into waterways and kills fish. It promotes growth when you need it, but if you've got plenty P to begin with, you may only need a little nitrogen.

If you plant sod, make CERTAIN you get it from a reputable source that sells quality sod. If you go cheap, you'll get sod and probably a good crop of nutsedge or something else lurking beneath. Buy quality and cry once. Go cheap and weed your heart out.

Turn all that stuff under with a rototiller. Smooth it into a seedbed (if using seed), or a base for the sod. If seeding, you'll want some soil control atop the seed (hay, for example). If sodding, lay the sod. It then needs to be judiciously watered for 3-4 weeks to keep things moist without being saturated.

Fire up the barbecue and enjoy.

Phosphorus in starter fertilizer is not going to leach into waterways and kill fish. Crops maybe, but not a lawn, and definitely not what would be applied on Tom's 3000 square foot lawn.

I hope you're joking about the diesel.

[GB-man]

Originally Posted by Abdullah71601

Phosphorus in starter fertilizer is not going to leach into waterways and kill fish. Crops maybe, but not a lawn, and definitely not what would be applied on Tom's 3000 square foot lawn.

I hope you're joking about the diesel.

Nonsense! It worked

[SPARTAN2161]

Originally Posted by GB-man

Looks like he's already on my lawn.

That's basically what I have been doing for the past 3 years and no result lol

Tom,

Glad you are fixing up the eye sore of the neighborhood...haha jk!

Sod is a great idea but you may benefit from a company to come in and completely turn the soil and bring in new soil and level the yard out as well as have them spread new seed (hydro seed.) This is a cheaper option and will look just good if not better than sod once grows in. The issue with sod is in the beginning if its over or under watered it can die very quickly.

Lastly, the company mentioned by SWILS, although a good reputation, is WAY over priced for the services they offer. Check out Greenview Landscaping. I personally know the owner and can get you in touch with him for a quote if you would like. They do great work and are fair and competitive in the market.

[GB-man]

Originally Posted by SPARTAN2161

Tom,

Glad you are fixing up the eye sore of the neighborhood...haha jk!

Sod is a great idea but you may benefit from a company to come in and completely turn the soil and bring in new soil and level the yard out as well as have them spread new seed (hydro seed.) This is a cheaper option and will look just good if not better than sod once grows in. The issue with sod is in the beginning if its over or under watered it can die very quickly.

Lastly, the company mentioned by SWILS, although a good reputation, is WAY over priced for the services they offer. Check out Greenview Landscaping. I personally know the owner and can get you in touch with him for a quote if you would like. They do great work and are fair and competitive in the market.

I dropped them a line nick.