We've got a big job ahead of us to resod our backyard and I wondered if any of you had any tips to make it easier. The lawn has never been great since we bought the house two years ago, but a combination of a drought, watering ban and cinch bug invasion last summer completely did it in. I think we also had white grubs. We've put down roundup to kill off the weeds and the few blades of grass that were left and now we're going to till and level it. This should take care of the lumps, holes, swales and whatnot that have bugged us for the last two summers. After that, we're planning to roll out 2,000 square feet of new sod. Any tips for this back-breaking job?
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The clover works well but you have to remember that if you have the clover you cannot use weed and feed. It will kill off the clover.
also, you mentioned that you think you may have had grubs. You might want to consider dealing with them before laying any new grass. i would hate to see the little white buggars laying waiting for new grass to begin their daily buffet again.
Thanks for all your tips -- I will definitely follow them. Someone else once told me to sprinkle grass seed in the cracks between the rolls and I did that when the builder laid sod in one of my previous homes -- seemed to work, so I'll probably do that this time. Hadn't heard about the white clover seed, though. I'll send you some before and after pictures.
First rule: Green side up :rolleyes:
I agree with making sure you get a new layer of really rich soil (especially if you have roundup in that existing dirt). Also there is special fertilizer you can throw down on top of the dirt before you put the sod down. It really works. AT the new house I had, myself and a couple of others used it and no comparison. Our lawns greened up faster that first year and also the second while others had very patchy lawns that didn't grow as well.
Keep it lightly moist until you can't pull the pieces up any more (it's rooted) and then back off so the roots take time to go deep. Don't walk on it or cut it too soon.
If you can, get people with good backs to help you because it's a hard job on a back.
Make sure your ground is nice and level before you start to lay the sod. I agree with the above post about healthy soil to start with. If you don't have one of those heavy sod rollers, make sure to rent one. Use it before you lay the sod and after.
Don't let the sod dry out at all!!! That is very important. I would wet the ground ahead of where you lay it down too, just to give it a good moist start.
Keep it moist for the first week, not wet....but moist, if it's too wet the roots won't travel downward quickly to find the moisture and take a good hold of the ground.
I'm not sure I would add any seeds (clover) to the sod. Sod farms are pretty good with making there product, I wouldn't want to add anything to jepordize it's quality, at least ask them first...........it may be OK : )
Oh........about the back, I'd encourage some teenage boys to help with the lifting LOL and if you don't have a hot tub..........rent a portable one for the weekend.
Happy sod laying :)
It's really important to make sure you have good nutrient rich soil on which to lay your sod. There is no point fertilizing poor soil. I would suggest that you cover the area with some new top soil ("triple mix" = mixture of peat, compost and top soil ). Make sure that the sod does not dry out both before and after laying it. Keep it well watered for several weeks.
I hadn't thought about scattering white clover seeds, but it sure makes sense to me because of the added nitrogen. The healthier the grass, the less chance there is of it being taken over by weeds and pests!!!
Good luck...and pray for lots of rain :-)
These are the directions given to us by a landscape company.
Buy starter fertilizer.
Rake the area well to level and distribute the fertilizer first.
Begin on the outer edges of both both sides of the area working toward the [U]middle[/U]. This preveents the edges of the sod from drying. One sod strip on one side and then 1 sod strip on the other.
Try and get a brick pattern with the sod lengths.
Roll well to remove any air pockets and so the sod makes good contect with the soil under it.
Water, water, once day for 2 weeks.
You may want to scatter some white clover seeds over the new sod. The clover's
root system adds nitrrogen to the roots of the grass to strenthen it.
Good luck.. it takes time but if done properly well worth the back aches. :)