OK....so it's come to the point where I ask EVERYTHING here first. Well, I've got another.

For Mother's Day, I mentioned working on the lawn. Well, now it's become tearing up the lawn and laying sod. We're talking about maybe 1000-1200 Sq Ft. The grass isn't very thick now, and there are some roots in there.

My questions are:

What is the proper way to bring up the current grass to prepare for sod?

How much is sod costing these days?

What steps are involved?

Is this an easy do-it-yourself job?

Thanks all....Happy Mother's Day FTE Moms!

 

well what kind of grass do you want? down here (North Texas) a pallet of Raleigh St. Augustine costs about $200, and will cover 450 ish square feet, I forget the exact number. I can't remember specific prices for Bermuda but I think I remember it being slightly less. good luck with your yard

 

All I can remember is to soak it a few times a day for a week or more. It'll grab right on.

Seems it was about $2 for 3 sqaure feet here. 18"x24" i think. You could probably get it in a roll.

Clint

 

I used a flat head shovel and an edging shovel to remove the old grass, just about 1" below roots, it worked great. I added some high nutrient soil and tilled it in and leveled. Make sure you add some grub killer, I lost a quarter of the sod to the little buggers.
Plus you'll need........WATER, WATER, WATER.
As far as price goes I really don't remember, but I do remember it was full of weeds after the first year but then I added weed and feed, it's looks ok except where the dog keeps p'in.
good luck!!!

 

Make sure you have enough good topsoil to maintain the best condition for the grass.

You can take a sample to the garden centre for them to do an analysis to see what it needs.You may consider bringing more in.
You will need a 8 ft skreet to drag over the dirt to level it out over the complete area.
A straight 4x4 post with a rope harness,works well for this.

A roller drum for packing after the skreeting.

I would use liquid fertilizer to give it a boost but after the initial shot use fertilizer to a minimum as they can become fertilizer dependant & that gets expensive

 

Not 100% sure what you mean here. If you are talking about removal you should probably rent a sod cutter to get the old stuff out. Then I'd till in some manure or other organic material.
When I got mine (KY bluegrass) sod was costing around 17-25 cents per square foot, depending on amount of sod.
After you get your old lawn out, till something like manure, nutrimulch, even peat moss into the soil and roll it out to smooth it. Level it, roll. level, roll. Wet it down, level, roll. Keep doing this until it's smooth and you're sure it wont settle.
After its nice and smooth, I'd spray the whole thing down with roundup to take care of any weeds. Wait about a week, lay down some fertilizer (I used 16-16-16 here), moisten the ground, then put down your sod, staggering pieces (kinda like shingles). Keep it moist until the roots take hold (about 2 weeks)
Mentally easy? Yes.
Physically easy? No.
But definately a diy job. I put in about 12,000sqft 2years ago. Just me and my dad for the most part. My wife brought the drinks out.
Just remember to keep it moist. Don't drown it out but give it a good watering at least daily.
Good luck and have fun.

 

It all depends on your soil type. When I did my front yard last year I ran a tiller through the whole yard, then rolled it with a roller to get all the existing vegitation under control. When I layed the sod, I fertilized the ground, then placed the sod on top. After I had the sod placed, I seeded the whole works. Mine turned out great (This month I have to finish the back yard)

Remember to water it, that is the most important thing, and don't mow it to soon. Make sure the it is well rooted before you mow it or you could stress it to much and kill it.

 

can't lay new sod over old grass. hack it out with a flat pick. if there's a lot get a sod cutter. set the blade low enough so the old grass comes off in long ribbons. that way you know you're getting the roots.

now you have to inspect the soil. if your soil's no good you need like 4" inches of fresh topsoil. landscapers all do this. money's better spent on good soil than laborers trying to grade poor soil. hard on your budget but you'll get a great lawn and it's easy to grade.

if your soil's ok just till it and work in a little peat moss. get the rocks out and even it. but don't kill yourself. the big hunks of mud and clay just stomp on them and pass the roller so it's roughly even. the worst mistake you can do here is not compact and the ground settles after you lay the sod.

once it's roughly even and well compacted get a little bit of topsoil. a couple of yards. use this for your fine grade. keep rolling and evening it out again till it's nice and smooth and level

last i checked sod was 1.25 can$ by the roll. probably less by the pallet. but it dries out and you can't return it so don't get more than you need. if you're on a budget have them deliver only as many pallets as you're sure you'll need. then if you're short like 10-20 rolls just pick up the balance in your truck.

fastest way to lay it is have one guy on his knees laying them and one guy bringing him the sods. lay out one row straight down the middle. then another row starting from the other side so the edges are staggered. your helper can drop a roll every six feet so it's right where you need it. just unroll it and push it snug against the edges of the last row. box cutter works well to trim the edges.

 

1. Water well to green up what is there and get all the weeds to sprout.
2. Apply a herbicide like Roundup, or a generic to kill everything down to the roots.
3. Rent a sod cutter to get rid of the dead grass and weeds.
4. Now is a good time to repair or replace your sprinkler system.
5. Apply starter fertilizer to get the sod off to a good start.
6. Order sod to be delivered so that you can put it down right away so it will not dry out.
7. Lay it out and press it down with a rented water-filled roller.
8. Keep watering it daily unitil it is established.

It is hard work, only do-it-yourself if you are in good physical shape.

Bermuda and St. Augustine will not work in the northeast and I'm sure no one there sells it. I use those types at my parents houses near the beach with great success. Bluegrass or perennial rye are probably the popular types in PA. Fortunately, they are also the cheapest, probably $.20 or so a square foot.

Jim

 

I just put down 2000 square feet a couple weeks ago.... I tilled my yard into a quagmire of mud.... then laid down the sod.... the rain cooperated here and I watered quite a bit.... it looks great and its only been a month so far.

 

All I know about it is "green side up". It seems like alot of work to make something grow that I don't want to grow. As soon as it grows I have to make my significant other go cut it.

Actually you have had a lot of good advice. The only thing I could add is get plenty of help. Anybody who is breathing and can carry sod will do. Good luck with it.

 

One of my Favourite Stories.

*Note* (This is Not a religious thread, it is only a Funny Story)

Imagine the conversation The Creator might have had with St. Francis on the subject of lawns:
GOD: Frank, you know all about gardens and nature. What in the world is going on down there? What happened to the dandelions, violets, thistles and stuff I started long ago? I had a perfect, no-maintenance garden plan. Those plants grow in any type of soil, withstand drought and multiply with abandon. The nectar from the long lasting blossoms attracts butterflies, honey bees and flocks of songbirds. I expected to see a vast garden of colors by now. But all I see are these green rectangles.

ST. FRANCIS: It's the tribes that settled there, Lord. The Suburbanites. They started calling your flowers "weeds" and went to great lengths to kill them and replace them with grass.

GOD: Grass? But it's so boring. It's not colorful. It doesn't attract butterflies, birds and bees, only grubs and sod worms. It's temperamental with temperatures. Do these Suburbanites really want all that grass growing there?

ST. FRANCIS: Apparently so, Lord. They go to great pains to grow it and keep it green. They begin each spring by fertilizing grass and poisoning any other plant that crops up in the lawn.

GOD: The spring rains and warm weather probably make grass grow really fast. That must make the homeowners happy.

ST. FRANCIS: Apparently not, Lord. As soon as it grows a little, they cut it . . . sometimes even twice a week.

GOD: They cut it? Do they then bail it like hay?

ST. FRANCIS: Not exactly, Lord. Most of them rake it up and put it in bags.

GOD: They bag it? Why? Is it a cash crop? Do they sell it?

ST. FRANCIS: No Sir. Just the opposite. They pay to throw it away.

GOD: Now let me get this straight. They fertilize grass so it will grow. And when it does grow, they cut it off and pay to throw it away?

ST. FRANCIS: Yes, Sir.

GOD: These Suburbanites must be relieved in the summer when we cut back on the rain and turn up the heat. That surely slows the growth and saves them a lot of work.

ST. FRANCIS: You aren't going to believe this Lord. When the grass stops growing so fast, they drag out hoses and pay more money to water it so they can continue to mow it and pay to get rid of it.

GOD: What nonsense. At least they kept some of the trees. That was a sheer stroke of genius, if I do say so myself. The trees grow leaves in the spring to provide beauty and shade in the summer. In the autumn they fall to the ground and form a natural blanket to keep moisture in the soil and protect the trees and bushes. Plus, as they rot, the leaves form compost to enhance the soil. It's a natural circle of life.

ST. FRANCIS: You better sit down, Lord. The Suburbanites have drawn a new circle. As soon as the leaves fall, they rake them into great piles and pay to have them hauled away.

GOD: No! What do they do to protect the shrub and tree roots in the winter and to keep the soil moist and loose?

ST. FRANCIS: After throwing away the leaves, they go out and buy something which they call mulch. The haul it home and spread it around in place of the leaves.

GOD: And where do they get this mulch?

ST. FRANCIS: They cut down trees and grind them up to make the mulch.

GOD: Enough. I don't want to think about this anymore. St. Catherine, you're in charge of the arts. What movie have they scheduled for us tonight?

ST. CATHERINE: Dumb and Dumber, Lord. It's a real stupid movie about.....

GOD: Never mind. I think I just heard the whole story from St. Francis

 

I did this last spring with my dad, we did two palets in 8 hrs, start of the job to finish.

My dad has an old tiller, so I tilled up the yard. I STRONGLY suggest renting a tiller, makes the job SO much easier.

If you rent a tiller and till up the yard...
1) Till yard
2) Rake grass into piles and kind of level the dirt out. Make it to where it all just lookes like dirt
3) Lay sod

As you lay each piece of sod, stamp down the corners into the dirt and around the edges. If the corners stick up anywhere then that part will die out and look not so good. Also get a machete (sp?), for when you need to trip pieces of sod, just hack it.

Not hard, just monotonous labor. But the pay off is awesome.