Laying Sod

Questions about laying Sod: Previously, I cut up the old turf, sprayed the remaining with herbicide, roto-tilled in loam builder and have now leveled the "lawn" area with two inches of composted forest mulch.
Now the question; After doing all this, why do you need to roll the ground with the drum? Doesn't that just compact down what I spent the better part of two days mulching and loosing up? How important of a step in the process is this?
Thanks.
Tom

Boatwrench said:

Questions about laying Sod: Previously, I cut up the old turf, sprayed the remaining with herbicide, roto-tilled in loam builder and have now leveled the "lawn" area with two inches of composted forest mulch.
Now the question; After doing all this, why do you need to roll the ground with the drum? Doesn't that just compact down what I spent the better part of two days mulching and loosing up? How important of a step in the process is this?
Thanks.
Tom

Click to expand...

I seem to remember reading an agricultural journal that made reference to grass growing better in the wake of the turf tires on small tractors.
It's been so long that I can't remember the details.

If you want to roll...do it after the sod is layed, before watering. When mine was layed, they did not roll it...and it is just fine now. Always remember...green side up.

Rev

Roll it after it is installed, I work on a golf course and rolling the sod is a pretty important step. You don't want your yard you just spent madd money on to be unlevel. Rolling makes the sod layflatter and takes away the chance for any soil to wash during a rain storm.
Remember to water the sod like 3-4 times a day untill it is somewhat established. ( its never supposed to dry out~) Is it fescue or bramudia? I can give somemore pointers for a sucerssiful lawn, if you get more specific.

How long has it been since you sprayed the herbicide, and what was it? Depending on the product, there will be a waiting period before you can throw down you new lawn carpet.

Rolling the sod not only keeps the soil from washing, it also presses the sod against the ground and keeps air from getting under the sod and drying it out faster.

Throw a pinch of fertilizer, preferably organic, before you lay the sod to insure there is food available for the plant as it's punching it's roots in the ground.

Once it's on the ground...soak the $#!^ out of it!

Thread hijack...sort of...sorry. Hey turf guys, what is a good broadleaf herbicide I can use on my lawn this time of year (midwest) to kill dandelions, violets etc? Is it too late? Do I need to keep my dog off it for a period of time?

Thanks,
KY Chris

Just use any Broad leaf weed killer. NOT ROUND UP. I think the gernaric name is Spectraside Broadleaf Weed killer. You can buy It premixed and it just ataches to your hose. That will ensure that you don't burn your regular turf. The Commerical name for the stuff is TRIMEC. If you could get access to that, it works faster and kills more weeds than the home center stuff. I amaze myself somtimes at the useless amount of knowledge I have. One the stuff is dry you can let your dog walk on it.

Good Luck

One more thing, if the sod is fescue. use a quality starter fetilizer, like Penn mulch or something similar., low numbers. If the sod is bermuda or St. Augisitine use organic fertilizer. After about a month, use a regular fertilizer. now is the time to do all that stuff too, before it gets to hot.

What about a little vitamin B to help with root growth?

Chris,

Just go to your local Menard's, Lowe's, Home Depot, whatever discount hardware store and talk to the hottest sales assistant you can find. Just tell them what you want to kill and they can hook you up. There's about a million "slective" broadleaf herbicides out there and they all work. Just get the cheapest you can find. It's never too late to kill weeds post-emerge. Once you have applied the chemical, get completely naked and roll in the lawn.



XJsomthing, you say if it's fescue use a quality starter fertilizer and if it's bermuda or St. Augustine use organic. What's the difference and why?

Anything other than organic will usually prove too strong for these grasses during transplanting. These are creeping grasses and grow out. most of there engery is focused in the root of the plant, fescue 's engery if foucsed in the acutal leaf. You may be able to get away with usuing a manmade fertilizer, but the chances of the grass being "stressed out" and yellowing and never really rooting properley are too great. Before I started working on a golf course and learning all this crap, I tourched 4 pallets of ST. Augestine in Daytona Beach, FL. I lived in a rental and the owners hooked me up with all that sod. I laid it, than killed it using to strong of a ferilizer. Lesson learned to hard. If you spill man made fertilizer, in a pile It wil kill whatever it lands on, organic will never burn grass. Hope my rambling helped some.
thanks

Flowers, stop wasting time posting on Naxja and come kill my crab grass ;-)

Chewy

Thanks for the info, been too busy here at work to get to the board.

XJeacdanow: It's a Dwarf Fescue. The garden center recommended this for partly shaded areas. My yard has a southern exposure with a row of trees on the south fence line. 1/2 gets morning, one half gets afternoon as the sun moves east to west.
On the starter fertilizer, I haven't spread any yet. Although I did roto till in forest mulch and then raked on a 1in layer on top.

Flowers: I sprayed 'round up' in November and have only had a small amount of xzalis, (wood sorrel?) show up after the rains in the lawn area, but plenty in the flower beds.

The sod will arrive Friday the 9th, so I have one more weekend to mess with the lawn area. NOAA is projecting heavy rain here in San Francisco starting late tonight through Sunday morning with snow level down to 3000' so probably won't be able to do much. Looks like the Sierra's will have a late spring.

Thanks for all your help,
Tom

Dwarf fescue means LESS mowing! always good. The soil prep that you did sound great for the sod. I would still add a low numbered started fertilizer after install, it can only help the fescue. Round up becomes inert after 2 weeks so you should be good there too. Rember water it like its a mississippi mud hole! Good luck and happy sodding!