New To Sod

[SDNCLAWNCARE]

Customer called and wants her back yard sodded.. Never done this before, but it doesn't seem to hard. What are your opinions?

[qualitylawnmanagement]

Customer called and wants her back yard sodded.. Never done this before, but it doesn't seem to hard. What are your opinions?


It can be hard if you don't know what your doing, but then it can be easy if you have the equipment to do it. It is very hard work, but you get payed alot more too if you know how to charge for it too. I would take the job, but research a little bit, on how to do it, how to chrage right for it. Good luck!

[RAlmaroad]

SDNCLAWNCARE: I've done lots and lots of sod. !. Buy Fresh Sod from a trusted company. By the pallet is cheaper than square footage but make sure you know what is in the pallet. If there's a sod farm near you, deal with them. I used to go and work the cutter and got a little discount for loading it. #2. Make sure the ground is dug up, tilled, and a good starter fertlizer put down. (Important to have a good base for the roots) #3. Place your new sod down in a bricklike patten with staggered joints. (I even fill in the missing and broken places and cover the seams with spagnum peat moss. #4. Water it like ther's no tomorrow. Keep it wet, Every day for two weeks. Let it dry out and it will die, die, die. Heed this. Keep it wet. It will leach the water and roots will dry out. Really though it must have moisture. I water sod three times/day After two weeks you can cut it to 2/day. You could begin to see yellowing due to lack of iron. Give it a shot of the liquid iron. Hope this will help. Roy PS I sod in North and South Carolina.

[SDNCLAWNCARE]

Thanks for the responses... So when should I lay the sod down? Early March? Can I lay it down before the last frost? Great Info.

[RAlmaroad]

What sort of grass is your sod? To be safe, let's put down after May 30 to make sure that the frost has gone by. I say that because the watering is so important. We'll probably get some green up prior May 30th or if things turn really warm and nights say above 55, you could start a little sooner. If the bluegrass or fescue is still a little dormant, hit it with a little extra potash--we want the roots to develop mostly and get attached to the ground--potash will help there. Wait for about two-three weeks to mow. The above ground grass will feed the roots. I would not treat it with nothing until fall. Keep it watered, mowed and after a month or so, give it a shot of "Miracle-Grow" from the hose adapter. Would your client object to using their water for the Miracle-Grow. Make sure to ask. Roy

[sicnj]

plant green side up i made the mistake of planting it upside down very costly. thats a joke

[ozd12005]

plant green side up i made the mistake of planting it upside down very costly. thats a joke

Lmao ....If the dont speak good english "green side up is the way to go"

On a serious note sod work is kinda of ball busting work depending on the prep work that's involved. So many different factors involved as to if its an easy job or a pita job. As with any job the more you know the easier it is to make money at it

[SDNCLAWNCARE]

I can get Fescue for 90.00 per pallet. Which is 50 yrds. I know its going to be hard work, but what isn't? Thanks for all the input. I'll keep you guys posted.

[RAlmaroad]

If you get a helper to bring you the sod and you stay on your knees--it will go really fast. Otherwise, you will run yourself to death. Park the truck or wagon really close and move it when needed. Remember to stagger the joints like brick and water like crazy. Roy

[RAlmaroad]

Another thing that I did not mention--use the tractor or roller to roll the sod after you put it down--this will make sure the roots are in contact with the earth. You can use the lawn tractor to pull the roller--rent it and fill with water.

[Puttinggreens]

I'm afraid some of the advice given in this thread is just plain wrong.

May 30th?? The only thing to stop you from laying sod in the winter is frozen ground or frozen sod. As long as you can prep the soil, (loosen it thru tilling, aeration or your own method) and finish grade the area, I say sod as soon as possible. The sod will do much better than waiting till late spring.

The sooner the sod is down, the sooner the roots have a chance to develop and become established before the heat of summer. I find the best time to sod is November / December, very little water needed, nature takes care of the moisture.

Potash?? Phosphorus is much more important for root growth. Apply a granular starter fertilizer to the bare ground just before laying the sod. Follow the directions on the bag or use between 1 and 1.5 pounds actual phosphorus per 1000 square feet. The fert bag should say "starter fertilizer". The middle number will be the highest. An example would be 18-24-12.

Don't put anything down ,,, apply Miracle grow??? That is just one big contradiction. Actually, the sod usually arrives from the sod farm pretty juiced up on fertilizer. I would only apply the starter fertilizer and then see how it looks 4 to 6 weeks after install.

I would not waste my time and money renting a tractor or roller. If you have a roller then I would use it, no need to fill it completely with water. You just want to establish sod to soil contact to keep the sod's rootzone from drying out. Too much wait defeats the purpose of loosening the soil and creates areas of compaction.

Also, I would recommend you go to a garden center and pick up a soil test kit for $10 to $15. Follow the directions and send the sample in. This is what a professional would do, no guessing, get the facts about the soil form a lab. Results come back in less than 2 weeks.

Most important to long term success of the sod are the steps of soil preparation, soil test and lossen that soil as much as possible.

[SDNCLAWNCARE]

I agree with May 30 being to late.. To much risk for hot weather. Thanks for the advice, if I get the bid I will be back for some more information.

Thanks

[lawn king]

Quality soil preparation is very important, as is follow up watering. Sod installation is VERY labor intensive, anyone who tells you otherwise is new to the green industry.

[BTLS]

great info puttinggreens- thanks! -Ben

[justanotherlawnguy]

Charge a little extra for all the wheel barrow trips required to get the sod to the back yard. Unless of course it will be delivered to the back.

We sod year round down here. Love sod jobs, they are easy and a money maker if you price it right.

[Gmgbo]

I usually till bonemeal into the soil and then after grading the area i roll it with an emtpy roller to find the low spots. After that i fill those spots, scratch it, and then spray with kelp which encourages the roots to come into the soil. Starter Fert works better, but im on this organic kick now.

[Focal Point Landscapes]

Excellent advice from Putting Greens - we sod all winter long. I use a manual roller filled with water to roll after laying. If you don't have the equipment , rent a mini skid with a harley rake attachment to prep the soil.

[d&rlawncare]

All we have around here is hard clay...almost impossible to til it up. how many inches of topsoil would you need to put down on the clay for the sod to take? I was guessing 2-3 inches. Then some starter fert before laying sod. any help would be great, thanks....

[RAlmaroad]

D&R: Is this your personal lawn or lawns in general for your area? Is the soil Red Clay or something else? How big of an area are you planning? Do you know anything about subsoilers? 2-3 inches of topsoil may not be enough if the roots cannot knit into the stata below the topsoil. Let us know

[d&rlawncare]

D&R: Is this your personal lawn or lawns in general for your area? Is the soil Red Clay or something else? How big of an area are you planning? Do you know anything about subsoilers? 2-3 inches of topsoil may not be enough if the roots cannot knit into the stata below the topsoil. Let us know

This is our general area. Yes its red clay. No I have no clue about subsoilers. The areas are you typical postage stamp size yards. Thanks for your help.