Question: Laying Sod

[Tidefan7887]

I have been wanting to lay grass in my front yard for about a year now. My yard is pretty bad; consists of a little grass, lots of weeds, and some bare spots. I don't know hardly anything about grass except how to actually lay it (my dad liked to work us like mules growing up). I've done some research online but hopefully some of you on here have some experience and can answer some of my questions:

1. Type of grass? Most of the yard gets alot of sunlight; however other parts have shade for a large part of the day. Is there a grass that is good in both shade and sunlight?

2. Main questions/concerns are prepping the ground before starting. Can I just till of all of the current weeds grass a time or two to get the ground ready, or do I need to put down some kind of herbicide to kill everything first?

3. I'm assuming the ground will need to be fertilized. Is that correct?

4. Also, does anyone know of a good, reasonably priced place/farm to get pallets from in the Birmingham area?

Any tips and recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

 

[RTR91]

I have one piece of advice.... Wear gloves to avoid ants.

 

[Bamabuzzard]

I have a second piece of advice... call a lot of friends to help and cook for them afterwards.

 

[gman4tide]

No expert but:
sunny = bermuda
shade = some form of fescue (and you'll still need copious amounts of water)
just tilling is fine, no need to burn/kill before hand
I wouldn't fertilize at planting..you run the risk of burning the roots..just keep it watered like crazy the first few months, then split fert application this fall and next spring.
Dunno any sod farms in the b'ham area, sorry.

 

[bamanut_aj]

I know Bermuda does well there, but I don't know how fescue does in B'ham.

I wouldn't put any herbicide down on the ground under the sod.....with water, your sod will start to root within a week. You don't want to root into soil with herbicide. Conversely, I've never heard of fertilizing the ground before laying sod.

 

[Tidefan7887]

Thanks for all the good info and quick replies. I was hoping to hear that a good tilling would do the trick alone.

 

[willie52]

Not an expert by any means but have done it several times. I didn't see anyone ask what type of soil you have. If you have hard ground or clay you will probably need a couple of inches of topsoil for the roots to flourish. I personnally like the tall fescue but it all depends on the person and the area. You can find out more by Googling "grass types". I would not fertilize or put any herbicide down until well after the roots take hold (at least a month or two). If you have to add topsoil, I would recommend rolling to pack it down some. Also, no beer for the help unless you want it looking like the yellow brick road in the Wizard of Oz. :smile:

 

[Bamabuzzard]

I live in northwest Louisiana where the summers are scawldin' hot. Bermuda does great in the heat and the hotter it gets the greener it gets. I don't think it is as "hearty" when it comes to fighting off weeds like centipede or st. augustine but when it comes to tolerating the heat its great. Looks beautiful when freshly cut as well.

 

[TommyMac]

Can't believe no one has said "green side up."

 

[Bama Reb]

Can't believe no one has said "green side up."

And you have to give that instruction to folks in Mobile? :biggrin: :wink:

 

[gman4tide]

Can't believe no one has said "green side up."

Up here its...el lado verde arriba

 

[MDBSnare]

No herbicides before laying sod! Till and add some good soil, then till again...not terribly deep. Then make sure the ground is fairly well packed down. Lay the sod (I'd go with Bermuda-hybrid). Afterwards top dress with a lot of sand. This will help even out the sod pieces, then water like crazy. Do NOT fertilize until it is growing well. A lot of people kill the sod by fertilizing too soon. I'd probably not even fertilize until this winter (with a good pre-emergent and iron).

 

[TideEngineer08]

No herbicides before laying sod! Till and add some good soil, then till again...not terribly deep. Then make sure the ground is fairly well packed down. Lay the sod (I'd go with Bermuda-hybrid). Afterwards top dress with a lot of sand. This will help even out the sod pieces, then water like crazy. Do NOT fertilize until it is growing well. A lot of people kill the sod by fertilizing too soon. I'd probably not even fertilize until this winter (with a good pre-emergent and iron).

What about sowing grass seed? I am asking about the herbicide before sowing as well as fertilizer.

 

[MDBSnare]

What about sowing grass seed? I am asking about the herbicide before sowing as well as fertilizer.

Same thing. The herbicide will stay in the ground for awhile and will hamper root growth. You might prep the ground with a good quality fertilizer before seeding, but I wouldn't get a fertilizer with a high nitrogen content...but, I'm not that experienced with seeding....

 

[TideEngineer08]

Thank you, bamaphd.

 

[bayoutider]

I have used Bermuda and St. Augustine. The ground should be cleared to bare dirt and roughed with an iron rake. Lay the squares, rectangles or rolls then water like crazy. Soaker hoses are good but don't water so much you make a lake. Buy, rent or borrow a large water filled drum to roll the lawn. Keep the sod well watered at first then you should see it start to take care of itself. At this time you may start watering less, try mowing and top dress with fertilizer. Keep some top soil on hand to fill in spots that opened up and need some patching.

 

[Tidefan7887]

Thanks everyone for the tips. Sounds like all I need to do now is get to work.

 

[It's On A Slab]

Thanks everyone for the tips. Sounds like all I need to do now is get to work.

My yard in Dothan was kind of a wreck when we moved in in '93. Patches of Bermuda and bare spots in the shade. I had pretty good luck sodding the bare spots in the shady areas with centipede grass. The Bermuda was reallly hardy in the sunny areas.