Good sod job?

newnan – posted 12 May 2005 05:16

Can someone tell me what constitutes a good bermuda sod job? My contractor says I am too picky and will never be satisfied. I thought I would toss the question out and see what this forum has to say. Thanks in advance.

mwhite125 – posted 12 May 2005 07:27

Well to start off you would need a very good grade job of your lot no large rocks or anything and nice and smooth; next would be good quality sod, but just remember most all builders get the cheapest sod they can get; Next would be if the contractors laid the sod in a brick pattern so that you wouldnt see lines all the way across your yard, Lastly it would of been really good if they rolled the new sod to get good contact with the soil underneath..Builders are the most laziest people I know, they dont want to redo anything because it involves paperwork, I just got me a new house and seen it firsthand. Hope this helps..

mwhite125 – posted 12 May 2005 07:35

Forgot to mention, all pieces of sod need to be laid as tight as possible to other pieces, no gaps or anything where weeds could easily grow thru, and also no lumps or dips on the new lawn either. Just get some Lesco 12-24-8 starter fertilzer or any 1:2:1 ratio so that it will get the sod to take root sooner.

ted – posted 12 May 2005 08:34

he’s right, and i would soil test it as well. you need to roll it and not have any gaps in the sod- great place for weeds. the soil underneath needs to be smooth as glass.

ted – posted 12 May 2005 08:35

having said that, there’s alot of crappy sod jobs out there that eventually turn out pretty good, but from my perspective, it’s all in the original design and setup of the lawn.

e34m5 – posted 12 May 2005 09:05

By far one the most important is good soil preparation.

Till to about 6″ deep. Add a good amount of new soil and till in.

Smooth and level this. Add a 1″ layer of sand. Not play sand but something like the sand used in golf courses.

Finally lay the sod as described above.

What will this do:

The sand is used to obtain the best level job. The sand also will let the water through too the soil below.

The 6″ till depth will promote the roots to go deep.

I found that this was the number one item for a good looking lawn.

Oh, one more thing. Be prepared to water a lot for the first week or so. You really need to promote that initial root growth.

Remember the little grass plants are in shock since they have recently uprooted.

newnan – posted 16 May 2005 04:39

Thanks to everyone who replied so far. I definitely got a crappy sod job and the contractor would rather argue with me about how picky I am instead of fixing the problem. The problem was prep work. Bobcat and a rake. The yard is uneven in places and a steady rain yesterday revealed several large areas that hold water. Sod is laid up to 1″ apart in some spots. Contractor says it will all fill in and look fine. Yep….seeding would have eventually looked good too….eventually!