Seed v. Sod + types of lawn

15 years ago

Hello.

I'm very new at this whole home ownership thing and my entire backyard is mud. Literally.

My wife and I bought house in Northern Virginia (border of zone 6 or 7) and added an addition in the back. Post-construction, though, there is nothing but mud left of my back yard.

I have a very energetic two-and-a-half year old half lab puppy that has access to the back yard during the day and like to run around a lot. As a result, I'm thinking of going with sod rather than seed, but I'm hesitant at the additional cost.

I'm also unsure about what grass types I should be looking for. I've heard of Kentucky Bluegrass and Fescue, but don't know much about these or any other types.

Can someone point me to a good resource or two to read up on these two topics? Or if you have personal recommendations, those are also very welcome.

I think I'll need just under 5,000 sq. ft. of new lawn somehow, if that makes a difference. The lawn has both sunny and shaded spots.

Thank you,

Jeremie.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (5)

auteck
15 years ago
I think the first thing you need to know is that dogs and nice lawns don't co-exist, so setting your expectations well will be the first step.

Giving the situation you described, I would recommend sod instead of seed. For your area and application, a mix and blend of Turf-Type Tall Fescue and Kentucky Bluegrass will be best. The areas with heavy shade will favor the tall fescue, and the areas with full sun will favor both. However, due to the spreading aviliby of the kentucky Bluegrass, any damage caused by the dog or the weather should fill in within a growing season.

You need to make sure your yard is leveled and free of stones/rocks, building materials hidding just under the top soil, etc... Before you lay the sod down. You going to need to fertilize and water your new sod the first summer/season.

Being in Northen Virginia, you shouldn't have any problems finding Fescue/Bluegrass Sod. Down here in Raleigh, NC, 1 pallet (500 sf. approx.) of Fescue/Bluegrass sod runs for about $150 to $160. It shoud cost more or less the same up there.

Anyway, congratulations on the purchase of your property and good luck with the project.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Auteck
haplo_wm
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks for the advice! I'm at the beginning of the process, as you can tell, and I appreciate the help.
Related Discussions
new home new lawn seed and sod
Q
Comments (2)
I was sort of in the same boat last year. I did a small scale experiment in the back yard the same time my builder spread seed and straw on the rest. What I have found is that any topsoil will do. I bought the Lowe's $1 per bag cheap stuff and the Scott's $2 per bag topsoil. I spread the two types of soil in seperate areas of the yard that get the same amount of sun. The Scott's soil did not help the grass grow any faster or thicker. (Remember this was my experience) Both mine and my neighbors yards were put in on the same day and mine is doing a ton better. There were two things that I think really helped my yard develop better than the guy next door. 1) Rake up all straw once your grass starts to grow. When I did this, the grass seemed to fill in a lot more than my neighbors. I had a fraction of the weeds also. I found the best way was to rake it all up into rows and run over it with the mower with the bagger on. 2) Arriate. My neighbor did not do this, but I did last fall. You will not notice very much difference by the time snow hits, but in the spring the results are night and day! If you haven't done this before just beware that clay will cake to the tires of your mower and you will have to clean them off. Not a big deal. Lastly, I bought some of the Scott's Patchmaster this spring to re-plant in an area where we had a drain put in. I didn't think there would be much of a difference, but man that stuff really works. It grows in pretty thick too! If I ever put in another yard, I will definately be using the hydroseeding.
...See More
rtf sod, kbg sod, or seed
Q
Comments (3)
If the sunny area is the front lawn and the shady area is the back, I might do both, but if one yard has both sun and shade, I'm not sure how you'd lay the sod to get it to look nice. I tried some RTF several years ago (probably when it first came out) and was disappointed with the results. It was mostly my fault, though. I didn't start over or even do anything to prepare the soil, and I didn't water it several times a day until it got started. I just threw the seed down and hoped for the best. I also contacted the folks who make it, and did some more research, but ultimately decided I wanted a lawn that uses even less water than the RTF does, so I switched to native grasses. From what I learned, the key to being satisfied with RTF is to set realistic expectations. The marketing materials are truthful, but it's easy to read more into them than what they really say, so people tend to get their hopes up pretty high. RTF spreads, but it does so more slowly than KBG, so it won't fill in as fast as KBG, but it will fill in. Also, many people bought WaterSaver RTF seeds thinking all of the seeds were RTF, but the RTF actually made up less than a third of the total seed. I think that if you go in with the right expectations, you'll be happier with the final results.
...See More
Suggestions for bermuda seed similar to U-3 sod
Q
Comments (3)
You may have seen this already but here it is: True U-3 is almost non-existent these days - the variety was not sterile, so it outcrossed with whatever local common or wild type bermudas lived around it and seedlings took over many of the sod farms. Dr. Taliaferro at Oklahoma State University did a collection trip among midwest sod farms several years back and grew out samples of all their claimed "U-3" bermuda to compare to a USDA reference plant sample. About 95% of the collected sod samples being sold as U-3. were no longer actually the real U-3 variety. If you have an old U-3 stand that you want to seed over, Yukon is a good choice, as long as you seed over the entire area, not just the bare spots. The two will blend together well and long term the Yukon will spread more dense and push out most of the U-3. If seeding just the bare spots in a U-3 lawn then yes you would see a difference in varieties. But this may be true even if seeding with commercial U3 seed currently on the market.. Also Cimarron Valley sod says they have seed yet "Seed of U-3 bermudagrass is offered for sale, but produces a turf with less uniform texture than one from sod or sprigs"
...See More
Sod front, seed back - first few steps to maintain
Q
Comments (9)
So maybe for now just use a starter fert on both the grass and seed until the end of the season,... If "end of season" means June- yes. Come August, that will change. or do you suggest since its been long enough to start with a pre-e? Feel free to use a pre-m. I like prilled prodiamine (Barricade), but it's hard to find w/o N content. If you can't find it w/o N, then you should skip the starter for the month you apply the pre-m w/N. jc411 can probably give you alternate forms. He is kinda the expert on fungicides and herbicides.
...See More
maidinmontana
15 years ago
If it were me, taking the dog into consideration, I would go w/sod.

I had some spots in my yard that I wanted to turn into grass, thought I would just take the cheap route and go with seeding it rather than sod, well. . . lets just say I ended up sodding AFTER the seed method didn't work, as the dogs wouldn't stay off of the area. You have to water the newly seeded area a lot, keeping the dog off of it will be hard not to mention the mess.
You have to water new sod a lot as well, but at least there isn't the mess of the mud, if money isn't an issue, I'd go w/sod.
Gags
15 years ago
Merrifield Garden Center (as of last fall) has KBG sod for about $1/sq.ft. It's in 2x5 rolls, and is a mix (if my note taking was correct) of Midnight Everglade and Midnight Impact (or was it Impact Midnight?).

I'm thinking of going with sod myself for that strip between the street and sidewalk - I know I won't be able to keep up with the watering if I go with seed.
dchall_san_antonio
15 years ago
When the puppy has destroyed the sod, consider using mulch - lots of it.

Seed v. Sod + types of lawn

Comments (5)

auteck

haplo_wm
Original Author

Related Discussions

maidinmontana

Gags

dchall_san_antonio

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Seed v. Sod + types of lawn

Comments (5)

auteck

haplo_wmOriginal Author

Related Discussions

maidinmontana

Gags

dchall_san_antonio

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

haplo_wm
Original Author