Central Florida. This is what I did to my back yard that was mostly weeds (sedges, dollar weed, etc.) that came after a couple of hard freeze winters and poor service from commercial lawn companies. It again became a DIY routine for my yard. Formerly St. Augustine Floratam. 2/24/2011 First application of Roundup 3/12 Second application of Roundup 3/24 Applied starter fertilizer to area 3/25 Third application of roundup 3/29 First shipment and installation of Empire Zoysia plugs 4/15 Finished final planting of plugs 5/25 First mowing of Zoysia By late summer, Zoysia had covered area well but still not complete - perhaps 90% but still bumpy using the rider mower. Over time the bumpy should go away when the plugs do their job. Very few weeds growing in Zoysia. By November, no soil showing anywhere among the Zoysia. 2/20/2012 Zoysia slightly brown in some areas - from 2 not-to-hard freezes and very few weeds, primarily dollar weed. Those weeds are probably left-overs and should mostly disappear after I do the first herbicide. Laying strips of sod on top of the ground will, of course, create a very bumpy ride for a mower - perhaps an inch+ above the bare soil - scalping possible. Considering the amount of work involved with removing the old sod, leveling any spots, then laying new sod -- I would again readily choose killing the existing vegetation, buying and planting Zoysia plugs. If I were going to do 8000 sq ft, it would be done part now, remainder as I felt the urge.

Run for your life! That plant sends out runners underground like steel. If you chop up the roots, each part grows back into more and more plants. I worked like a dog to remove a 3 by 3 foot patch. I saw an ad for vinca minor that said routine mowing will make it come back thicker and stronger - as if that was a selling point. They sell it around here as a ground cover. I call it a ground hogger. Here is a link that might be useful: vinca minor

Laura, Sod cutters work very well in certain types of soil. You have to be very strong to use one...it is much more a task for a gentleman than for a lady. This is the kind of job that when we do it, DH runs the sodcutter and I help. The sod also is very heavy to handle after it is cut. One way to enlist help in removing the sod is to offer it on Craigslist or Freecycle, and state clearly that whoever wants the sod has to be there while y'all are cutting it so they can load it up and take it away that day. Usually people will knock themselves out to get free grass sod. If you want to see one in operation, there are videos online...likely on YouTube as well as on the websites of sodcutter manufacturers and rental companies. When checking into renting one, find out what type they have...there are some that are very, very large and heavy and others that are a bit more lightweight. The more lightweight ones work fine in sandy or loamy soil but you may need a more heavy duty one in thicker, denser soil that has a heavy clay content. Plan for a long, difficult day when you're cutting and removing sod, and depending on the type of soil you have, it can take longer than you think it will. Sodcutters are the best way to remove bermuda grass if you have soil that isn't so dense or rocky that the cutter cannot penetrate it to the proper depth. They're sort of like a big saw on wheels and they cut through the soil/grass sod at whatever depth you set. You have to be careful you don't set the depth too low with clay soil, or the sod/clay is too heavy to lift. Some stolons or roots may be left behind, and bermuda can sprout from seed that blows in from elsewhere, but a sodcutter is still the best way to remove bermuda. This is the perfect time of year to use a sodcutter because the soil is nice and moist. I'd never try to use a sodcutter with very dry soil, especially very dry clay soil. I have some beds I want to enlarge and am thinking of renting a sod cutter to do it during the next week or two. Dawn

I rented a sod cutter from Home Depot for 24hrs. If I remember right , I think it was around $75.00. My sod was Marathon 2, around 420 sq. feet, not very old.I cut it lengthways and then widthways, which made it into easy to handle squares. Loaded it into wheel barrels and delivered it to my next door neighbour who reused it rightaway. Still looks as good as the first day I got it delivered. Warning: 420 sq. feet of sod doesn't sound like very much area, but when you cut it up into 2x2 or 3x3 squares, it becomes alot of heavy work. The PB wanted $500 to remove it and take it to the dump. I was more than happy to pay $75.oo for the rental and have someone reuse the sod instead of throwing it out.