Should I kill the entire lawn before new sod?
sunshine home
6 years ago
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PROYardvaark
6 years ago
whitewatervol (Z 8a/7b Upstate SC)
6 years agoRelated Discussions
Kill Crab Grass before I rennovate?
Comments (1)If you are going to sod the yard, do it as soon as practical before the crabgrass seed begins to sprout. If your winter is going like ours, you are already too late - my weeds are popping like crazy. Starting with sod almost eliminates the possibility of new crabgrass getting started. If you were starting seed in the spring, then you are guaranteed to have a full crabgrass lawn by July. The best time to reseed is in fall or late summer. Where do you live? You'll have to be more specific. Since you said NoCal and since most of the population that thinks it is in NoCal lives in the Bay Area, I'm going to assume you live there. But if you live inland towards Sacramento, then your exact location becomes more important. If you are on the bay, then you can get away with cool season grasses like fescue and Kentucky bluegrass. IF you are inland where the temps get to the high 90s, then you are in warm season territory. You'll want either bermuda sod or St Augustine. NEVER ROTOTILL soil in preparation for grass. When you rototill there is no way to keep that machine from gouging deep into the soil and bucking over tree roots, rocks, and just tougher soil. What you end up with is a level surface on top but an uneven surface under all the fluffy soil. When the fluffy soil settles, it settles to the uneven surface below. That leaves the surface uneven and you will want to level it. Just start with a level surface and you will be 3 years ahead. When you install the sod, be sure to roll it down with a rented, water filled, roller. Grass roots will not grow through the air to reach the moist soil below. You must have good sod to soil contact. If the area is small you can just walk over it as long as you hit all of it. Here is the 1-2-3 of lawn care. It's really this simple. Water deeply and infrequently. Deeply means at least an hour in every zone, all at once. Infrequently means monthly during the cool months and no more than weekly during the hottest part of summer. If your grass looks dry before the month/week is up, water longer next time. Deep watering grows deep, drought resistant roots. Infrequent watering allows the top layer of soil to dry completely which kills off many shallow rooted weeds. Mulch mow at the highest setting on your mower. Most grasses are the most dense when mowed tall. Bermuda, centipede, and bent grasses are the most dense when mowed at the lowest setting on your mower. Dense grass shades out weeds and uses less water when tall. Dense grass feeds the deep roots you're developing in 1 above. Fertilize regularly. I fertilize 4 times per year using organic fertilizer. Which fertilizer you use is much less important than numbers 1 and 2 above. If you are not going to use organic fertilizer all the time, I strongly suggest you use it one time per year at a rate of 20 pounds per 1,000 square feet. Your soil microbes cannot live without food. Organic fertilizer is the......See MoreWhen to Kill Overseeded Rye and Begin Leveling New Bermuda Sod
Comments (7)I see this problem frequently with new construction, usually because rye is often used for soil retention prior to sodding, but the scenario is still very similar. It is also one of the reasons I've developed a disdain for rye. 1) Don't use an herbicide right now. This may be hard to swallow as I imagine you used Annual Rye and it is growing like the weed it is, but your lawn is not established enough to use an herbicide strong enough to kill the rye. For now, keep it mowed down short, and keep it watered until it roots. 2) Again, no herbicide. I love Celsius WG and have used it since it hit the market. It is a great product, and will be useful for you at some point, but under the label restrictions it clearly warns to "use this product on established turf only," and this isn't just to skirt damage claims, the warning is there for good reason. 3&4) "Scalping" is done during dormancy and topdressing is done during active growth. Keep in mind a scalping is just the pruning off of last season's dead growth, so if your sod didn't grow the scalping need should be fairly light. Also, consider rolling the lawn with a water filled drum to smooth it and insure that the roots are making good contact. The fact that it didn't grow after being put down concerns me, as sod is vulnerable to dehydration until it roots. 5) Yes, to an extent. Bermuda is one of the more hardy grasses so I've never seen it killed by scalping it. However, I have seen it stunted by scalping it during the growing season. So again, cut it down now and top-dress later. When it's actively growing, the root system pulls water primarily through a process call Transpirational Pull, which is the release of water through the leaves that creates a pull through the capillaries that reach all the way to the root system. When an actively growing leaf is removed, it interrupts this process and reduces the root systems draw on the soil moisture. Also, make sure to apply a good starter fertilizer this Spring to encourage the root system to root as quickly as possible. Once it is established and you're mowing regularly, you can go after any lingering ryegrass or other weeds without worry. Just remember to always check label restrictions. Here is a link that might be useful: ....See MoreCare of a New Sod Lawn
Comments (1)It's time to really back off the watering. How much you need to water is largely dependent on the weather. The warmer and drier it is, the more water your grass will transpire, and the more you need to water. When it cools off, it will need less water to stay green. However, the only time that kind of breaks down is when, like in the fall, you want to boost your grass some for recovery from the summer - then even though, it's transpiring less, you will still water a fair amount. Go out and pull up on your sod. If it's rooted, it shouldn't be possible. I think you should probably work the lawn back to about an hour per week. Start by 1 hour per day, then every other day and so on. When you laid the sod, did you put starter fertilizer? If not, you should apply it right away. And yes, in November timeframe, (before snow, but as it's basically done growing) you will apply fertilizer....See MoreShould I kill my existing lawn or just till?
Comments (10)Use the spring and summer to learn and practice good grass management habits. Sometimes well cared for weeds will look very nice for a season. Basics of Lawn Care After reading numerous books and magazines on lawn care, caring for lawns at seven houses in my life, and reading numerous forums where real people write in to discuss their successes and failures, I have decided to side with the real people and dispense with the book and magazine authors. I don't know what star their planet rotates around but it's not mine. One of their problems is they write for local readers. With that in mind, here is the collected wisdom of the Internet savvy homeowners and lawn care professionals summarized in a few words. This should work for most of the US of A. If you follow the advice here you will have conquered at least 50% of all lawn problems. Once you have these three elements mastered, then you can worry about weeds (if you have any), dog spots, and striping your lawn. But if you are not doing these three things, they will be the first three things suggested for you to correct. Watering Water deeply and infrequently. Deeply means at least an inch in every zone, all at once. Infrequently means monthly during the cool months and no more than weekly during the hottest part of summer. Do not spread this out and water for 10 minutes every day. If your grass looks dry before the month/week is up, water longer next time. If that does not work, then you might have to water more than once per week during the summer's hottest period. Deep watering grows deep, drought resistant roots. Infrequent watering allows the top layer of soil to dry completely which kills off many shallow rooted weeds. You will have to learn to judge when to water your own lawn. If you live in El Paso your watering will be different than if you live in Vermont. Adjust your watering to your type of grass, temperature, humidity, wind, and soil type. It is worth noting that this technique is used successfully by professionals in Phoenix, so...just sayin.' The other factors make a difference. If you normally water 1 inch per week and you get 1/2 inch of rain, then adjust and water only 1/2 inch that week. Mowing Every week mulch mow at the highest setting on your mower. Most grasses are the most dense when mowed tall. However, bermuda, centipede, and bent grasses will become the most dense when they are mowed at the lowest setting on your mower. In fact there are special mowers that can mow these grasses down to 1/16 inch. Dense grass shades out weeds, keeps the soil cooler, and uses less water than thin grass. Tall grass can feed the deep roots you developed in #1 above. Tall grass does not grow faster than short grass nor does it look shaggy sooner. Once all your grass is at the same height, tall grass just looks plush. Fertilizing Fertilize regularly. I fertilize 5 times per year using organic fertilizer. Which fertilizer you use is much less important than numbers 1 and 2 above. Follow the directions on the bag and do not overdo it. Too much is better than too little*. At this point you do not have to worry about weed and feed products - remember at this point you are just trying to grow grass, not perfect it. Besides once you are doing these three things correctly, your weed problems should go away without herbicide. * This used to read, "Too little is better than too much." Recent test results show that you cannot get too much organic fertilizer unless you bury the grass in it.</i>...See Moresunshine home
6 years agowhitewatervol (Z 8a/7b Upstate SC)
6 years ago- PRO
Yardvaark
6 years ago sunshine home
6 years agowhitewatervol (Z 8a/7b Upstate SC)
6 years ago- PRO
Yardvaark
6 years agolast modified: 6 years ago 
daylily
6 years agoMike McGarvey
6 years agodaylily
6 years ago
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