Help with SOD...

[G8RNTN]

So I just got my house finished being built Jan 26 (closing date) and the builder seeded and strawed the yard.well I'm not to happy with it and how the semi ruts are in the yard. Ground is already hard and hardly any grass is coming up. I have decided to go ahead and SOD the yard (front and side of the house) not the back because we are having a in ground pool installed. Question is, fescue or Bermuda? Me and a few friends lay it or hire someone? I know I will have to hire someone to bring in a bobcat to level it to the way I'm happy with. Anyone ever lay sod?

[gator7_5]

Originally Posted by G8RNTN

So I just got my house finished being built Jan 26 (closing date) and the builder seeded and strawed the yard.well I'm not to happy with it and how the semi ruts are in the yard. Ground is already hard and hardly any grass is coming up. I have decided to go ahead and SOD the yard (front and side of the house) not the back because we are having a in ground pool installed. Question is, fescue or Bermuda? Me and a few friends lay it or hire someone? I know I will have to hire someone to bring in a bobcat to level it to the way I'm happy with. Anyone ever lay sod?

Yes, It sucks. Hire some day laborers to throw it and you assemble it with a garden rake. Your back will thank you.

I just installed Zoysia at my new house. About 30 bucks more a pallet, but I like it. I paid my subs to do it all on the side (I'm a builder) - I did it a few years ago myself and will never do it again.

Any chance you can get your builder to come back and regrade it for you quickly? He/she should have left you with a relatively finish graded substrate that doesn't include ruts.

[Strikepackagegator]

Originally Posted by G8RNTN

So I just got my house finished being built Jan 26 (closing date) and the builder seeded and strawed the yard.well I'm not to happy with it and how the semi ruts are in the yard. Ground is already hard and hardly any grass is coming up. I have decided to go ahead and SOD the yard (front and side of the house) not the back because we are having a in ground pool installed. Question is, fescue or Bermuda? Me and a few friends lay it or hire someone? I know I will have to hire someone to bring in a bobcat to level it to the way I'm happy with. Anyone ever lay sod?

I have fescue in VA and hate it. Too susceptible to heat stress in the summer. I would go with Bermuda but this is solely based on my hatred for fescue!

[gatorknights]

I like Zoysa, hate St. Augustine. I had a St. Augustine lawn for years and it was a maintenance nightmare. Very expensive to buy, and very expensive to maintain.

When I was in school in the early '80's UF's College of Agriculture was developing a grass that barely grew high, so you hardly had to mow it. There is a ton of it at our lake place, it has spread like wildfire, I never have to feed it or water it, and only have tow cut 2-3 times a year. The soil is very sandy. If I find out what it is, I'll pass it along.

[Jaggator]

Zoysia vs St Augustine...

http://verdego.com/04/empire-zoysia-...gustine-grass/

[gator1986]

Landscaping is my business my man. The best is Zoysia, you might want to try Floratam though. Zoysia is the best, but Floratam is right below with less care needed.

[gator1986]

And yes Fescue sucks lol! A lot of my customers are either Zoysia/ St Augustine/ Floratam

[G8RNTN]

Originally Posted by gator7_5

Yes, It sucks. Hire some day laborers to throw it and you assemble it with a garden rake. Your back will thank you.

I just installed Zoysia at my new house. About 30 bucks more a pallet, but I like it. I paid my subs to do it all on the side (I'm a builder) - I did it a few years ago myself and will never do it again.

Any chance you can get your builder to come back and regrade it for you quickly? He/she should have left you with a relatively finish graded substrate that doesn't include ruts.

$30 more a pallet? I can get Fescue for $100 and Zoysia is $200...

[G8RNTN]

Originally Posted by gator1986

Landscaping is my business my man. The best is Zoysia, you might want to try Floratam though. Zoysia is the best, but Floratam is right below with less care needed.

I will look into the Floratam. Never heard of it though. I'm in SE Tenn so would that work on where I'm located?

[gatorz]

You may want to wiat until after the pool is installed. They will tear up the grass that's already laid ie, sides and front. For me Zoysia works and looks best. Bermuda doesn't grow in shaded areas. Both have pros and cons but to me the Zoysia has a better feel to it when walking barefoot. Good luck with whichever way you go.

[gator1986]

Originally Posted by G8RNTN

I will look into the Floratam. Never heard of it though. I'm in SE Tenn so would that work on where I'm located?

Should be able too it was made for that reason. It is a form of St Augustine but made to be drought resistant and better able to survive harsher weather. It grows on soil and clay. So it should do the trick.

[gator1986]

St Augustine really can't live out of tropical areas or the gulf. Floratam is mainly south Florida but I've seen it in other areas.

[gator7_5]

Originally Posted by G8RNTN

$30 more a pallet? I can get Fescue for $100 and Zoysia is $200...

My centipede was around 80, st aug was around 100 and - paid 137 for Zoysia in Dec in Pensacola. Its up to around 160 now that its spring and everyone is sodding. I have an account and get a pretty decent deal though.

I wouldn't know what fescue was if I were mowing it right now.

[Jaggator]

The cheapest I found for St Augustine floratam was $275 per pallet to have it delivered and laid by a professional crew and $325 per pallet for Zoysia.

[gtr2x]

My son and I resodded our house a couple of years ago. Unfortunately, living in S Fla St. Augustine is my only choice and it continues to be one problem after another. There are several different varieties of ST. Aug, but living in Tenn Im sure you can do better than St. Augustine.
The pros can chime in, but the key to the whole thing is soil prep, totalling tearing out whatever crap is still there if anything. If you dont get that part right, you're wasting your time. And yeah, I would wait until the pool is finished if possible. Pool guys could care less about your nice green grass.

My son just bought a house in Orlando and is considering resodding. Anybody got an idea on the labor cost per pallet or however they charge? Thanks in advance.

[kurt_borglum]

First off, don't use grass if you can help it. I have had several customers where we put down 30 yr weed fabric, mulch with a few flower beds sprinkled around. In Florida, there is a law that an HOA cannot prevent you from installing something that uses less water. We installed drought tolerant plants, so now they never mow or water. We use RoundUp to keep the weeds down. They love it.

In Tenn, St. Augustine is not available. It would die the first winter. Contact your local agricultural extension office to see what sod works best in your area. Look on Craigslist to find someone who will install your sod. They can get it for you as well.

Do you have an irrigation system? If not, you will be doing some serious watering forthe first two weeks after installing the sod

[Gator515151]

Green side up.

[G8RNTN]

Now I am leaving towards the Zoysia sod... Was gonna get fescue but the more I look at Zoysia I love the way it looks. Going to take about 3 weeks to get the pool installed and then as soon as that is in I will get the sod project started. When is the best time to sod?

[gator1986]

Originally Posted by G8RNTN

Now I am leaving towards the Zoysia sod... Was gonna get fescue but the more I look at Zoysia I love the way it looks. Going to take about 3 weeks to get the pool installed and then as soon as that is in I will get the sod project started. When is the best time to sod?

Zoysia is the best

[g8orbill]

I recently had my drain field replaced-I took that opportunity to resod my entire front yard with Zoysia-damn near looks like a golf course