Sod / Lawn Experts

[doylehargraves]

I'm putting down a few pallets of St. Aug this weekend. As prep, I'm going to till about 4 inches deep or so to turn the soil over. Quite a bit of clay, so I'm going to put a base on top of it of turf mix: a combination of filtered loam, compost and dillo dirt.

- Do I need to treat the turf mix with anything (ie., a fertilizer or fungicide) before putting down the sod?
- Is there any benefit to rolling the sod once I get it put down?

Thanks in advance.

 

[WooHorn]

Don't add chemicals once you till. I would only change your plan to add Roundup two weeks in advance to kill whatever is there. Tilling it is supposed to kill everything anyway, especially if you put good sod on top (healthy St. Augustine chokes other plants out), so you are good the. Neil Sperry says not to fertilize new sod for a year, so you are good there too.

If I had a ton of clay and was making a bed, I would add gypsum to help break it up over the long-term, but not under a lawn that was being tilled already.

I don't think that rolling is ever necessary, it does nothing for the grass or roots, but is done for looks. Even if you are really careful about putting the sod down, you have tilled, so you will probably get waves, hills, and craters. If you sod a large yard, it will end up looking especially new for a longer period of time if you don't roll it.

Good luck!

 

[doylehargraves]

Thanks. Good info.

Anyone know if I should have concerns about tilling in a backyard? My phone and cable are in the front. I can't imagine issues in the back, but not totally sure.

 

[Bob Wills]

If you want to go the extra mile, the Call Before You Dig service is free.

I assume you don't have a sprinkler system?

 

[doylehargraves]

Thanks. Yeah, I went ahead and did the 1-800 One Call thing. Very easy thing, and then the utility companies have to respond and ID no-dig areas for you.

 

[Clarence Iba]

Honestly, I've found tilling to be completely unnecessary. A quick turn of the soil with a shovel / spade has worked wonders for me. Granted, I'm a little farther north than you are so I'm taking fescue and zoysia. Bermuda will grow on asphalt but I know St. Aug takes some work.

Hell, the stuff we just rolled out at the end when we were tired with no soil prep looks better than the stuff we tried harder on. The secret is consistent monitored watering for a couple of weeks. Don't flood it!