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| Before |
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| Cleaned - Graded - New Soil Added |
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| Dormant Zoysia Installed |
It looks like spring is just around the corner
The most common question I get this time of year is it too early to plant sod
The answer is NO ITS NOT TOO EARLY - its a great time of year to plant right now
even though the sod has not greened up yet - its not to early to plant dormant sod if you follow some simple instructions
First - remember that even dormant sod needs to be watered
how much? at least once a week and it its warm and sunny - 3 x a week for 15 min about 1 hour before sunrise is best
Second - what is the best type of sod to plant?
if you are matching your existing lawn for a patch - match what you already have
if you are installing a new lawn and are concerned about Houston's heat and on-going watering restrictions - we recommend a Celebration Bermuda grass - its an all around great sod - easy to install - very popular - not too expensive to block sod - takes heat - drought - traffic - some shade - has resistance to cinch bug and fungus - and keeps a good green most of the year. Finally Celebration Bermuda grass is not as fast a grower as St Augustine so it may be a little less expensive to maintain
Shady Area and already have St Augustine?
we recommend PALMETTO ST Augustine - its a little more expensive [about 20%] but handles shade a lot better. It will essentially look the same as St Augustine Raleigh or St Augustine Common but has better "guts"
Looking for the softest sod and not too concerned about price [or sodding a smaller area] try Zoysia
for the fine leafed varieties - they have some common traits - expensive - soft to the touch - slow growing - need basically full sun but can do well in light partial shade.
Thirdly - how much sod do you need?
Its pretty easy to figure out your lawn area - its LENGTH x WIDTH for a square or rectangle. For odd shaped areas we suggest rounding up slightly to get a feel for the space by just blocking out circles into squares. for negative space - like a deck or flower bed - just subtract it from the total
Fourth - do you need to remove the old dead sod / weeds / or grade
A good look at the condition of your yard will help you figure this out. If you grade your sod with 10 being full an healthy and 1 being just dirt - any area that is less than a 7 / on the high end of good looking and dense should be removed. New grass patched in looks significantly more full than patchy grass did against dirt.
Grading or leveling is the art of making water flow in a direction or removing larger changes in elevation. Either by cutting the high areas and filling the low areas or just filling for a more uniform experience.
Soil - most lawns when they loose the sod loose top soil. Heavy clay will grow sod grass but may need to be conditioned with gypsum or lime. while bank sand will work - we prefer working with a composted mixed soil or a sod starter mix.
Sunlight - prior to installing a new lawn or a patching - the home owner should make an evaluation about how much sun do they really get. Heavy shade is never going to let a good thick lawn grow - even specialty sods need about 50% of the sun lit hours of the day to get direct - indirect - or dappled sunlight - if you cannot grow weeds when the sod dies - its an indication that you have heavy shade - trim / lift / open up trees prior to planting sod
Irrigation - if you do not want the weekly task of watering a newly planted lawn - automated irrigation is a very smart choice - like insurance for your investment - automated irrigation gives you piece of mind that water will be sprayed on a consistent basis with the scheduling / touch of a button. The best time to install or repair irrigation is prior to the installation of the sod
With so many facets to consider prior to planting - its a good idea to call a company that can handle most if not all of the tasks of installing a new lawn or substantial patch
Give us a call for a free estimate / site inspection
Jeremy Goldstein
C 713-291-9466
Email sodmonster@gmail.com
13280 Northwest Freeway
F 247
Houston TX 77040
on line at
http://www.169sod.com
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