DFW reno after pool build

[darinbrown]

Had a pool put in the backyard last summer/fall and we're having to re-sod as a result. Most of the yard is bare dirt as a result but we've got a decent slope so I'm sure we've lost some soil due to rain runoff. I was planning on laying down new sod in about 3 weeks but have a few questions.

1. I've sent off for a soil test from Logan's but don't have the results. I figured this was step 1.
2. I've got some broadleaf weeds popping up that I've been largely hand-pulling. Should I go ahead and hit it with a couple of rounds of Roundup as well? I'm seeing 'fallow reno' mentioned here a lot but just recently joined so will try and get up to speed on that.

Plan was to till/rake the yard with a rear-tine tiller to get rid of all the remaining vegetation and then possible bring in soil/compost to work into the remaining 4" if the soil results dictated. After till/rake was going to go over the yard with a sod roller to make sure everything was nice and firm. Would go over the yard with a sod roller again after working in top soil/compost if we added any.

We're not going to be seeding but will be laying down Zeon Zoysia sod when it's time. We'd ideally have sod down and beginning to establish before the heat of the summer kicks in but am open to other suggestions if I'd be better off starting late summer/fall for the best chance of success.

[Marinegrunt]

I'd probably start hitting the weeds with roundup right now. Wait a week, water your lawn, and hit any others that pop up.

As far as tilling I'm not sure. It's a big no no when doing a reno with seed. Tilling brings up weed seeds. A little bit of sunlight and more weeds start growing. It might be different with sod though. The sod might smother the weed seeds enough to keep them from growing. Someone with more experience will have to chime in on that.

I know about a bare dirt yard with a slope. Ours has been dirt since last summer but I'm waiting until fall to seed. It was too late last fall to seed by the time our projects were finished. I've had some erosion but mainly just little grooves where the water was running after heavy rain. I'm just going to rake dirt around to fill them in before seeding.

[darinbrown]

haven't gotten the rec's back on it yet but the test results are back from Logan Labs. first thing that jumped out was a high pH (8.6). I was wanting to get sod laid down here by mid-June so I'm not having to try and get it established in the middle of summer here in DFW but wondering how successful I'd be given the test results. Better off trying to get the soil to a better starting point over 2-3 months and lay the new sod towards the end of summer? Though it appears making any changes to pH is a lengthy process so I'm not sure waiting 2-3 months will yield me much of a change. thoughts?

[andy10917]

You won't get enough change in your soil to matter in the course of a couple of months.

BTW, I believe that you are in contention for the highest-tested pH of the year.

[gardenpants]

Howdy! Another DFW-resident here.

Bringing down your pH in a short amount of time is really only possible if you're willing to haul off the top 6" of your soil and replace it with something with a lower pH. Even this will not be a permanent solution. The pH in the soil you brought in will go back up as the limestone in the base soil gets dissolved.

Over the longer term, the best way to lower pH is to work in compost and perhaps add sulphur. This is a process that can take years. It's really just best to plant plants that can accept high pH soils. Zeon zoysia, by the way, grows fine in our local soils. You may have to fertilize with a product that has iron in it (i.e. Milorganite), but otherwise, it grows beautifully.

It is not necessary to till. If you till, do it as little as possible. Tilling kills soil life by bringing the stuff that lives undergrounds up to the surface, and it also brings weed seeds to the surface where they can germinate. You should shoot for tilling one time. Kill the existing vegetation with Roundup, spread the compost on the soil (if you're going to add it) and THEN till. Rake and roll to smooth, then add sod.

You want to get your sod laid as soon as possible. Zoysia is a warm-season grass. It goes dormant once the weather gets cold, and you want to give it as much time to form roots before winter. I plugged my Zeon in the middle of July. My watering schedule:
Week 1--water 2x a day
Week 2--water 1x a day
Weeks 3&4 --water every other day.
Make sure that you're watering deeply enough that the soil under the sod layer is getting moisture!
After that, it received 1" of water once a week, although there may have been a few times in the summer when I watered twice in a week.

[darinbrown]

thanks for the feedback and advice. hope to snap some pics once it dries up a bit from the rain today. just added some rotor zones to the existing sprinkle system so will definitely need to rake/grade it smooth but I've seen others cautioning against the tiller as well.. Would something like a power rake (appears to be a Classen TR-20 as a rental option from HD) be better than a tiller? Seems like it might do a better job of breaking up the top of the soil to allow for easier rake/grade but wouldn't turn up all those weed seeds as much, etc..

if I were to add sulphur in the near future, would doing so before installing the sod be a better choice to avoid any worry of stressing the sod once it's laid down? And might be putting down some starter fertilizer before sod goes down depending on the soil analysis..

[andy10917]

There is no way to "disturb the soil just a little" way -- disturbance is disturbance.

And there is one thing I can tell you -- your soil test interpretation will not include Sulfur treatments. Yo-Yo pH in a 8.6 environment just isn't a sane idea, and there isn't a way to stabilize it at a lower pH.

[darinbrown]

got some of the sod (the stuff towards the back) laid down on 7/1 and then took the remainder of the delivery and got it down on 7/7. the stuff in the back is clearly greener but hoping the last part will begin to green back up. watering enough so soil underneath new sod is moist after each watering.

I know there's lots of work left to do in order to get the soil in a good place. had planned on BLSC and BLKH every 2 weeks. Got an application of 13-13-13 down before sod. Was going to wait a full 3 weeks before considering mowing so I can be sure the sod has had time to start to take root but may wait a bit longer given the DFW heat and just plan on cutting in higher?

Looking for rec's on when to either apply another round of 13-13-13 or start milorganite (granular from HD)

[darinbrown]

new sod is greening up nicely. I'm having to handpull some nutsedge out of the new sod which I'll be taking up with the sod farm.

my gut is to let the sod take root, etc.. this first year before applying anything that might knock out the nutsedge (Image, etc..) but might harm the tender new sod but am open to opinions. I'm hoping as I back off the initial watering to get the new sod established that might curtail some of the nutsedge as well.

First mowing rec's? I've seen most say wait 2-3 weeks after new sod and then use the no more than 1/3 of the blade rule. might take a couple of passes with the reel mower to get it down to 2" initially but I could use the exercise.