new sod soon - soil conditioner schedule

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darinbrown
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Joined: May 10th, 2017, 11:03 pm
Location: Roanoke, TX
Grass Type: Zoysia
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new sod soon - soil conditioner schedule

Post by darinbrown » May 11th, 2017, 10:10 am

had a pool put in last summer/fall so we're re-sodding the backyard (about 5k sqft) with Zeon Zoysia. In the process of getting the soil tested at Logan Labs but it's mostly bare dirt back there at the moment. This was new construction 3 years ago and they did bring in some top soil but it's never been tested. Wanting to get sod down as soon as its available (3 weeks hopefully) but the soil's pretty compacted in areas where the trucks, etc.. spent most of their time.

I may bring in 2" of compost and work that into the existing soil but haven't decided yet. In the meantime, I figured I'd start the BLSC (or shampoo first to get started) and get 2 applications down by the end of the month to hopefully begin to loosen the soil up in preparation of new sod.

Reading some threads and articles but sounds like I should just stick to the 2-3oz/1k from a hose end sprayer and be good with that? anything else to do for a new sod install?

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Dchall_San_Antonio
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Joined: December 17th, 2008, 1:53 am
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Grass Type: St Augustine
Lawn Size: 5000-10000
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Re: new sod soon - soil conditioner schedule

Post by Dchall_San_Antonio » June 12th, 2017, 1:24 pm

Sorry this didn't get answered right away. Has the sod gone down yet? If not the prep should consist of getting the surface as flat or profiled as you want it. No holes and no hills. Drainage should be put in on purpose so the water drains away from buildings and out to a real drain (gutter or ditch). Someone on another forum used his car headlights at night to find low spots in his yard. Good idea but not always practical. You could try using a flashlight at night to find low spots that need to be filled to get proper drainage.

Profile the surface with a drag like they use to clean up the infield in baseball diamonds. You can make one quickly with some chain link fencing, a 2x4, and some rope. If the area is small enough you can pull it yourself. If it is larger then pull behind a tractor or driving lawn mower.

Once the sod goes down, then roll it with a water fillable roller to ensure good contact with the soil and roots from the sod.

darinbrown
Posts: 29
Joined: May 10th, 2017, 11:03 pm
Location: Roanoke, TX
Grass Type: Zoysia
Lawn Size: Not Specified
Level: Not Specified

Re: new sod soon - soil conditioner schedule

Post by darinbrown » June 12th, 2017, 5:54 pm

sod farm has seen some delays so sod hasn't been laid yet. in general, yard will slope from the back fence down to the raised wall/beam on the backside of the pool, which then drains off to the sides. was planning on breaking up top soil with a rake, raking/grading it and then rolling with sod roller once the sod goes down. hadn't thought of the chain link fence panel but will give that a try.. only looking at around a 60'x35' area to sod.

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Dchall_San_Antonio
Posts: 3339
Joined: December 17th, 2008, 1:53 am
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Grass Type: St Augustine
Lawn Size: 5000-10000
Level: Advanced

Re: new sod soon - soil conditioner schedule

Post by Dchall_San_Antonio » June 13th, 2017, 1:28 pm

The drag puts a final finish on the surface and helps fill low spots while dragging the tops off of any mounds that might have cropped up.

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