Death by Sod….

[URY914]

If your neighbor ever offers you 1/2 a pallet of “left over sod”, he is not just offering a free gift. This is a totally selfish act on his part. Two things could be in play here, 1) he is really telling you that your yard is not up to the neighbor’s standards and you must up your game. Or 2) he is trying to kill you by making you lay the sod in the heat of a Florida June. He gives you the sod on a Saturday knowing you’ll have to put it down post haste in order for it not to die. If it dies it is up to you to dispose of it. So you give up a few hours of your Sunday to place it and you are completely wiped out for the rest of the day. Thanks neighbor, I thought we were friends.

[matt f]

Bastard!

[herr_oberst]

how does it look?

[95avblm3]

We did this at a rental house my wife owns in Lutz a couple of years ago... about the same time of year. Everything you say is true... each piece looks deceivingly lightweight on the pallet... then you pick it up!

[URY914]

Originally Posted by herr_oberst

how does it look?

The first little area I prep really nice; pulled the old grass and weeds, raked it level and layed the sod nice and tight.

Toward the end I let gravity help me and I threw it down and watered the hell out of it.

[Rick V]

Green side up...........................

[Baz]

The prep work can be the hardest part - depending on the particulars of the project.

I use a sod cutting machine a LOT to remove the top layer. It's a machine that has a horizontal blade about 24" wide that wiggles back and forth and as the machine moves forward it leaves a loose layer behind that can be pitch forked or raked away leaving a nice recessed 'slot' for the new sod.

If you are starting with bare ground, then you don't need one of these.

The other thing that can impact the effort required is where the sod sits as opposed to where it has to be laid. Wheelbarrow takes a little more time but of course it is a great tool as long as the tire is properly inflated and you don't have too far to go.

I have brought small amounts of sod to a job and been able to leave in my truck or trailer and then re-position as needed - plus you can take advantage of gravity when you pull the pieces off the pallet.

Oh yeah - if the sod quality is bad - that is the worst factor that impacts the effort required to do this work. I've had sod so bad it broke off in your hands when you grabbed it. Try going through that kinda stuff with (8) 500 s.f. pallets!

Any more I have the sod laid for me either by my help or I contract it out.

Today here in Florida we are close to 90 with very high humidity so summer has definitely arrived!

I assume you laid St. Augustine 'Floratam' Paul?

[URY914]

Originally Posted by Baz

I assume you laid St. Augustine 'Floratam' Paul?

Ha! I laid what I was given, but it was St. Augustine. The patron Saint of Florida Grass?

[Baz]

Originally Posted by URY914

Ha! I laid what I was given, but it was St. Augustine. The patron Saint of Florida Grass?

Ha good one - not sure if it is the patron or we are!

There are a few different varieties of St. Augustine.

'Floratam' is the most popular so that's probably what you got.

Don't forget Independence Day (July 4th) marks the approx. time the chinch bug eggs are hatching....be aware and treat as needed.

[daepp]

Good,luck with the lower back on day two.

[72doug2,2S]

Do you guys need to water? Is this the rainy season?

[sammyg2]

Last time i laid sod ('bout 3500# of the stuff) I ended up in a long white tube gettin an MRI done on my knee for a torn meniscus and that was on the only good knee I had left.

Next time I'll just make a phone call and write a check.

[romad]

If your neighbor ever offers you 1/2 a pallet of “left over sod”, he is not just offering a free gift.

"OFFER" here is the key word...........What happened after was all yours

[recycled sixtie]

All I say is "sod it".

[Baz]

Originally Posted by 72doug2,2S

Do you guys need to water? Is this the rainy season?

It depends. We don't get rain every day - which is what new sod needs - at least for the first couple weeks after installation.

So use irrigation every day unless it rains and that means a good long rain - not just an hour's worth.

You can just use a portable sprinkler in the area the sod was installed instead of watering an entire zone. It all depends on the irrigation system design on how to approach the temporary watering.

[BlueSkyJaunte]

KNEEL BEFORE SOD!

[kach22i]

Sore any?

Analgesics - Aleve - Aleve Naproxen Sodium Pain Reliever Tablets 100

[URY914]

^^^^ Took some last night

[fred cook]

I put down not 1, but 3 full pallets of sod by myself one weekend! I had previously prepped the ground where it went, but that is still waaaaaaay too much lifting and placing for one weekend! If I had been able to stay on the ground and place the pieces without having to get up and move them every couple of minutes it would not have been so bad! If you want to get even with your neighbor, have a couple of tons of washed river rock delivered to his driveway as a "gift". By the time he gets thru shoveling and moving 7-8 tons of rocks he will have learned his lesson!

[imcarthur]

I spent 5 months working on a sod farm when I was 19 - following a cutter & stacking the rolls on skids. I have had back problems on & off ever since. That's when I decided that I better figure out a way to make a living with my mouth because manual labor sucked.

Ian