Any one in Antelope, ca 95843 know of a good way to lay new grass?Or where i can buy at least 1000sq ft of it?
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Hi, I work for a landscape contractor near you. It sounds like you're asking how to lay sod.
If you're starting with weeds and grass, we spray RoundUp to kill the existing plants growing. Follow the directions carefully and spray only on a day without wind. The RoundUp will kill everything that it touches, so you definitely don't want overspray.
Once the plants are dead, we skim off the top layer to remove the dead plants, so that we are down to soil. You can rent a turf cutter from an equipment rental place (recommended) or use a spade to scoop off the top layer. Once you've exposed the soil, we spread compost over the ground and till it in to a depth of 4 to 6 inches. Again, you can rent a tiller from an equipment rental place. Smooth the top of the soil so there are no dips or bumps.
If you have an automatic sprinkler system, now is the time to test the sprinkler coverage. It's really easy to see the dirt get darker as it gets damp, and you'll be able to see if you have areas that aren't being watered properly. Don't drench the soil, just run the sprinklers long enough to test them. Then wait a few hours or until the next day to install the sod, as you don't want to be working on muddy soil.
The most common sod sold in this area is a bluegrass fescue mixture. You can get sod from many different places. You can buy it from the big box stores like Lowe's and Home Depot. You can also buy it directly from some of the sod farms in the Sacramento area. Look in the phone book yellow pages under Sod and make some phone calls. For the quantity you want, you might have to pay extra for delivery, so ask if they will include delivery free or charge you extra. Make sure to place your order at least a day or two earlier than you want to have your sod delivered, and at least the day before if you want to pick it up. Sod is highly perishable, and most sod farms will cut and roll only what they expect to need on a particular day.
Unroll the sod on the ground, making sure to butt the edges from this roll against the edges from the previous roll. Really push the edges together to make sure you get tight seams. Make sure you stagger the short seams so they're not all located in the same place. Once you have laid the sod, roll over it with a water-filled rolling weight, that you can rent from an equipment rental place. This is to ensure the sod's roots are in good contact with the soil and there are no air pockets between the sod and the soil.
Water for short periods three times a day for several weeks until the sod establishes its roots into the soil. You don't want to soak the sod, but you do want to keep it moist. Our air here is pretty dry, and if it is windy, that will dry out the sod even more quickly. Do not mow the sod for at least 3 weeks, and when you do mow it, make sure the mower blade is sharp, and set your mower's height to cut no more than the top 1/3 of the grass blade's length.
If you have more questions, email me through my profile, and I'll do all I can to get your questions answered.
Good luck with your lawn.
till the earth and spread the seed over the top. However, antelope you will need to water the seed twice a day until it is 3" tall. This will keep the soil basically moist, throw new seed in wherever you see bald patches forming.
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