Hey folks, thanks for reading. I’m new to having a lawn so apologies if this is a basic question. There’s a section of the front yard that has some sort of low lying ground cover plant, but I’d like to replace it with grass. Can I simply pay sod over this section or do I need to do something to prepare the soil first? I live in the PNW so lots of rain for the next 6 months or so.
by LumpyWhale
10 Comments
You can do whatever you want! It’s America!
Diagnose the soil in that area before you do anything
No! Clean it up, remove rocks, mulch etc., add some top soil/turf mix if necessary, level it to match existing grade before you lay the sod.
You’ll want to remove that vinca as well. It’s tough to remove but roundup will get it done. Remove all the dead vines and then prep for grass in the spring
Unless you got HOA
It’s best for sod to be directly on the dirt.
Depends how fast you want to do this.
Personally, I would spray a 2,4-D and kill those weeds. Then wait about 1-2 months and then put top soil and lay sod.
However, you can immediately put top soil and then lay sod. But you will have to add more fertilizer in the long run because the dead plants under the sod will take up more nitrogen as they die and decay.
Putting top soil before laying sod tends to give better results. I definitely would in this case. And then adding some top soil to the grass every year or two is great too. Make sure to water the new sod a lot.
Absolutely not. It will not take. You’ll want to tear all this out and back fill with new topsoil. Then sod
Sod does best when directly touching soil. When sod is harvested, the roots are cut. Each piece will come with approx 1 inch of soil attached. Those roots need to shoot directly into the ground because that’s where water and nutrients are. Laying sod on that much vegetation will most likely cause loss. And, if it did survive, it would be extremely bumpy. Agree with other poster to get rid of the viney weeds now. Woody vines can especially difficult to kill in established grass.
You can for sure. It will root just fine