Construction has left my back yard a mud pit. The soil has always been pretty bad, a lot of clay. So i was thinking, should I lay sod to fix the lawn, or should I bring some black dirt, rake it smooth, and put seed down? Long term, are they equal? Will the sod make a better lawn, or will dirt and seed?
How big is the land? How much money do you have?
You can buy premium sod for a hefy price, lay it out to cover the whole thing, and have a full lawn in a few weeks after the sod lays down roots and starts to grow.
With seed, you are going to need to make sure that the topsoil is pretty uniform, even in general areas, and aerated enough to make it good for grass seed.
If it is a large area and the soil is not prepared, a dethatching machine that punches millions of holes in the ground may be recommended.
If the area is large, you are willing to prepare the ground properly, buy good seed, and fertilize, then that would be the best option. It will grow OK this year and fully in another year.
If the area is small and the soil is all screwed up, sod, and then fertilizing may be right.
Sod is going to be awfully expensive vs. the cost of seeding the same area. You get an instant lawn, but you pay a hefty price for it. It’s also a little less reliable than seed - it requires more water and a little more skillful installation. You can pay a landscaper to do it (I’d recommend this if you choose sod), but make sure he’ll stand behind his work and replace it if it fails. It’ll be more expensive, but probably cheaper than it would be to do it yourself twice. It’s tricky stuff, especially if you’ve never worked with it before.
The prep work that goes into laying sod isn’t much different than the work for seeding - if you want either one to take well, you’ll have to truck in some topsoil and till it up. Laying sod over clay soil won’t be any better than seeding clay soils - in a couple of weeks you’ll just have dead strips of grass. The machine Shagnasty mentioned is an aerator rather than a dethatcher, but if you’re really talking about clay soils, you need more than that. If you add a few inches of topsoil, till it to a depth of about six inches and then rake it smooth, you’ll be prepped for either one. Getting the area level and even is actually more important for sod than it is for seed, because any bumps or holes will prevent the roots from growing into the dirt.
What kind of time frame are you imagining? The best time to seed is in the early fall, but spring isn’t too bad. It’ll grow this season, but it probably won’t look really good until the second year. Sod will do fine if you lay it in the spring - as long as you don’t have any more frost, the earlier you can get it down the better.
What was your lawn like pre-construction? If it wasn’t in great shape, it might be worth it to take a soil sample to a University Extension Office or NRCS field office - they can test it and recommend any additives that might help it grow better. There might be a pretty significant wait this time of year, though. They can also (even without testing your soil) recommend a good type of grass for your area and the particular fertilizers best suited for that type.
If you’re doing it yourself, I’d recommend seed. If it were my lawn, I’d seed it too - for me, there’s a lot more satisfaction in seeing a lawn I seeded do well than just laying down sod. If you can’t wait or if you have money to burn, go with the sod.
Enginerd, who worked his way through college as a landscaper
The area is about 75’x50’. An urban yard, so nothing very big. Couldn’t I just lay topsoil on top, and skip the tilling? The grass before was okay, but the ground was bumpy and hard. I have aerated it a couple times, just in an attempt to soften it up.
If I tilled in topsoil, would it mix up with the clay?
There’s still snow in the yard, and the foundation guys still have to come in and backfill. I definitely can’t wait til fall. It’s going to be a spring job.
OK, so we have 3,750 [/]. Don’t know your locale; could be Minnesota - or just that you’re a Hüsker Dü fan:NYC metro area trade price for classic sun & shade mix grass seed (min. coverage 200[/] / #): $40 / 1-25# Bag
NYC metro area trade price for fescue/bluegrass blend sod: $1,482 + delivery / 6 1/2 pallets of sod strips (80/pallet = 520 pieces)Notes:
- Don’t use composted soil (it’s too acidic and will kill most grass) - Use a screened top soil and mix in peat moss.
- Kill all weeds prior to seeding / sodding with an herbicide (i.e. Roundup)
- Confirm whatever material you use will sustain itself in your yard’s conditions (sun, shade, temperature)
- If seeding, Penn Mulch the area to prevent birds from picnicing in your yard
- If you have kids and they like to play rumble and war in the backyard, look into your 3rd option: zoysia plugs. The grass ‘dies’ (browns/yellows) in winter, but it’s so durable you could practically host a monster truck tournament in your yard.
Holy hell, you are the first person in all these years to make the connection. I’m a Husker Du fan from Minnesota.
Zoysia can’t live here. Many have tried. It’s just too cold.
But I suspect the price difference might be turning me towards seed. Now, if I could get more facts and convince my wife, well, that is another story.
From my landscape designer perspective, you have a beautiful, unspoiled yard right now that is just itching for something fancier than just chucking a bunch of grass on it. Some shrubs, some nice, hardy groundcovers, some perennial planting patches, some pavers, maybe even a big tree or two - all can be used as an alternative to monoculture lawns. There is an amazing variety of plants out there that are very low maintenance and need very little watering or fussing once established.
If your heart is absolutely set on lawn, there are hardy types of grasses that look just like your average water pig lawn that will flourish in your area without heavy watering and frequent mowing. If they exist for Calgary, a Zone 3 area (and they do - I’ve seen the brochure), I’m sure they exist for your area. Chose carefully at this point, and you can make your yard realize its full potential.
You can probably skip the tilling if you seed it, but I wouldn’t do that with sod. Tilling will mix some clay up with the top soil, but it will also break up the border between the clay layer and the topsoils you put down a little more. It’ll also allow you to level out the soil better than just raking out topsoil would. If you put topsoil down over hard, bumpy ground, it’ll settle around the bumps, and you’ll eventually have more bumpy ground. If you till it, it’ll hold the grade better. That’s pretty important for sod.
The other reason I’d till it for sod is the expense. If I’m paying $1,500+ for sod, I’m going to do everything I can to make sure it takes. If that means I have to spend a few hours breathing rototiller fumes, then that’s what I’ll do.
JohnBckWLD’s adivce about the herbicide and mulching is right on as well. Make sure you read the label on the herbicide and don’t plant anything too soon after you’ve sprayed.
Don’t let the season push you to one choice or the other - either one will be fine for the spring. If you seed it, though, it probably won’t look really good until next season.
No, for a couple reasons. First, if you didn’t compact the topsoil, you’d have erosion problems while the turf was getting established. If you did compact it, you’d have two distinct layers of soil with different drainage characteristics, and the grasses roots might not like going down into the second layer. IF you bring in topsoil, till it in. And buy topsoil whose composition matches your native soil. Tilling a sandy topsoil into clay would do more harm then good.
Also, topsoil is expensive. Around here, screened topsoil goes for $200 per 10 yard load; for a 75’ x 50’ yard you’re looking at 11.57 yards to add an inch of soil to that area.
I’d think twice about bringing in topsoil. I’d till no matter what else I did. Worst case, rent a tiller from Home Depot or Lowes. They’re not that expensive, compared to the cost of sod, topsoil, or lawn grass seed.
What I’d do is:
[ol]
[li]Make sure your drainage is adequate. Grade or add drainage tile as appropriate.[/li][li]Add an irrigation system.[/li][li]Instead of topsoil, truck in organic matter (e.g., compost) and till THAT into the soil.[/li][li]Have your soil tested by your local Ag extension, add whatever they recommend to bring the PH and nutrient levels in line with whatever grass you plan on putting in. [/li][li]Seed at the appropriate time of year.[/li][/ol]
I’ve been researching this quite a bit myself lately–I have 4 acres of clay mud; I’m looking to turn an area in front of the house into a lawn and turn the rest into pasture-quality turf.
There might be a raunchy joke in the thread title…