Sod, black dirt, and what are you doing for the 4th...?

S

smileynev

Guest
...So, after much debate, we are thinking about sodding our yard instead of hydroseeding. Now, we sodded at our previous place, but the soil there was darker. Now my question is, is it generally necessary to bring in black dirt prior to laying sod when your soil is mostly clay and sands? We're not talking desert or anything, of course. What purpose does it server other then to drive up the cost?

Guess what I'm doing for the 4th...:(
 
b_sinning said:
If you want the sod to thrive then yes.

Well, I was kinda hoping it would die in a week or two....

Why will it thrive only on black dirt and not on well tilled, watered, and fertilized soil.
 
Rent a landscaping tiller, not the wussy garden kind, the big 5hp mama-jamma. They'll tear the topsoil up enough to get the healthier dark dirt to the surface. Also get some dirt treatment stuff and..

1) Till the ground as deep as possible.

2) Rake it around and stir it up

3) Spread soil treatment stuff

4) Till again

5) Lawn profit?
 
KNYTE said:
Rent a landscaping tiller, not the wussy garden kind, the big 5hp mama-jamma. They'll tear the topsoil up enough to get the healthier dark dirt to the surface. Also get some dirt treatment stuff and..

1) Till the ground as deep as possible.

2) Rake it around and stir it up

3) Spread soil treatment stuff

4) Till again

5) Lawn profit?

Thats one of the reasons I want to do the work myself. After the sprinkler fiasco of 05' some of my lines aren't buried as deep as I would like. Therefor, I need to make sure that when I till I don't go to deep in those areas. Our soil is pretty good once you get below the surface. The weeds seem to like it.
 
b_sinning said:
If you think the undersoil is fairly fertile then till it. Get a soil test done. Should only take a few days to get the results back.

I think its pretty fertile where the septic drainfield is. The rest of it had prairie grasses and such growing. I might just have to do the soil test.
 
Bast and JJ sodded their yard last year. You can ask them what they did wrong, cuz it's all brown now. :fly:

We'll be going down to Tampa to see theac's rents. We'll prolly harass Bast, JJ and JJ's family some too cuz they'll be down thar too. And maybe....JUST MAYBE...we'll get to see Zoe. :happy: ...oh and maybe that fly guy too....
 
b_sinning said:
That was becuase bast was spankin his monkey out in the yard again.

"honey, what are these brown spots in the back yard?"

"Damn dog......"

"dear, the dog hasn't been in back in months..."
 
whoops.... if that doesn't happen, I'll come in to work a couple days (I get all of next week off) and shift some vacation time to fit around when I AM moving.
 
BigDov said:
whoops.... if that doesn't happen, I'll come in to work a couple days (I get all of next week off) and shift some vacation time to fit around when I AM moving.

Pics? Pink siding?