For sod you have to prepare the soil just like if you use seed.
Rent a sod cutter. It scrapes off the old lawn. Then use roundup after to
kill all the old weeds. Then rototill, about 4-5 in. deep. Then add manure=
steer or turkey shit works best. NO Chicken turds ! TOO HOT ! Till it in,
then add a startup fertilizer, scratch it in 1-2 in. deep . Then! Seed ! I
use a whirlybird to toss the seed.
I add more seed than called for. THEN cover seed with 1/8 - 1/4 in. of soil,
and water 2x's a day for 3 weeks. Pain in the butt !

plantkiller wrote in message
...
Where are you located ??? This will help in giving more specific
advice.

I can tell you a little about sod....it's kinda backbreaking but you
can do an instant landscape job in one day.

Remove old turf ( you can use an ice scraper. You can actually
remove existing turf, by scraping the roots and pulling the pieces
upward like carpet. Good turf can be used in other locations. Bad
turf can be composed or discarded in a landfill.

Depending upon what your base looks like, it might be good soil, it
might be clay / sand. Do a ph test at this time, to detemine
acidity/alkalinity of soil. Somewhere about 5.2 ph is good for most
turf.

You can loosen the dirt up and mix amendments into the soil if
necessary. Spade or rototill the ground till about 4 - 6 inches.
If clay mix in a lot of peat moss and some sand for drainage....
If the soil is crumbly, and somewhat sandy and dark, you might just
wish to grab a bag of general purpose fertiziler (10-10-10) and work
it into the soil based upon the package directions.


Remove all rocks, tree roots, and debris. Level the lawn or create
berms and hills where you need them For example, if your area is
fenced and you wish to have a garden pond, try a gently sloping
depression. If you have the lawn roller, (if not, you will need
one.. rent don't buy) go ahead and pack down the dirt just a
little, keeping it level.

Now you're ready to lay down the turf.... the turf supplier will show
you various configurations, usually just in paralell strips, except
on hills or valleys. Start against a straight line and keep lining
strips against each other.

When everything has been laid out properly, roll over the lawn
using the lawn roller. This settles the turf and insures contact
witth the ground. Soak the turf completely, you wish to apply
about 1" of water to the area...You can use an empty tin can as a
measuring device. Another easier way to check is just to lift up a
corner piece of turf and insure the ground is soaked underneath it.
Insert a spade about an inch into the ground, open the ground up and
see how far down the water has penetrated.

Water everyday for two weeks.... after the second or third day, you
can use less water, the ground should not be soggy.. after the first
week, start to water moderately every other day. at the end of two
weeks water perhaps twice a week, but water deeply...means using
perhaps one inch of water (open to suggestions) you want
to encourage the root system to reach down into the soil to catch the
water

...and "KEEP OFF THE GRASS".
It'll take a few weeks for the lawn to settle in.

That's it in a nutshell. The turf farm will have additional
information.

For an area your size, depending upon the circumstances and
your living style, have you considered just having raised beds,
with edging and a gravel area with paved stones for a garden
table and chair set. Using top soil, mulch, edging stones and a
shipment of gravel, you can turn a weed infected small backyard
into a landscaped haven in one day or less. This setup works well in
townhouses (for professionals without children), who enjoy a
well-landscaped yard without the need for mowing or maintaining grass.

I've never had much luck with growing a lawn from seed. The seed
application is always inconsistent...not all seed germinates, birds
are a big problem....... and it takes a lot of work to start a lawn
from seed...... Same basic preparation, but till the ground to about
6" , check ph...add amendments..... rake even, roll it out, rake
it even again, water and roll it out again to insure evenness.

Ground should be a little damp for grass seed, not damp enough to
sink into, but damp enough to work grass seed into soil.

Use a spreader for grass seed distribution.... I prefer the wheeled
Scott spreader rather than the Whirly spreader. More even
distribution. After spreading the required amount of grass seed
(see directions on container), use a rake to work see lightly into
the top coat of soil, dampen soil, roll it out... and then water
again. Water evenly, you should not be getting puddles of water.

Cover the area with hay...this will help keep the birds away. also
use stakes, string and flags to keep pedestrians, dogs and what not
from walking on the lawn.

Grass seed takes quite a few days(depends upon type of seed used) to
germinate... need to keep the ground very moist, means watering
lightly about 3 times PER DAY for the first week.


but...for large areas seed is the only way to go....turf is pretty
darn expensive. When purchasing the seed go to a LOCAL
GARDEN CENTER and ask for suggestions... Reason for this
is that there are a lot of local mixes which work well locally.


All tell them that you only get 4 to 5 hours sun per day. Southern
exposure... are there other buildings, trees nearby ???

On Thu, 24 Apr 2003 15:26:39 -0700, jeffrey wrote:

we have a small city backyard(southern exposure) and
want to plant small lawn--only about 200 sq. feet. would appreciate any
suggestions on how to prepare/fertilize the soil before planting seed(or
laying sod-- haven't yet decided which? any suggestions there also
appreciated). The area gets around 1/4 to 1/3 of a day direct sun