How to Sod St. Augustine Grass
St. Augustine is a favorite grass for southern temperatures and climates. The grass offers medium hardiness, and can live in both dryer and wetter conditions. St. Augustine grass is usually propagated by sod or by plugs. Sod is the preferred method of planting the grass because it provides full lawn coverage much easier than other propagation methods. The key to successful sod transplantation is site preparation before the sod is ever laid. This will provide a perfect growing medium for the new grass. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- St. Augustine grass sod
- Grass fertilizer
- Loam
- Organic compost
- Shovel
- Tiller
- Iron sulfate
- Rake
- Carpet knife
- Plywood board
- Hose
- Sprinkler
Instructions
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Till the soil to a depth of 12 inches deep. Remove any rocks, plants, debris and roots from the area using your hands or a shovel.
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Add a mixture of equal parts loam and organic compost to the soil. Spread the mixture 2 inches deep over the entire surface that will be filled with sod, and mix into the soil with a shovel.
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Sprinkle a mixture of iron sulfate over the surface of the soil. Water the soil for 2 hours to allow the sulfate to soak into the soil. Wait until the next day to complete the preparation of the soil.
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4
Rake the soil flat with the rake. Try to keep from walking on the soil as much as possible as you rake. One way to do this is to stand on a plywood board that will distribute your weight between the board, applying a more even pressure and preventing dents in the lawn surface.
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Purchase the sod the day you intend to lay it. Sod will die quickly, and should be placed in the ground as soon as possible.
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Lay one line of sod across the entire length of soil area that you prepared.
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Stagger the sod in subsequent lines, making it so that the ends of the sod never match up exactly. The sod lines should look like staggered brick laying. This will produce a more even looking lawn, and will prevent the ground from having lines of un-sodded areas between the rows. Cut the sod with a carpet knife to get the rows to lay in a staggered pattern.
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Kneel on the plywood board as you work to protect the surface of the sod and prevent crushing the grass in small areas. This will allow the grass to continue to grow.
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Water the sod for 1 to 2 hours with the sprinkler after the sod has been laid. Continue to water the grass twice a week until the winter.
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References
- Photo Credit grass, image by Greg Pickens from Fotolia.com
