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| In my community, we all have a problem with new sod dying soon after put down. Soil is sandy.. almost like Brown fill sand. Most lay the sod down and then water and fertilizer, but I think I should add to the soil base first. Should I churn in Peat Moss, Top Soil, Compost?. I was going to prepare the base about 30 by 30 ft square. So what should I add.? I was even desperate to add Potting soil or Good mix of Tree and shrub soil.. rich and black. I dont want to re sod again. |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| They say that insanity is repeating the same action again and again, with the expectation of a different result. Get a GOOD soil test, and find out what it is that is wrong. Then fix it. Anything else is akin to changing car parts at random to repair a misbehaving car. |
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- Posted by dchall_san_antonio 8 San Antonio (My Page) on Fri, Mar 23, 12 at 0:06
| By "good" Andy would recommend Logan Labs in Ohio. However, in Tampa all the soil is pure beach sand. One test is the same as another. The clinker is that grass grows perfectly fine in the Texas beach sand. Something is wrong. Get a soil test. It could be "poisoned" by a previous owner or even the builder for an entire neighborhood. But also, please answer these questions: What kind of grass are you sodding? How often do you water and for how long? How high/low do you mow and how often? What fertilizer are you using and when do you apply? Andy and I both specialize in soil. He is an expert at micronutrients and can help you figure out what to add but you really have to have a good soil test. Your local county extension service will not be able to provide anything like Logan Labs can. Cost is about the same or less at Logan Labs. My specialty is organic health of the soil. In general you can throw out the window everything you read in a magazine and any books written by anyone but Jeff Lowenfels. Jeff is "The Man" when it comes to biological health of the soil. He is on a forum of gurus that I used to participate in until I could not keep up with them. I need to read his book but I know him well enough to trust his approach. My approach is this: apply everything to the surface of the soil. Nothing should be "tilled in" or dug, folded, scratched, lifted, double dug, plowed, spaded, or any other technique that disturbs the structure of the soil/sand. My first choice of soils is sand. When I needed something to fill in my yard after remodeling, I used sand. I love it. If you want to add something, and I suggest you do, add it to the surface. If you have been using chemical fertilizers, I strongly suggest you switch to organic. Sand will not hold any chemical fertilizers but it will hold the organics. The reason is organic ferts rely on soil biology, not chemical pressures. When you start feeding fertilizer to the microbes in the soil, they will fix your soil and also feed the plants. Please provide answers to the questions. Sometimes there is a simple switch you can do that will fix the issue and you can enjoy your lawn. |
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- Posted by businessguys Tampa Bay (My Page) on Fri, Mar 23, 12 at 0:18
| Normal Fla St Augustine Floratam is the grass. Water 1-2 times a week. Never have weed problems. The grass just eventually dies. Standard Weed and Feed. It isnt beach sand like its more like septic sand like.. dead and brown. Looks likes just to add Peat Moss, and Compost wont hurt. Summer rains gets us ok but past drought were one kill, and chich bugs the other. I spray bug spray which helps. Just wanted to know what to add to the soil. Andy... BTW.. NO HELP !! Good Grief man. |
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| That isn't enough water for new sod. And some "standard" weed and feeds can kill St. Augustine. Especially new sod. I would be VERY careful with herbicides on established St. A, and would refrain completely on new sod of ANY type. It isn't just dying, I'm afraid you guys are killing it. |
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| I understand that you "just want to know what to put into the soil", but you can't say what to add until you know what is missing. There is no magic ingredient that will suddenly improve soil - it is about finding out what is wrong and then fixing it. |
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