Question
Hello,
I live in central Florida.
I just killed all of the weeds and tilled my lawn. I am getting ready for 5000 sq ft of argentine bahia sod. I noticed when it rained the other day that my dirt was sand. The water did not get past the top layer of dirt.When I sprayed it with a hose the water literally bounced off of it like oil would repell water. Should I get fill dirt, soil or a million bags of premixed sod starter? I wanted to use milorganite as a fertilizer. How should I incorporate this into the new sod process?

Thanks

Caryn

Answer
It looks like you are dealing with a hydrophobic condition. What is needed is a wetting agent, something like soap to reduce the tension between the surfaces of the water and sand. Commercial products are also available. Reduce the force of the water on the soil surface. A gentle shower rather than a jetting action.