QuestionI live in Tampa, I need to have a beautiful lawn by the end of March 2009. When would you recommend that the new sod be laid down and what type of treatment should we put down before the sod? One side of the yard gets a lot of shade but I would be bringing the sod out 4ft from the fence. The grass that was there before was St Augustine and weeds have taken over most of it. Should we put down the same type of grass or what would you recommend? I appreciate your expertise.
Answer I am not sure that you will be able to put down sod in view of some recent SWIFMUD prohibitions on watering. Perhaps you are on a reclaimed water system and are exempt. Please check with your Local Authorities first. St. Augustine grass ("Floratam" for sun and "Floratine" for shade) is the mainstay of home-owner lawns in the Tampa Bay area but in view of watering and fertilizing restrictions, seashore paspalum (Paspalum vaginatum) would be a very good alternative. Please check with the Hillsborough County Extension Service at (813) 744 5519 for comprehensive information on this turf grass. A potential disadvantage is that its recommended mowing height is two inches.
I would strongly suggest that you try to have the sodding done by the second week in December otherwise you will not be able to achieve your objective by March 2009. I hope that you will not have much land grading to do because this takes time. Scalp the existing grass with your lawn mower set as low as you can get. Make sure that your watering system gives good coverage. Soap flush a few random areas to find out if there are insects and if you need to control any, I recommend an appropriately labeled product containing 'Fipronil'. Make a broadcast application of an organic product like "Milorganite" to encourage root growth. When you lay the sod make sure that the edges are in close contact (jam them in!). Watch it and water it with the goal of getting good root growth and sod establishment.
