Question
ok i never gardened before and it shows i layed some sod down without ammending my soil, i know thats stupid but i did. is it too late to do something to make sure it doesnt die? could i put something on the sod that can penetrate down to the exesting soil to help ammend it without taking out yhe sod? please helpi live in paradide ca 95969

Answer
Trouble in Paradise?

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

One option comes to mind, my friend: careful irrigation with Compost Tea.

I say 'careful' because you don't want to overdo it.  Faulty watering is why way too many otherwise diligent do-it-yourselfers lose their newly laid Sod.  You don't want to drown the roots -- which will happen if you give them so much water it can't drain and they get no Oxygen.  But you don't want them to dessicate and die.  New roots are delicate.  You have to balance your irrigation very carefully.

But I don't know what's under those roots.  What are they reaching into?  A Soil test would tell you that.  Get one asap.  It's never too late.  That Soil isn't going anywhere, even if you lose your Sod.  Sorry, but we have accept this as a possibility.

Meantime, since it's going to be watered, pour microbes all over it and give it a fighting chance.  You culture those yourself with Compost Tea.

What is Compost Tea?

This is a highly saturated liquid teeming with microorganisms that are GREAT for your Grass.

You do not drink Compost Tea, by the way, so don't try drinking it for breakfast.  And you do not buy it from Scotts.  Speaking of Scotts, don't put any chemicals on your new Sod.  This is baby Grass that needs TLC.  Plus those chemicals will shatter the lives of any Earthworms, Arthropods, Microbes underfoot.

By the way, did you roll your Sod after you put it down to ensure good, solid Sod-to-Soil contact?  This is critical.  Sod roots are not aerial.  Walking on it is not the same thing.  In fact, you don't want to walk on this stuff while the Soil is wet because you don't want to risk compacting your Soil, which is what happens when you walk on wet dirt.

Back to your Compost concoction.  You can make this at home.  Do it quickly because building a zoo of Microbes takes time.

There are as many recipes for Compost Tea as there are recipes for Apple Pie.  Ideally, you would have a Woods somewhere in the neighborhood -- wild Trees and plants with Humus rich in beneficial bacteria and protozoa.  If not, you have to get your Humus from somewhere else.  Here's one using Alaska Humus, which is special because it brings to the table 35,000 species of Bacteria and 5000 species of Fungi - a VERY good thing.  You can buy Alaska Humus online:

http://www.alaskahumus.com/more_info.htm

You can use another Humus, even one from a local garden center, but you will get different microbes.  Excuse the expression, but the price difference is a drop in the bucket compared with what Scotts charges for its Weed N Feed and other un-Christian Chemicals.  Me, I prefer doing things once, and doing them right...  But there's nothing wrong with doing things the Easy way - if it works, who cares?

1. Put 1 shovel of Alaska Humus in a 5-gallon bucket of
Water, preferably rainwater.

2. Let Humus + Water mixture sit outdoors for a week.  Stir daily.

3. Optional: Add 2-3 tablespoons of sugar: Molasses, Brown Sugar, Corn
Syrup or another simple sugar.

4. To this you can add a few cups of:

(a) fresh fruit,
(b) corn meal,
(c) Epsom salts,
(d) green weeds,
(e) a can of fish,
(f) garden or woods soil,
(g) apple cider vinegar (1-2 Tablespoons only), and/or
(h) alfalfa meal.

Stirring adds Oxygen.  The more you stir, the more Oxygen.  This is the key to the GOOD microbes that build up your Soil and release vitamins and minerals into the rhizosphere under your Sod.

See why no one would drink this stuff?

Although the sweetener in Step 3 is optional, you should know that sugar products are mostly Carbon.  Micropopulations LOVE Carbon.

Molasses from your local supermarket often contains Sulfur.  Sulfur is a mild natural fungicide.  If you add Molasses, get one without Sulfur.

The Compost Tea is ready to use when foam begins to float on the surface.

Water your Sod with this in batches.

This is the best fertilizer you can put on a Lawn.

If you have any interest in seeing what these microscopic animalcules
look like, SoilFoodweb has color photos on the internet at their
website:

http//www.soilfoodweb.com/03_about_us/microscope_pics.html

With respect to the scientific community's opinion of Compost Tea, have a look at what Cornell professor Dr. Eric B. Nelson has to say:

'Whereas the short-term magnitude of turfgrass disease control using Compost-amended topdressings may not match that typically achieved with Fungicide applications, the longer-term level of control often equals or exceeds that attainable with fungicide applications.'

Let抯 read that again: 'EQUALS OR EXCEEDS THAT ATTAINABLE WITH FUNGICIDE APPLICATIONS.'

So if you over-water your Sod, it will still be mildly vaccinated against germs.

Meantime, it won't hurt to apply a few bags of ordinary Humus over your Soil asap while the Tea is brewing.  Earthworms love Humus.  So does Grass.

Keep in touch and we'll talk again later.  Your questions and comments welcome.  Peace,

L.I.G.