Question
We really need help on our front lawn!!
We had a front lawn full of crabgrass and weeds. We tried to reseed the lawn with grassseed back on May and somehow it didn't work. Now, the front lawn is wrost than before. We are thinking about resod the front lawn. However, with your expertise, can you please tell me when is the best time to resod? (We are thinking about September?) And should we go with the tiller or just flat head shovel? Is there a type of grass that can tolerate sun better? We asked because our front lawn has full sun exposure most of the day, and we do not want to burn the sod. Thanks in advanced for your help.  

Answer
Sammi, I have studied this question for days and try as I might, I cannot come up with a simple answer here.  I hate to give people the idea that only a gargantuan amount of labor is going to repair a lost lawn.  But if you cut corners in the wrong places, you will never achieve the prettiest lawn.  

So we may as well get started here.  September is perfect.

The biggest difference between sod and seeding is the amount of time it takes to establish each one.  Sodding is more foolproof, but it is costlier; planting seed and building strong roots can be tricky, with many potential problems - soil correcting, choices of seed, correct watering, fertilizing, variables with light, and so much more.

You want to test your soil before you do anything else.  Send a sample up to Cornell Cooperative Extension (assuming you are in NY) and get a complete analysis.  The service will recommend amendments to give your grass the perfect soil to grow on.

It is absolutely essential that you completely eliminate all perennial broadleaf weeds in your plot before doing anything else. Make sure you remove every trace of roots and runners.  Throw them in a compost heap and leave them there for at least a year.  Ideally, you will spend the next month or so solarizing your soil to eliminate all traces of unwanted flora without creating a hostile environment - this is an easy, cheap, chemical free but time consuming way to annihilate all weeds growing or lying dormant in your plot of turf.  Let me know if you want details on solarizing - I did explain this to someone last month.

Incidentally, weeds and crabgrass favor particular soil conditions; turfgrass prefers a different kind of soil.  What have you been growing your grass in?  Could that be at least partially the reason the weeds are so happy at your house?  If you're having topsoil delivered with your sod, you can assume it is not going to be particularly rich and grass-friendly - some even contain noxious weeds from out of town, imported into your lawn.  Hoe or Rototill the topsoil into your own plot at least 4 to 6 inches deep.  Be careful when tilling beneath trees on your property - you don't want to disturb roots or damage the tree.  Make sure not to pack your soil too firmly before you lay the sod down.  An old fashioned garden rake will level bumps and uneven areas just fine.

For best results, the same soil preparation must be done to sod a lawn as to seed it. With proper soil preparation and care, both upland and peat sod will perform equally well.

Sodding can be done any time after the ground thaws in spring, right into autumn. The limit on fall sod laying is the amount of time the sod has to develop roots before the ground freezes. The later sod is laid, the more risk that it will suffer damage if there is an "open" winter with poor snow cover.

When you select your sod, make sure it is as fresh as possible.  It should be cut the morning you want to lay it down.  Anything longer is asking for problems.  When it arrives, make sure it is not left to dry out in the hot summer sun.  Spray the sod gently to keep it moist and minimize trauma to roots and blades, and dampen the soil before the sod is laid down.  

The biggest mistake people make when putting down sod is at this point.  They assume that the sod is mature and tough, it is laid down, and now does not need the care and attention of a newly seeded lawn.  A few weeks later they are shocked to find the sod is brown.  

All that $$$ down the drain!  

Water your sod generously for the first two weeks or longer if eneded.  Then cut back gradually until you are watering twice a week.  

Hopefully you are growing a chemicals-free lawn, so you will not need any advice regarding fungicides or pesticides that are so hostile to the grass you love to grow and the people who love to walk on it.

Selecting your sod by the way is only tricky if you have to worry about shade.  Bright sun is wonderful for grass.  Just remember, as I said, to keep it moist, and get it cut, delivered and planted the same day.

While you're at it, put some spring blue Chionodoxa, Scilla or Muscari in your new lawn under the sod sheets.  The bulbs will grow and multiply in the spring.

I hope this is not going to discourage you from building yourself a new lawn.  The timing could not be more perfect.  Get yourself some first rate sod and don't put any pesticides or herbicides on it - it's probably been overtreated already and you want to make sure you don't have chemicals in the grass that will wipe out your microbial populations.

Personally, I love growing grass.  And great grass needs a great bed underneath.  Start out right and even 25 years from now you will still have absolutely the best lawn on the block, in the neighborhood, in the family.  It is a lot of work.  But there's nothing more rewarding.  Thanks for writing.  Any questions?