St. Augustine is a warm-season turf grass that grows well in coastal areas in southern areas of the U.S. and is a great grass for Gainesville FL sod replacement. Though it requires a little more care than other turf grasses, St. Augustine's thick, matting quality makes it a desirable lawn grass. Laying St. Augustine sod is an in-depth process, with as much preparation labor as installation to have it done correctly. Once the area is prepared and the sod laid, your grass should be ready for mowing in approximately 3-4 weeks, depending upon the Gainesville Landscaping season.
Step 1
Clean the area of any weeds or other vegetation before laying the St. Augustine sod. Rake the vegetation from the area, or spray it with an herbicide to kill the weeds. Wait several days for the vegetation to die before watering. Water the area after everything has died, to wash the herbicide from the surface. TMLC uses a sod cutter like they use in the sod farms to cut out approximately 1" of current grass, weeds, roots, and soil and to ensure that the new Gainesville sod doesn't get laid higher than the rest of the lawn.
Step 2
Rake the area to remove unwanted rocks, sticks, or other debris and to smooth the surface out to be level. Laying the sod on an uneven surface will result in an uneven lawn. This also helps to loosen compacted soil so the roots tap into the soil easier.
Step 3
Sprinkle the bare ground with a low nitrogen natural fertilizer like milorganite, according to the application rates on the package. Work the fertilizer into the soil with a hard rake. This will start the eco process of microorganisms creating organic material to create a natural compost under your new sod so that it turns the florida sand (or clay) into nutrient-rich soil.
Step 4
Mark areas around trees and flowerbeds with a garden marking spray or can of spray paint. This will help you keep the sod out of areas where it is unwanted and keep a neatly defined bed line iwth firm distinction.
Step 5
Begin laying the sod down, starting at a corner. Be sure the sod lies flat upon the ground and that no piece overlaps the piece laid next to it. Kick the piece of sod with your foot to butt it up firmly against the neighboring piece. Make sure all corners are flush. Continue laying each piece of sod until you have the area covered. Some people even prefer to stagger the joints, but this is not neccessary and hasn't been proven scientifically to help the Gainesville Sod Installation process in any way.
Step 6
Cut sod pieces to fit around curves, trees or flowerbeds, using a machete or other large knife.
Step 7
Water the newly laid sod immediately after installing. Continue keeping the area moist, but not flooded, for the next two weeks by watering daily (unless in heavy shade or sun where frequency may need to be adjusted up or down). Then cut back the watering to 5x, 3x, and 2x per week in weekly increments, depending on your local weather conditions. Drier conditions will need irrigated more oftern whereas rainy conditions may not need water at all.