Sod and Irrigation reference request (St. Augustine: how much, landscaping, live)

[Magnolia Bloom]

I would like a recommendation for a good sod company- one that will not just deliver, but lay it. One that knows sod and ground cover installation would be preferred.

And an irrigation company- we are having ongoing issues with our older, eight-station system (Rainbird) and need to have work done now and a plan for the future- as we are looking into xeriscaping some areas over the next couple of years.

Please feel free to DM me.

[apvbguy]

Originally Posted by HIF

I would like a recommendation for a good sod company- one that will not just deliver, but lay it. One that knows sod and ground cover installation would be preferred.

And an irrigation company- we are having ongoing issues with our older, eight-station system (Rainbird) and need to have work done now and a plan for the future- as we are looking into xeriscaping some areas over the next couple of years.

Please feel free to DM me.

I used a company called Houlihan Territory, I think they're in JAX beach, they did the job I needed them to do, it works and that's all that matters, for sod, any landscaper should be able to handle it

[travelingfood]

How much is avg cost of good sod? and how much does a pallet cover?

[Keith-n-Jax]

Try Clear water irrigation I was very pleased with there service.

[riveree]

For the sod: A1 Sod on Phillips Hgwy has good sod

For laying the sod: Brian Garrett out of St. Augustine is great, I've used him twice and would do so again. I am in the midst of moving and can't find his info right now, but the guys at A1 Sod will have his number. You can call Brian first and get the estimate and then he'll take care of ordering and delivering the sod for you. He has a good sized team, and they are fast, his pricing was excellent as well.

Type of sod: If you can spend a little extra, I highly, highly, recommend getting the DWARF St. Augustine grass. It costs a little more per pallet, but here's what's wonderful about it:

*finer blades, so it doesn't look as "rough" as regular St. Augustine grass

*deeper green color than the regular St. Aug

*grows slower and shorter, so you can get by with a few less mows. This is not only labor saving, but since your landscaping guys use gas-powered mowers, the less mows, the less pollution .

[riveree]

Originally Posted by travelingfood

How much is avg cost of good sod? and how much does a pallet cover?

A pallet covers about 400 sq ft.

Right now, you should be able to find a pallet for as little as $100 or so for basic St. Augustine grass, but check out my post above about the dwarf variety .

[travelingfood]

Thanks Riveree!

Is there any tips and tricks on laying your own sod? I got few places that I need to replace since it's practically over run with weed and dead patches

[riveree]

Originally Posted by travelingfood

Thanks Riveree!

Is there any tips and tricks on laying your own sod? I got few places that I need to replace since it's practically over run with weed and dead patches

Just get the dead stuff/weeds out (can smother with heavy layers of wet newspaper if you have to, but I usually just pull it up by rake or by hand).

Once you're down to the soil, just lay the sod in place. If you'll be laying a large area, be sure to butt the sod squares up against each other tightly (or you'll end up with weeds in between). If you'll be laying "rows" of sod, alternate your seams so you don't have a grid. This is the best graphic I could do :

You don't want to lay sod like this:
_ _ _ _
_ _ _ _

You want to set the seams off like this:
_ _ _ _
. _ _ _ _

Tamp the sod down lightly with your feet, you don't want to damage the roots by trampling on the sod too much...gravity and watering will weigh the sod down in time (it will be a little "bumpy" for the first few months).

After that, it's water, water, water! For the first week or two, you'll need to water every day (usually 30 minutes does the trick). Then switch to every other day for a week or so, then every third day, and by a month's time, you should be able to water as needed (twice a week at most). The sooner you get the sod in, the less watering it will need (the cool weather keeps the soil moist). The sod I laid in January barely needed any watering at all.

[travelingfood]

thanks for the great instructions!!! I'd rep you a ton once I can rep you again!

[groundsource,llc]

How many square feet or pallets are you needing?