Sodding hard ground

[Mark Cothren]

I have a patch of hard ground where the surface water washes through our back yard. It happens to be between my shop and house. Topsoil is pretty much nonexistent here. I had the surface broken up slightly back last summer and scattered some grass seed (don't recall what it was right now) that was supposed to do well in the shade - which this mostly is. But the grass only grew sparsely in spots - mainly up against my shop. In the open areas nothing took root.

I'm thinking of trying again with some bermuda sod. I don't know if this would be a waste of time, effort and money. Anywhere here knowledgable and/or experienced in this type of effort?

Recommendations?

I can get a pallet of bermuda sod that will cover about 450 sq ft for $35.00.

Thanks,
Mark

[Hal Peeler]

Bermuda is not a shade tolerant grass. It needs at least 4-5 hours of sunlight a day. You will need to go with a fescue (if it's cool enough up your way) or maybe St Augustine (if it's warm enough up your way). I don't know enough about what type grasses are common in Arky to give you a better answer.

[Ray Bersch]

Mark, the key here will be to slow down the water. I assume you can't stop the water or you would have done so. The sod, if that is shade friendly grass, will work ok on the bare ground after it is broken up but adding a few inches of top soil would work better. None-the-less, if the water rushes down over the area, and I assume it does because it has washed out the top soil, then you will find that the water will flow under the new sod and not allow it to take root. In a short time the sod will die and get washed away. Even if you force it to flow over the sod, it will eventually wash away the dirt in the sod and the grass will go with it. So look for some way to slow down the flow. Look up stream. Is there a way to divert some, spread it out or is some way reduce the flow? This will have to be permanent because it will eventually wash out the sod too, even if the sod has had some time to take root (at least one season.) If you cannot reduce or slow down the flow how about making it part of the landscape - building a channel for it - say by using rocks instead of grass, call it Marks Stream, or concrete, call it Marks Aqueduct. Or piping it underground?

Over the years I have tried to fight water flow, and I found that there is a reason for the old saying "go with the flow." It ain't easy being a salmon.

Ray

[Anthony Anderson]

Mark, I am not real familiar with types of grass. But I can say that anything that I have ever tried to seed has not done well. Even if, it seems, that I have done every thing humanly possible to make it grow. Go buy the sod and get it over with. I planted some seed at our current house and it didn't take either, and we have an irrigation system that kept it watered regularly. I just checked a geographical map that showed Bermuda grass was suited for your region. Heat tolerant. Chances are if a local sod farm is selling it, then it should be what the local builders are using, and should be fine. Still prepare the soil, loosen it up and rake in some starter fertilizer something like a 20-20-20. HTH, Bill

[Joe Pelonio]

My last house before this one had a very steeply sloped front lawn with a big magnolia in the middle. I couldn't grow seed because it will just wash away, so when I replaced it I used sod that was 90% tall fescue and 10% bluegrass. It did fine in the shade, just had to change the sprinklers to rainbirds, with the regular ones the water just ran off.

Also I was unfortunate enough one year to volunteer to be field maintenance coordinator for the local youth soccer club. The areas in front of the goals were worn down to hard bare dirt. We got out there with 2-3 rototillers and spent most of a day breaking it up, adding some sand, and rolling it smooth before putting on the new sod. When the guy before me just laid it down the year before it never rooted.

[Jim Hager]

I have a patch of hard ground where the surface water washes through our back yard. It happens to be between my shop and house. Topsoil is pretty much nonexistent here. I had the surface broken up slightly back last summer and scattered some grass seed (don't recall what it was right now) that was supposed to do well in the shade - which this mostly is. But the grass only grew sparsely in spots - mainly up against my shop. In the open areas nothing took root.

I'm thinking of trying again with some bermuda sod. I don't know if this would be a waste of time, effort and money. Anywhere here knowledgable and/or experienced in this type of effort?

Recommendations?

I can get a pallet of bermuda sod that will cover about 450 sq ft for $35.00.

Thanks,
Mark

Mark,

Hard ground like you have down there in Faulkner county won't grow much unless you stir the ground up pretty good. I would recommend putting 2-4 inches of topsoil on the surface and then breaking it in with the soil that you have to loosen up the composition of the soil texture. Adding in 2 or so inches of sawdust will help to make the soil more friable as well. Might need to take a soil sample to the county extension office to check for fertility or just apply some 19-19-19 and a bag of limestone to correct the ph. Zosia grass will perform better in shady conditions than bermuda and is often available as sod like bermuda. There is a sod farm somewhere on hwy 64 isn't there?? If not there is a sod farm just north of searcy in the plainview community, seems like it is up hwy 157 and off to the west. Sorry I can't give the name but it has been a while since I knew anything about it. Zosia sod is sorta aggrivating to get established but you will have better luck with it than bermuda which needs a lot more direct sunshine. If you can find creeping red fescue sod it would do well there too but with the hard pack of soil you have it would likely not get enough water unless you add the topsoil and till it up. I have had the best luck with fescue on some of our hardpack by mixing topsoil, sawdust and the existing soil.

[Mark Cothren]

Thanks for the info! I actually have a fairly large stand of Zoysia and St. Augustine both in different places on my lot. I guess I could dig up my own sod and transplant...

Anyway, I agree the key is to redirect the flow of water - or at least to help contain it. I'll study on that before I invest too much time and energy into sodding or reintroducing topsoil.

Thanks again...................Mark

[Mark Cothren]

Hey Jim, there are a few sod places around here. There is one across the river in Perry County that has the best rates that I've found so far. I'll check and see what else they have besides Bermuda for future reference.

Thanks!

[Darrick Robbins]

Mark,
Sounds like you are well on your way. Bermuda is seldom propogated from seed, it is almost always sprigged or sodded. Zoysia is the same with the exception that it is a really slow grower. In golf course fairways I have seen zoysia sodded in little strips and then it fills in between. I have also seen little plugs used. In fact zoysia is usually what is sold in those ads you see on the back of newspapers here in the north billed as "miracle grass".
As everyone has already told you nothing is going to grow unless you create a little better environment for it. That being said Bermuda is extremely aggressive and if you give it half a chance it should take off if there is adequate sunlight. Good luck, and if you plant bermuda fertilize like crazy it just drinks it up.
Darrick

[Dennis Peacock]

Mark,

We need to bust up that ground, till in some sawdust, leaves, and horse manuer. Add about 1" of sand, till all that in and sew the grass or lay down the sod and lightly water for about 45 minutes every day for 14 days. You'll have grass growing there that you'll have to borrow Jim Becker's Kabota and bushhawg to mow it. :D