# Checkerboarding Sod



## cglarsen (Dec 28, 2018)

Ok so I am going to get a pallet of Tiftuf to help speed along fill in of my renovation project. I have about a 2000 sf area that's bare but only a budget for one pallet of sod = 450 sf. There's no physical way to plug a pallet of sod because it will die before it's all in the ground - so it must be planted - and then I can plug from it once established.

What pattern should I install to maximize the area covered? 
What should I do regarding leveling? Digging a square in seems like painstaking labor. 
It better to level with masonry sand following establishment? 
Has anyone else done this on a large scale that I can reference? 
What is the irrigation schedule for new sod and how many days?


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## TN Hawkeye (May 7, 2018)

cglarsen said:


> Ok so I am going to get a pallet of Tiftuf to help speed along fill in of my renovation project. I have about a 2000 sf area that's bare but only a budget for one pallet of sod = 450 sf. There's no physical way to plug a pallet of sod because it will die before it's all in the ground - so it must be planted - and then I can plug from it once established.
> 
> What pattern should I install to maximize the area covered?
> What should I do regarding leveling? Digging a square in seems like painstaking labor.
> ...


What is a piece of sod like 18"x12" or 24"x12"?


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## J_nick (Jan 28, 2017)

@erdons did this with his front yard. https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=3571#p66262


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## cglarsen (Dec 28, 2018)

@TN Hawkeye It comes in 2 ft x 5 ft rolls. And a pallet is 50 rolls.

@erdons Is that about 2ft on center spacing and 1x1 ft squares?


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## Tellycoleman (May 10, 2017)

What about sprigging instead?? How much is 20 buschels of sprigged tifftuff Vs a pallet of tifftuff?
that will cover 2K very nice from what i know


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## cglarsen (Dec 28, 2018)

Tellycoleman said:


> What about sprigging instead?? How much is 20 buschels of sprigged tifftuff Vs a pallet of tifftuff?
> that will cover 2K very nice from what i know


I've not been able to source any sprigs. The sod pallet is $260 if I pickup myself. I mainly want to plug small portions of the 20k front yard at a time since I don't have irrigation but i can rotate a hose and sprinkler around and turn on once a day or so.


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## gijoe4500 (Mar 17, 2017)

What i did when I only had 1 pallet to put down, was put it all together as a square in the center of the yard. Once it was established, I started pulling plugs as I had time, and putting them elsewhere in the yard.


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

Make sure you're ready for that weight! Lol. I learned the hard way Wednesday.


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## BakerGreenLawnMaker (Mar 13, 2018)

SCGrassMan said:


> Make sure you're ready for that weight! Lol. I learned the hard way Wednesday.


That looks like a dedicated lawn man to me!


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

BakerGreenLawnMaker said:


> SCGrassMan said:
> 
> 
> > Make sure you're ready for that weight! Lol. I learned the hard way Wednesday.
> ...


I prepared the ground and laid a pallet and a half all by myself. Not bad for an old man.


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## BakerGreenLawnMaker (Mar 13, 2018)

SCGrassMan said:


> BakerGreenLawnMaker said:
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> 
> > SCGrassMan said:
> ...


I hear ya. My dad always said "I'm only as old as my body tells me I am."


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

@BakerGreenLawnMaker this morning, my body told me I was pretty old 😂😭 but the upside is we got tons of rain so I can wait until tomorrow to get set up the sprinklers.


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## erdons (Apr 3, 2018)

cglarsen said:


> Ok so I am going to get a pallet of Tiftuf to help speed along fill in of my renovation project. I have about a 2000 sf area that's bare but only a budget for one pallet of sod = 450 sf. There's no physical way to plug a pallet of sod because it will die before it's all in the ground - so it must be planted - and then I can plug from it once established.
> 
> What pattern should I install to maximize the area covered?
> What should I do regarding leveling? Digging a square in seems like painstaking labor.
> ...


When i did this, It was some hard work however I didn't do it in 1 day, I actually got the sod on Friday afternoon and didn't start plugging until Sunday, finished by Tuesday. I just made sure to put the sod somewhere with shade and kept it watered. Even if it wilts or yellow the Bermuda always bounces back, you can't kill it.


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## BakerGreenLawnMaker (Mar 13, 2018)

SCGrassMan said:


> @BakerGreenLawnMaker this morning, my body told me I was pretty old 😂😭 but the upside is we got tons of rain so I can wait until tomorrow to get set up the sprinklers.


 :lol: :lol:


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## cglarsen (Dec 28, 2018)

@SCGrassMan Damn you turned that Ram into a lowrider. I'm getting a trailer, my Canyon would look worse with one full pallet.


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## Crabbychas (Apr 25, 2018)

cglarsen said:


> @SCGrassMan Damn you turned that Ram into a lowrider. I'm getting a trailer, my Canyon would look worse with one full pallet.


Yeah a full pallet would be pretty iffy unless it was super dry. I once hauled a pallet of tile in the back of my Colorado (about 2000lbs), it was definitely hanging low in the rear.


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

cglarsen said:


> @SCGrassMan Damn you turned that Ram into a lowrider. I'm getting a trailer, my Canyon would look worse with one full pallet.


Yeah I definitely worked the bottom of that trailer ball a few times


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## Spammage (Apr 30, 2017)

You guys need to look into Timbrens.


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## TN Hawkeye (May 7, 2018)

Crabbychas said:


> cglarsen said:
> 
> 
> > @SCGrassMan Damn you turned that Ram into a lowrider. I'm getting a trailer, my Canyon would look worse with one full pallet.
> ...


So your saying my soccer dad minivan is not optimal for a pallet of sod?


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## bassadict69 (Apr 2, 2018)




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## lucas287 (Jun 3, 2018)

Spammage said:


> You guys need to look into Timbrens.


No joke. Or some air bags for the Ram. Those coils ride nice but they can't handle the weight!


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## lucas287 (Jun 3, 2018)

SCGrassMan said:


> cglarsen said:
> 
> 
> > @SCGrassMan Damn you turned that Ram into a lowrider. I'm getting a trailer, my Canyon would look worse with one full pallet.
> ...


Next time you need to flip the ball on the hitch. Or not use a drop hitch at all. Many roadside fires are caused by sagging tongues and dragging chains. Just looking out for you man


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## Spammage (Apr 30, 2017)

lucas287 said:


> Spammage said:
> 
> 
> > You guys need to look into Timbrens.
> ...


I moved a pallet of sod in my Dodge Ram 2500 HD a few years ago and the truck was damn near undrivable. I have done that and a lot more since getting the Timbrens and you don't even know there is any weight on the truck. Best $80 ever spent. Plus, they don't have to be adjusted like air bags.


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## Still learnin (Sep 9, 2017)

bassadict69 said:


>


That looks really good. How long did it take to fill in?


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## bassadict69 (Apr 2, 2018)

Fully, about a year and half to where it wasn't rough and felt like solid turf. I did bring in several yards of river sand and filled in the voids between all the squares. It was a ton of work. I just wish I could have afforded to do more of the yard. It is slowly spreading to other parts of the yard now that I am removing trees and opening up the yard.


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

lucas287 said:


> SCGrassMan said:
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> > cglarsen said:
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## cglarsen (Dec 28, 2018)

@bassadict69 Thank you for the photos. The uneveness and need for leveling is defintely a drawback. I'm weighing pros and cons. I could put the sod all together and then plug outward from one square. Would you do anything different if you had to do it again?


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## erdons (Apr 3, 2018)

Mine filled in super fast but I was pounding it with urea fertilizer weekly.


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## bassadict69 (Apr 2, 2018)

cglarsen said:


> @bassadict69 Thank you for the photos. The uneveness and need for leveling is defintely a drawback. I'm weighing pros and cons. I could put the sod all together and then plug outward from one square. Would you do anything different if you had to do it again@bassadict69
> 
> Only thing I would do different is fertilize more aggressively for faster coverage. I am actually thinking about doing more areas of my backyard, one pallet of sod at a time and would do it the exact same way.


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## Bermuda_Newbie (Jun 15, 2018)

I did something similar with a small batch of sod for a large area. I used a sawzaw and eventually a sod blade to make little squares and pieces of the sod and bury them in predone plug holes that my husband made previously using the proplugger. This was nice because they were level with the ground and grew up from there. It took a lot of work but the holes could be dug prior so you just need someone to cut the sod into pieces as someone else shoves them in the holes and buries them. It's like zombie grass, it comes back. You won't kill it.


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## jeep4me99 (Apr 11, 2019)

bassadict69 said:


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That spread quick in 1 day!!! :lol:


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