# 4 month-old sod - too soon to level?



## lucas287 (Jun 3, 2018)

First time poster here!

There are a lot of search results for "level", "leveling" etc.. Please forgive me if I have missed a thread about this already.

Sod was laid mid-February. Tifway 419. I thought it needed some fertilizer so i started searching for recommendations and stumbled upon the Bermuda Bible. Well, I dove right in! Returned my newly purchased Ryobi rotary, bought a reel mower, subscribed to deep watering, fertilizer regularly, even just bought some PGR! Needless to say i'm all in now.

It was a rainy day when the crew spread the dirt and laid sod. There's bumps everywhere. Kind of annoying actually. Weather down here in TX is already hot, it's been in the mid 90's for several weeks straight with lows hovering in the mid-70's. Grass is growing like crazy. HOC is about 1.125" right now. I actually can't go lower with a push reel because the grass is already too thick - plus is scalps the high spots.

Is it "safe" to level this season? I'm thinking about waiting until next year when the root mass is fully developed. Thoughts?

Here are some progress pics!


----------



## lucas287 (Jun 3, 2018)




----------



## unclebucks06 (Apr 25, 2018)

Not sure on your location, but if it were me I'd wait till next spring. Too much stress on lawn right now.


----------



## Iriasj2009 (Feb 15, 2017)

I've scalped and topdressed 3 weeks after sodding with no problem. Just don't bury the grass when you sand and apply plenty of water and the grass will grow right through. It's looking great btw!


----------



## lucas287 (Jun 3, 2018)

unclebucks06 said:


> Not sure on your location, but if it were me I'd wait till next spring. Too much stress on lawn right now.


My thoughts exactly! Boerne - 20 miles north of San Antonio.


----------



## Movingshrub (Jun 12, 2017)

Hit it with sand. You can top dress sprigs that have no roots. I can't imagine why you wouldn't be able to apply sand to sod; it's way more established.


----------



## Iriasj2009 (Feb 15, 2017)

These are 12 days apart.

I used plenty of starter fert 24-25-0 and water.


----------



## lucas287 (Jun 3, 2018)

Sounds like the consensus is to level! I would love to dump a few tons of sand and be done, but I fear that this will be a several step process to avoid smothering out the grass. I've read several opinions in my research. Most say to scalp before, but TexasWeed (the author of the Bermuda Bible??) has written that this is a mistake and the grass should get a little wooly before sanding.

When you say don't bury the grass,...I've got small craters that could easily take 3 inches of sand,....but i shouldn't completely fill those right?


----------



## rickta24 (May 10, 2018)

Wow! It's looking great! Looking forward to seeing photos of the leveling.


----------



## Movingshrub (Jun 12, 2017)

lucas287 said:


> When you say don't bury the grass,...I've got small craters that could easily take 3 inches of sand,....but i shouldn't completely fill those right?


I had areas I buried due to just how deep the trench was. I wanted to just get it over with in one or two leveling projects rather than ten. The grass filled in just fine.


----------



## Iriasj2009 (Feb 15, 2017)

lucas287 said:


> Sounds like the consensus is to level! I would love to dump a few tons of sand and be done, but I fear that this will be a several step process to avoid smothering out the grass. I've read several opinions in my research. Most say to scalp before, but TexasWeed (the author of the Bermuda Bible??) has written that this is a mistake and the grass should get a little wooly before sanding.
> 
> When you say don't bury the grass,...I've got small craters that could easily take 3 inches of sand,....but i shouldn't completely fill those right?


When I scalped, i didn't go as aggressive. The reason behind scalping is to expose the low spots and to be able to spread the sand more evenly. 
I think 4 months is plenty of time for you to start leveling. You're correct, it won't be a one and done deal but you will definitely see an improvement after sanding. If you have some major leveling to do, I wouldn't scalp and do a major leveling job, but instead target all of the major low spots first.

Your lawn looks pretty "smooth" though. If I were you, I would perform a semi scalp just to knock the height down a bit and start applying about 1/2" a ton of sand per 1000sqft and any super low spots, just put down as much sand without completely burying it.

I just sodded my front yard this past weekend and I'm planning to start tossing some sand after 2 weeks to even out any gaps and low spots. I will be careful to not smother anything. Bermuda is able to grow through sand pretty easy.

These pics were taken 2 months after sodding. I decided not to scalp it but I had kept it short. I just went as heavy as I could without burying the whole thing and it grew in nicely. I also went heavy between the new sod and existing sod since there was a good indention there and it grew in just fine too.


----------



## lucas287 (Jun 3, 2018)

Thank you for all of the suggestions! Within a month or so I should have some big progress. I'm putting down my first PGR app this weekend. I'm buying a used California Trimmer from @Amaxwell5 so I should be able to get the HOC down a bit. Wife is going out of town next week so I'll probably spend every evening in the yard working on leveling. F

Should i avoid spraying PGR on areas that will be heavily sanded?

Would you recommend using a starter fert after sanding? Bag rate or @ 1 # N/k?


----------



## MrMeaner (Feb 21, 2017)

I literally buried approx. 300Sq Ft out of a 1000Sq Ft area of Bermuda with 6" of top soil when I build the huge shop in my back yard. I did this with the intention to drain and keep water away from the shop foundation. I intended to re-sod that area however landscaper I hired got busy on other projects and never came back to re-sod. Low and behold the whole area filled in a few months time. So with that said you can basically bury Bermuda in sand, water it and blades of grass will be poking through in a matter of days.


----------



## Iriasj2009 (Feb 15, 2017)

MrMeaner said:


> I literally buried approx. 300Sq Ft out of a 1000Sq Ft area of Bermuda with 6" of top soil when I build the huge shop in my back yard. I did this with the intention to drain and keep water away from the shop foundation. I intended to re-sod that area however landscaper I hired got busy on other projects and never came back to re-sod. Low and behold the whole area filled in a few months time. So with that said you can basically bury Bermuda in sand, water it and blades of grass will be poking through in a matter of days.


This I believe, but the heavier you go the longer it will take to grow through.


----------



## Iriasj2009 (Feb 15, 2017)

lucas287 said:


> Thank you for all of the suggestions! Within a month or so I should have some big progress. I'm putting down my first PGR app this weekend. I'm buying a used California Trimmer from @Amaxwell5 so I should be able to get the HOC down a bit. Wife is going out of town next week so I'll probably spend every evening in the yard working on leveling. F
> 
> Should i avoid spraying PGR on areas that will be heavily sanded?
> 
> Would you recommend using a starter fert after sanding? Bag rate or @ 1 # N/k?


Definitely hold off on PGR if you're going to sand. As for the fert, it's best to apply .25-.5lbs /1ksqft weekly if you have the time or .5-.75lbs /1ksqft biweekly until it recovers.


----------



## lucas287 (Jun 3, 2018)

Excellent! Come to think of it, I've seen bermuda growing up through asphalt and concrete sidewalks lol.

I'll hold off on the PGR. Thanks for the recommendations everyone.


----------



## Thor865 (Mar 26, 2018)

My sod is 2 1/2 months old and I buried it in sand. It is doing just fine. I worried as well but no need. Its Bermuda.........


----------



## lucas287 (Jun 3, 2018)

I feel like I might have messed up. This weekend I wanted to accomplish two different things:

1) get the HOC down to maintain sub 1".

2) level out some low spots.

I just wasn't liking the way it looked at 1.25". This meant i needed to perform a mid-season scalp! Took the front as low as my Trimmer would go - right at .5" the same for the back - maybe .625" in the back because it's more bumpy.

I then proceeded in dumping an entire yard of sand on the front.

I'm getting a nervous feeling that I did some things out of order here! Maybe I should have waited for the grass to recover from the scalp before leveling??


----------



## Bermuda_Newbie (Jun 15, 2018)

My sod was about 3 months old when I leveled. It's been about 3 and half weeks now and there's only a little bit of sand still visible. It's been 103 here and so far so good.


----------



## Jimefam (Jun 22, 2018)

I sure hope its not too soon lol i just buried my 2 month old sod. And when i say buried i mean BURIED. 


Was growing really good before the sand and i put down a heavy dose of starter fertilizer two days before the sand so lets see if it works its way through. I have to admit to being pretty nervous when i walk by and see this beach in my front and back yard.


----------



## lucas287 (Jun 3, 2018)

Jimefam said:


> I sure hope its not too soon lol i just buried my 2 month old sod. And when i say buried i mean BURIED.
> 
> 
> Was growing really good before the sand and i put down a heavy dose of starter fertilizer two days before the sand so lets see if it works its way through. I have to admit to being pretty nervous when i walk by and see this beach in my front and back yard.


I immediately felt better when I saw your lawn!! :lol:

But really - I think we are both gonna be just fine. My wife would never let me hear the end of it though it the grass does indeed shrivel up and die.


----------



## Bermuda_Newbie (Jun 15, 2018)

lucas287 said:


> Jimefam said:
> 
> 
> > I sure hope its not too soon lol i just buried my 2 month old sod. And when i say buried i mean BURIED.
> ...


If you figured out a way to kill bermuda that easily, I think the cool season folks would buy you a new lawn.


----------



## Jimefam (Jun 22, 2018)

lucas287 said:


> Jimefam said:
> 
> 
> > I sure hope its not too soon lol i just buried my 2 month old sod. And when i say buried i mean BURIED.
> ...


Yes i agree i feel like it should be fine but being a total newbie i cant wait to see the first leaves poking through to breath a little easier.


----------



## Alan (Apr 23, 2017)

Someone in another thread said you can't kill Bermuda with a lawn mower, well, I don't think you can kill it with sand either.


----------



## lucas287 (Jun 3, 2018)

Jimefam said:


> lucas287 said:
> 
> 
> > Jimefam said:
> ...


The grass - and YOU will breathe easier!


----------

