Newly sodded lawn didnt take in some areas. Over seeding?

sandyman720

I live in NJ. I sodded my backyard in the beginning of July with tall fescue.

It took very nice in some areas but turned brown in others.

I also have 2 active dogs and have made numerous spots and in the high traffic areas it has become almost dirt.

What would your suggestions be now? Should I rake and over seed?

If I do lay seed, can the dogs be out there to use the bathroom or that just defeat the purpose of the seed?

Or should I wait until the spring time?

rjordan392

Letting the dogs use the backyard will defeat the purpose of anything you do to improve the grass.
You will need to fence off an area for them to use. Best times to lay sod is Spring and Fall. Overseeding will not be successful in spots where the dogs did their business. What got into the soil in these areas has to work its way down further into the soil beyond the roots. This will take time.
What I would do now is fence off an area. Then do a pH test of a soil sample of differant areas of the yard including both bare areas and where grass is growing. This test will indicate if you need to add lime or sulfur to correct the pH for Fescue.
If it needs lime, use dolimite lime as this is the safest for homeowners to use. Never put down more then 50 lbs per 1000 square feet or you take a chance in burning the lawn. Just multipy your lawn area by 5% and this will give you the amount of lime to use in lbs or part of.
If your yard requires more then the 5% rate, then you can add more just before Spring. You will need a spreader to apply lime, sulfer or seed. You also might have soil compaction and it will have to be aereated.
Nows the time to purchase a lawn book to plan what you need to do next Spring.

Marvin Gardens

Urine kills grass...and many other things.

When I was younger I was part of a logging crew in a remote section of Idaho. There were 20 guys living in 3 large army tents. At night we were too lazy to walk all the way to the out house so we used the tree next to the tents. It was about 4 feet in diameter and was about 200 feet tall. Within 3 months we had killed it.

handy man88

I assume you don't have a sprinkler system b/c the consistent watering would have diluted the urine.

sandyman720

Actually I was watering the lawn 2x a day and spots were still made.

Marvin Gardens

Urine has an immediate effect. It causes changes in the pH fairly rapidly and diluting it later really doesn't help.

There is also the possibility that you have compacted clay under the sod. This will not allow the root to penetrate and the sod just sits on top of the clay.

Water will rot the roots if it isn't drained and cause the grass to die.

I have patches of my lawn that are like that. I can actually lift the lawn up of the compacted clay. They don't allow any roots to grow deep. I am in the process of removing the top 6 inches of the yard and replacing it with orgainic top soil which I will till into the existing soil so I get a mixture of organic and clay material.

My neighbor just put in some sod and he already has dead spots and he watered daily. He also has a dog and the same clay problem that I do.

I don't know what your soil is like but this is just another possibility.

handy man88

When you laid your sod, did you amend the soil with soil conditioner, good topsoil, etc, or did you just put down fertilizer and then sod?

bajaboy1

Marvin
What part of the country are you in?

Marvin Gardens

Portland, Oregon which is nothing more than an ancient flood plain with lots of clay, rock and sand.

bajaboy1

Just wondering cause I just laid about 3000sf and didn't do anything to the soil. Well, I did take up a layer of the old grass, which has it kinda loose and put down starter fert as per sod company. Hope it takes, been 3 day's so far. Edges are turning brown, hope it's normal, guess it's the edges that will die due to the cut on them?

handy man88

In general, in order to get the best results, it is recommended to mix soil conditioner/peat moss, some sand, good topsoil, and maybe some lime into the mix before laying down sod.

Even if you didn't do all that, if your soil is good, I think it will work out come spring time, but a good layer of soil underneath it would encourage roots to grow deep.

bajaboy1

I had a compost order ready, but cancelled it after talking to the sod company.
Sure hope it takes, that was a lot of work.

handy man88

Step-by-Step

1. Prepare soil
Loosen the top 6 to 8 inches of soil with a rototiller. Spread 2 inches of finished compost (this may be available for free if your town has a municipal compost center). Add 2 to 3 inches of sand to claylike soil to improve drainage. Till in amendments. Then, based on the results from your soil test, use a spreader to lay down the appropriate starter fertilizer, and then lime if needed.



more info here:

http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/arti...082742,00.html

Marvin Gardens

Western Oregon for my main home and central Oregon in the high desert for my vacation home.

Whoops, already answered this once.......

Allison1888

Definitely create a dog run. They'll be happier and so will you. Here's a good article on redoing your lawn. Good luck! I know it's a lot of work, but you'll be happy when spring comes!

http://www.selfhelpandmore.com/yard-garden/how-to-start-a-new-lawn.php