Sod or Seed

[Angels4]

I live very near the ocean and my soil is sandy and of poor quality so I'm having 3 yards of loam delivered to supplement....I don't at this time have a lawn to speak of and not much but weeds have grown here for a loooooooong time. I just spent the weekend clearing out all the brush and debis from this past winter. I've never had to start a lawn from scratch and was wondering if it would be easier to just use sod or is there a lawn seed anybody could suggest for a an area that get some sun but is mostly shade?

 

[patandchickens]

First, are any of the weeds serious *perennial* weeds, e.g. twitchgrass, thistle, that sort of thing? If so, you absolutely need to eradicate all their roots before you bother starting a new lawn. (If some weeds are perennial but basically-harmless, like bugle or dandelions, you needn't necessarily worry about htem as long as you don't mind them popping up here and there in your new lawn).

Sod is WAY more expensive than seeding, but gives you a reasonable-looking lawn somewhat faster. It will still need intensive maintenance and coddling for a good while, though. With seeding, you need to be prepared to mulch and water *without fail* because letting things get crispy even just once will pretty much render your seeding useless.

As far as the best seed mix, it depends massively on your geographical location and soil type -- ask at a local garden center (ask a grownup, not some kid ) and they can tell you what works well in your area.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[nicktarabay]

I'd personally vouch for the buffolo grass, I used it this season when I aerated my lawn using a mechanical aerator rented from a tool rental and over-seeded my lawn as well. Will post pictures of the lawn in the morning, for you to look at.