New SOD project questions and help

Hello, This is my first post and have read around the forums and this seems like the perfect site to get help with my yard I plan to sod. :) So here we go...
I have a yard roughly 830 square feet. My soil had a lot of clay and rocks. So I took out about 3 inches of bad soul and plan to replace it with 40 % peat and 60 % topsoil mix. Level it all out and make it nice for SOD. I have already leveled and tilled the soil so it is nice looking and ready for delivery of the mixed topsoil. But it has rained a ton here for the last week. I plan on getting my sod delivered in 14 days. Do I need to re till the yard because it has rained so much? Also when I get the new mix soil do I really need to till it in with the existing soil or could I just put it on top and level it out? If I should mix it in so I would just till it in with my existing soil. I plan to have the soil prep done 14 days before the sod arrives. Should I add my starter fertilizer to the topsoil at this time? Or wait until the day before and rake it in.

Another question...since I will have my soil prepped 2 weeks early prior to the Sod delivery....do I need to rake the first few inches of soil the night before SOD delivery so the roots will take to the topsoil or do you think it would be unnecessary?

What is your take on using a yard roller after leveling the soil? I hear some people use it and some don't. Is this necessary as well? Or should I not worry about it?

Also some say a few days before to spray the soil with water before installing the SOD and some say to do it right before installation? I'm not sure if I should or not. Will it effect my starter fertilizer if I do it a couple days before?

I see some people also use a yard roller and go over the SOD after installation. Is that necessary? Do you recommend it?

One more question. What is your take on water crystals? I have read some people rake it in with their starter fertilizer and say it helps with watering? But I am not sure about that and it may be just a waste of money.

Sorry lots of questions and kind of confused on what to use. Thanks for all of your time and I appreciate the help!

Todd

Here are a few ideas:

1) If your original soil is high in clay, then add lots of organic matter, no need to add more soil. Rototill the organic matter in well. Do not create layers. You can raise the level by as much as 3" with just adding organic matter.

2) If your original soil is way too low, that is, you need to raise the level more than 3" then it is more work, but here is the best way:
a) Level the soil you have so the whole area is evenly 'too low'.
b) Add a soil and compost blend. The amount will depend on how good a rototiller you have. A couple of inches is OK for the little rototillers. Rototill that with the original soil. A tractor type of rototiller can handle more with each pass, so you could raise the level about 6" with each addition.
Then add a bit more and rototill again.
You are creating a gradual transition from original soil to a blend of original soil + new soil, and you are making the whole area the same.
Doing this 2-3 times should bring it up to the right level.

3) Use a long board like a 2 x 4 or 2 x 6 to make the area smooth and level. On your hands and knees, crawl backward dragging and tamping with the board. If the board is longer than 4' that is better, but it takes 2 people.
Option: rake and use a roller and you can do the same thing, but I think I get better results using a long board to screed the area.

4) I would put starter fertilizer in the soil in step 1/2 (whichever you need to do). Sure, a certain amount will get washed down below the root level, but not all of it.

5) DO NOT water right before laying the sod. The mud will stick to your feet and the area will not be workable, walkable, level or any fun at all. Water a few days ahead and make sure the soil will no longer cling to your feet by the time you are ready to install the sod.

6) Install the sod so the length of the rolls is going across the slope (if any). Stagger the rolls so the ends do not all meet in one line. To make it look even prettier (for about a week!) you can lay it so the nap goes alternating directions. It will stand up quickly, though, so this is not necessary. When you come to ends and edges make sure the little pieces are at least 4" wide, and put these inside, between 2 whole rolls. Edges of the sod tend to dry out faster, and small pieces tend to dry out faster. The combination of small pieces at the edge will not survive.

7) Roll it after installation. Water well. Monitor the water needs. When sod is new the roots are very shallow. But you want to roots to grow as deep as possible, so deep soak, and let the surface start to dry more and more as the roots get going. Go longer and longer between watering as the grass gets established.

8) Stay off it for several weeks. When it is ready for mowing skip watering for a day or more so the soil firms up. Walk backward, pulling the mower if the soil is at all soft. Otherwise the wheels will dig in, gouging holes when you push the machine forward.

Thank you! Your advice is very helpful! I will do that. My soil isn't to bad anymore that is still there. I removed all the clay and rocks when i removed a lot of the topsoil. I have a large bag of Scott's starter fertilizer that my stepfather bought. It is 24-25-4. Will that be ok to use? I don't want to burn the roots. Should I only use a light spread of it into the top soil when I rake it in? I don't want to put down to much. I will use the board. I was leaning toward that idea...so it looks like I was going in the right direction. I will water the soil a couple days before SOD installation.

I don't know what heat zone you are in but for new lawns either seed or turf / sod, this is about the best time to do this work OR end of summer just as autumn is about to raise it's head, reason being, best for the new lawn IF the soil is warm but not being parched dry be very high temps, that also means a lot more extra work by having to constantly water.

I fully agree with Dianna, great easy to follow instructions for you to keep relating to as the work is in progress.

As regards the feed, just follow the instructions on the bag, over feeding will burn the roots make no mistakes about that, better to under feed that over feed, watering is a knack you learn as you go along but just make sure when you do water, never just tickle the top with a few splashes here and there, make sure you absolutely soak it, next day if all feels OK, miss out the watering, if you had hot temps, then you may have to give more water BUT grass really does need more water to get established than most people think, the secret is to always test the soil with hands, lay them flat on the grass, does it feed damp or cold, if so, leave off watering, if feeling dry and soil is warm, give water, my Dad use to have us sit on the new sod or lawn and IF your bum felt damp after 5 min's he would leave off the watering if bum dry, you need lots of water, now when I think about that maybe 60 odd years ago, he would have been taken to court for damaging us mentally, we loved all that stuff by the way. LOL.

Here I was told always to use the longest board you had to walk across the already laid sod so you spread out the weight and the sod didn't move, as you laid the next row of sod, you just rolled the board over it was easier that lifting the long board and it also helped flatten any joints either diagonally or across as you moved along the board. The longer boards also helps keep the lines straight helping you finish the edges better, as Dianna has said try make any small bits of sod be cut and placed one row in from the edge as it will make for a better finish and stop the edges from drying out.

If you have to make any curved areas, use the garden hose, lay this on the top of sod and bend to the curve you require, then cut the sod, don't cut the sod to any shapes and try make them fit, it's messy, time consuming and you really have to lay sod as fast as possible so it cant dry out or the green can turn yellow IF the sod is left rolled up for days, e3ven IF it rains, don't assume the soil has soaked way down, always check at edges with finger into the soil.
I never use Roller after laying sod, but use it before hand to get the level right, then walk on boards to rake top inch, then lay the sod again walking on boards, the level should NOT have changed when using LONGER boards and it also means 2 people can lay lengths of sod while using long board each.
By long boards I mean the boards used on Scaffolding when builders have to be raised up to lay bricks ect over head height.

Good luck, you sound confident and have done a lot of homework, that's the best way to go.

Hope the weather holds for you and you have a wonderful GREEN lawn.
Kind Regards.
WeeNel.

Thank you. So far this forum has been the most helpful :). Well from now until Wednesday it is supposed be upper 60s to 70. Then on Wednesday I get 9 yards of topsoil I am going to till into my soil. It has literally rained for he past 6 days here on and off. I hope the soil will be dry enough to till by then. I am just outside of Detroit Michigan just so you know my climate. This spring has been colder and more rain then usual...that is why I am concerned about rain so I can get this darn delivered top soil tilled! If it rains a few times between his Wednesday and 9 days later on Friday May 19th when the SOD is delivered and installed.... I should be ok by just raking the top inch or 2 just to make sure it is nice and lose....right? Just a side note.... Not sure if this is important...but I have also tilled my area 2 times before sod delivery to get all the rocks and some clay that wasn't good for the sod....hence the delivery of better top soil I am going to mix in. :)

Your doing the best things by taking the time to get it all nicely tilled and allowing time in between for the soil to settle after you level it off, here we don't use a roller unless we cant muster up enough friends, neighbourhood kids or family to get boots on and tramp in a shuffling manner up and down the whole area, up and down then in the opposite direction, then fill in any low or remove any high areas, you find those by using your long boards, dragged across the top soil. add the feed and rake the top inch or two the day before the sod is delivered.
After that make sure the new sod gets watered as the temps WILL be rising and it's easy to watch the sod / soil show evaporation of the moisture.

Any sod left over or un-laid, should be unrolled, laid out flat, green side up, watered, and used as soon as possible, if it's classed as scraps, then still unroll, cut into small squares say a feet square, stack soil side uppermost, allow to die down and following year you should have nice pile of compost, just keep the green to the underside so light cant help it to grow, you can throw a cover over it too.
Hope all goes well for your new lush lawn, Best Regards.
WeeNel.

Clay is a particle size of soil that is a very good material when handled correctly.

Handled wrong, it can compact, exclude water and air, and plants will die.

Add plenty of organic matter to bind the clay into mini-particles and clay can be the richest soil there is. Holds fertilizer and water better than any other soil type.

Just a small % of clay sized particles in a blend of soil sizes will make a really nice soil that stays looser, better for plants' roots because of the larger particle sizes and organic matter, and very rich when it is fertilized correctly.

Clay can bind up certain fertilizers too tight for the plant roots to remove, though, so (again) add organic matter to keep the soil in the right pH range so the nutrients are most available to the plants.

Clay soil is difficult to work when it is wet, and working it when it is wet will break down that carefully achieved soil structure and you may have to start all over.
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If you need to raise the soil level by only a few inches, then just add organic matter. You can raise the soil level by as much as 3" this way.

If you have low areas that are deeper than 3" below finished grade, then I would evenly distribute the existing soil so the whole area is equally low, then reassess. Can you now fill it with organic matter and rototill? Or is the whole area more than 3" too low? If it is still way too low, THEN it is OK to bring in soil. Rototill this with the existing soil so there is a blend from existing to new that is the same over the whole area.