I have never laid sod.
BUT, I have seen it on trucks a lot. IMHO, I would guesstimate it at about
2" thick, with a mat of sod and dirt combined.I am getting ready to lay 3400 sf of sod. I called and asked the guy how thick so I could allow for the sprinkler system I am installing now. He says it is about 3/4" thick. It seems a little thin to me.
What is your experience?
Steve
Heart surgery pending?
It's been awhile, but IITC closer to 3-4 inches, depending on how recently it was mown before harvesting, and how deeply they set the foot? on the machine. Test your own yard- grab a shovel, and cut a plug, and see how deep the roots go. The thickness of the sod should be below the visible roots.
In news:OGNOp.2$% snipped-for-privacy@news.usenetserver.com, Steve B spewed forth:
depends on the type, but I'd just go buy a square and see for myself
Yer gonna have to cut and fit around the sprinkler heads anyway. Run the stubs high, and cap them (if you want to pressure test), or just tape them so dirt doesn't get in. Keep a couple spare rolls of sod moist and shaded to piece in around the heads.
The sod is about 1 inch thich, plus grass - and once laid and rolled,
3/4" is pretty close, possibly a bit generous. You can't count the length of the grass.
As posted the height of the grass will vary.
The goal of most sod farms is to give away no more than 1/2" of dirt where the roots are contained. Some where in the general size of 2" total height right off the truck.
To get this as accurate as possible add 3/4" to the height you mow your grass. I prefer a 3" height as the grass shades itself better. Most bluegrass and or fescue lawns seem to do best at this height.
Colbyt
I'd call it an inch to an inch and a quarter. It's not as thick as they used to cut it year ago.
you have to remember cutting a sample from an established yard is different. A sod field typically will only be about 18 months old and they cut shallow as to leave the rhizomes to re-establish the field.
I think it probably depends on the grass.
St Augustine sod has about 3/4" of dirt attached. Tiff grass about the same. Those are the only two I'm familiar with.
Hint: New sod needs a LOT of water. Every other day.
Are you laying the sod on new or cultivated soil? Everything will settle quite a bit in a few weeks. Why not lay in the pipe then wait for a few weeks before installing the sprinklers.
LdB
"HeyBub" wrote
TYVM. I would have taken a LOT of water to mean thirty minutes four times a day. Guess I'll just have to stay on top of this for a few weeks.
What would be your "LOT of water" in terms of minutes on the timer? Tomorrow will be 105, and temps here will be 95-105 daytime. Nighttime,
75-85. We are limited by our water laws to no watering from 11 AM to 7 PM. So, I have to water around that.Steve
Heart surgery pending?
Not in compliance with SWMBO's orders. Bocche ball finals within two weeks. International invitations already sent.
Steve
>
I suspect the experts mean the sod should be kept damp until the roots grow sufficiently to reach the water table or wherever roots go to find water.
If it were anywhere near that size, there would be a lot of big problems. First, you'd get about a quarter as much on the truck. Second, if you screw around with the depth of the cutting machine to make it large, you're quickly going to have no farm soil left.
Take a look at some at HD. I'd say 3/4" might be a tad short, but somewhere around there or an inch is in the zone.
Test your own yard- grab a shovel, and cut a plug,
I live so far out in the country, it isn't even a factor. God, I love that. We pay $100 a year for Ag water. No limit on quantity. I water whenever I please, and there's no gutter runoff for some anal retentive neighbor to report.
You gotta love the country side of life.
Laid about 1,000 sf today, have two young dumb helpers coming tomorrow to slam in the other 2400 sf.
Life is good.
Have my Mercury mechanic coming Monday to put my boat back in new shape, and after that, I'm pretty much free for the summer ...............
Steve
Heart surgery pending?
Doesn't have to be in the country.
I visited a bookstore in Utah that is (probably) the only one in the country that gets watered every day!
The suburbs in this area have intruded on what was once farm land. Every day at 2:00 p.m. somebody opens the gates and several hundred acres, some now commercial property, get about two inches of water.
At a friend's place if he does't use the water for irrigation (lawn watering etc) it just runs straight down the tile drain to the creek. If he uses it to water the lawn it still eventually ends up back in the creek - but his grass stays green. He doesn't even need to pump it
- artesian wells - farm is on a "hydrogeological dome" - a hill full of pressurized water. The sump pump in the basement runs almost full time 8 months of the year.
Smitty Two wrote to someone else about me:
I rest my case in favor of electric trash cans, Your Honor.
BTW, the water comes from a mountain stream that has been dammed to provide a reliable water source for our valley's ranchers and farmers. There is no pump involved, save a booster pump for when too many people water at the same time. After that, I would ASS-U-ME that it runs and percolates right back into the stream.
That IS pretty intense, ungreen, revolutionary, and wasteful isn't it?
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