Need advice on bustin old sod...Replacing Lawn

[SodMonkey]

Sorry if this is not the correct forum.

We are replacing an old lawn. I just tilled up the old lawn with a 3pt PTO tiller. We have a 25 hp tractor. Now we have a fluffed up bunch of sod. I should have done more research first, because many say this is not the best approach. We did not kill the lawn first. Well its too late now! We are looking for advice on what to do next. We plan to have the new lawn installed via hydroseeding. The hydroseeding company said we need to have the soil compact. I dont mind renting a roller to help with this. However, we first need to get to a point where we have soil to work with. Right now its just a fluffy yard of sod balls that are about the size of base balls.

What we want to do is break down the old sod, we prefer not to remove it. I was going to make a homemade drag out of an old chain link fence. Will that break down the sod? Do I need to use a disc harrow? Were pretty clueless so any help would be appreciated.

 

[tree farmer]

Keep dragging and tilling would be my advice. The problem with not killing the old grass first is that your old lawn is still alive, even though it's chopped up. When you reseed and start to water it, the old grass and accompanying weeds will be the first to take off and dominate whatever you plant. Then it's time for selective herbicides.....Dan.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

was going to make a homemade drag out of an old chain link fence. Will that break down the sod?

All it will do is move it around and make piles.

I think your best option now will be LOTS of disking until you can get most of it buried, and then use a Cultipacker

 

[nwbearcat]

Depending on how soon you need to replant, I might let it be for a while, let some things come around, spray with Glyphosate, let it all die, then till to bust up clumps.

 

[beenthere]

Sorry if this is not the correct forum.

We are replacing an old lawn. I just tilled up the old lawn with a 3pt PTO tiller. We have a 25 hp tractor. Now we have a fluffed up bunch of sod. I should have done more research first, because many say this is not the best approach. We did not kill the lawn first. Well its too late now! We are looking for advice on what to do next. We plan to have the new lawn installed via hydroseeding. The hydroseeding company said we need to have the soil compact. I dont mind renting a roller to help with this. However, we first need to get to a point where we have soil to work with. Right now its just a fluffy yard of sod balls that are about the size of base balls.

What we want to do is break down the old sod, we prefer not to remove it. I was going to make a homemade drag out of an old chain link fence. Will that break down the sod? Do I need to use a disc harrow? Were pretty clueless so any help would be appreciated.

:welcome:

It sounds like ("..sod balls") you didn't till it deep enough with your tiller. Should do that and the fluff will be well mixed with old grass and dirt. Drag it smooth and roll it with a roller. You should be good to go. When I need fill dirt, I till sod real good, and move/spread the tilled dirt where I want new lawn. The roots of the grass seem to hold the dirt together and make a great seedbed for the new lawn.

 

[TripleR]

Well, I did mine wrong too as I ran a tiller over mine LOTS of times which broke up the clods. I waited a few days to let the old grass die before broadcast seeding and I did not roll it.

I agree this is not what I would recommend doing, refer to other posts, but all is not lost.

 

[rutwad]

Disc, disc, and disc some more. About a week after you busted ground the grass should turn loose from the dirt and it will be much smoother when you disc. Each time it should get better and better.

Depending on what grass is in your yard and what you are planting, you may want to spray a herbicide.

VERY IMPORTANT- Now is not the time to take shortcuts. I disked my yard a few years back. I disked it many, many times. I was tired of disking and the yard was in pretty good shape, so I planted. Now every time I find a rough spot in my yard, I look back and wish I had disked it just one or two more times. Take your time and get it SMOOTH! You will appreciate it for years to come as you cut grass.

 

[jenkinsph]

:welcome:

It sounds like ("..sod balls") you didn't till it deep enough with your tiller. Should do that and the fluff will be well mixed with old grass and dirt. Drag it smooth and roll it with a roller. You should be good to go. When I need fill dirt, I till sod real good, and move/spread the tilled dirt where I want new lawn. The roots of the grass seem to hold the dirt together and make a great seedbed for the new lawn.

I would also check to see that the shoes on the tiller are up all the way so that you can till at maximum depth. I t sounds to me like your tiller is not running deep enough. Now is the time to get the lawn smooth, I use a landplane/grader with straight blades for this. I agree with running a roller afterwards then check it carefully to see if any areas need more work to smooth out. There are few things worse than having the grass planted before you get the ground work completed well.

 

[SodMonkey]

Thanks for the replies. We are in no hurry. I will take a few more passes with the tiller and then see if I can borrow a disc harrow and disc it a lot. Its a small yard so it wont take to long to run the disc over it a bunch. We will get some top soil if needed and use the box scraper to level it out. I guess the chain link fence part is only for raking smooth after we have it pretty level and "dirt like"?

So will the old lawn eventually die if we dont water and keep discing/tilling?

 

[brin]

Disc, disc, and disc some more. About a week after you busted ground the grass should turn loose from the dirt and it will be much smoother when you disc. Each time it should get better and better.

Depending on what grass is in your yard and what you are planting, you may want to spray a herbicide.

VERY IMPORTANT- Now is not the time to take shortcuts. I disked my yard a few years back. I disked it many, many times. I was tired of disking and the yard was in pretty good shape, so I planted. Now every time I find a rough spot in my yard, I look back and wish I had disked it just one or two more times. Take your time and get it SMOOTH! You will appreciate it for years to come as you cut grass.

Amen, Amen !! This is the time to get it right or you will regret it. It is too late now to kill all the grass, that mistake has been made.,..Now you have to be patient and let it sit a week or more and the disk, till , disk , till over and over until it is smooth and even then when you seed just remember there is all kinds of dormant crabgrass and weed seeds that will come up immediately and crown out your new seedlings.

You just can't be in a hurry here...even if it means waiting until fall ..you don'
t say where you are located and what you are going to sew as far as grass seed but here in the south if it is Fescue we plant in the fall and if it is Bermuda or some other warm weather grass it is May...so wait until the right time and I would still spray it with Round up and a heavy spray at that and that only after you have disked and tilled until you are worn out.