Question about putting sod down or reseeding lawn (Penn: how much, home) - Philadelphia - Pennsylvania (PA) - City-Data Forum

sweetiesmom09 · 02-11-2018, 04:14 PM

Hi. My small back yard (not sure of measurements but it is very small) has lost all of its grass. In the summer it is a mixture of dirt and weeds and in the winter it is just dirt. When it rains, it is basically a mud pit. This mostly is the result of my current dog playing really hard out there, running around and kicking things up.

Not so much for aesthetic reasons, but because of the mud when it rains, I'd like to explore the possibility of either reseeding or resodding it. I have several issues that I'm hoping someone might be able to answer before I start calling landscapers/contractors.

1. From my reading, I'm getting the impression that reseeding will be the less expensive choice - is this true?

2. Is there a time of year when it's best to do this in? I've noticed from reading other forums that it seems that the fall is the preferred time of year.

3. I am not going to be able to keep my dog out of the yard for any real amount of time while I'm trying to regrow the lawn. Is that going to make reseeding pretty much impossible? If so, are there other options I might want to consider (other than concrete).

4. I live in the Northeast section of the city. Can anyone recommend a contractor or landscaper for this project? I think I most likely will need someone who is familiar with using organic fertilizers because of the dog.

Thanks very much.

TLC1957 · 02-11-2018, 04:31 PM

With installation of sod remember green side up......

We had it done this past summer, actually sod in the rear yard with full sun and seed in the front, full shade. With sod you get a beautiful lawn as soon as it is done. Just remember to water, water and water the sod, like everyday am and pm for the 1st week. If you do a web search you will find a lot on sod. Sod does not do well in the shade so take that into consideration.

sweetiesmom09 · 02-12-2018, 05:44 AM

Thanks for your reply. My back yard gets sun and shade both so I'm not sure about that aspect but I'll keep it in mind - thanks for the tip.

Can you or anyone else recommend any reliable landscapers or contractors?

Also, anyone have any ideas about the dog since he'll still have to use the yard while I'm doing this. I'll ask the landscaper of course but just wondering if anyone else has dealt with this issue.

Thanks again.

TLC1957 · 02-12-2018, 10:19 AM

We used Triton Landscaping but get at least 3 quotes the estimates we got were crazy. Try Home Advisor or Angie List we have had good experience with both.

I would think sod with a dog would be better then trying to grow grass from seed. Our water bill was about $125 more the 1st month and about $75 more the 2nd month because of the water needed for sod. Given how much we paid for sod it was worth it. Just take that into consideration when doing a price comparison.

sweetiesmom09 · 02-12-2018, 05:18 PM

Thanks again for your advice.

southbound_295 · 02-12-2018, 05:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweetiesmom09

Thanks for your reply. My back yard gets sun and shade both so I'm not sure about that aspect but I'll keep it in mind - thanks for the tip.

Can you or anyone else recommend any reliable landscapers or contractors?

Also, anyone have any ideas about the dog since he'll still have to use the yard while I'm doing this. I'll ask the landscaper of course but just wondering if anyone else has dealt with this issue.

Thanks again.

Get a bag of Pennington sun & shade. Get the bag that is not just seed, but has sort of a confetti material in it. Start in a corner & put it down thickly. Barricade it so the dog can't get in it. Take the dog out to do his business on a leash & walk him once or twice a day until it comes up. Repeat this in the fall. There might be a bit of die off during the summer, but most should live.

Gerania · 02-14-2018, 04:20 PM

I vote for sod. I don't think seed stands a chance in this situation. If you had more grass than dirt, you could repair it. You could still save it at 60% loss, but not with a dog. You're not going to get the best possible result by doing this in the spring, but it can work.

In an ideal world like OZ, your yard would be tilled 3" deep with some added compost. It would be raked leveled, rolled to smooth the surface, then seeded or sodded. That's not going to happen in the spring because the soil is too wet.

It should at least be flat, level. High and low spots cause a problem.

sweetiesmom09 · 03-01-2018, 03:07 AM

Thanks Southbound and Garania. I just saw these and wanted to post a quick reply to thank you. I do agree that sod makes more sense also. I appreciate the details in Gerania's post although honestly, we've been having such a rainy pre-spring that I may have to wait for the fall anyway. My yard is really all mud at this point with some weeds just trying to pop back up.

I don't think Southbound's seed idea would work. I already do walk my dog twice a day, at a minimum but dogs need to go out more than that to relieve themselves and my yard is too small to consider blocking off even a small part for that purpose. Thanks for the name of the brand of seed though. If I should end up waiting until I am in between dogs to do this, maybe I will try to do it that way.