Hey all, I'm sick of my dying grass. So sick of it for the last 3 years I'm in the process of tilling it up to plant seed, I did this to my last house 10 years ago but forgot what I did.
Question I have is I didn't remove the top layer of sod, no grass just dirt patches with roots. The tiller is doing a pretty good job of mangling all the sod into little 2"x2" chunks and leaving it on top. Should I rake this off or leave it as compost and water collection retention for the new seed.

Thanks.

p.s. never start a lawn service and then quit 2 years later. The grass was great when I had the lawn service and then seemed to dye overnight when I quit and received a "complimentary" final visit. No amounts of fertilizer or water would bring it back

 

What kind of grass is it?

 

Have your soil tested there should be a country AG Agent in your country call them their are always willing to help

 

I would rake off the top chunks, but you definatly dont need to get to bare soil. If you have had a lot of trouble with your lawn in the past, you might want to seek out profesional help. Grubs, fungus, over watering, any number of things could cause problems. The soil test is good advice also.

 

Yes, rake off the top chunks.

garrett

 

Until you find the problem, I'd probably rake too. Be careful over seeding, the roots will get congested and you'll have fungus trouble, might be what happened before?

 

Sorry for the long delay, been busy tilling.

I'll see how smooth I can get the topsoil and take off the extra chunks. I found a place to take a soil sample to see if the soil is bad.

It shouldn't be, 25 yards of top grade soil 7 years old for 1800 sq ft, yes it's 8-10" thick on top of a clay sand mix.

I'm now thinking of sod but hating the cost

 

2500 Ram..

I would rake the chunks off also....

Have you ever thought about Hydroseeding??

Much cheaper than laying sod...