landscaper laid bad sod?

[SarahG321]

Hi Everyone,

just want to get your opinion/advice. We had sod laid on our front yard on Sat. It was about 90 degrees heat. When the landscaper was done with the job, he didn't call me to come out and do a walkthrough together. Instead, he just called me and told me to water the sod. I'm very new at dealing with lawn so i said ok i will go buy water sprinkler tomorrow and water it. He didn't say anything so i thought it was OK. Also, when i looked at the sod, it was brownish green after they laid it. Again, i thought it was normal and it will green up.

Now we have an issue, because the grass still looks brownish green. Yes, i understand part of it is due to my stupidity and not know to water the sod the same day. But could it be that the landscaper gave me bad sod to begin with? He said that after he laid it it was healthy green which it was not. i looked at it and it was browner than lawn next to us.

My issue right now is that I know i probably made the sod looked worse by not watering it the day of but should i pay landscaper full amount because the sod was not healthy green to begin with? Also, i was not given a full instruction or a walk through after the job was done which really irritates me. Landscaper said it will be green after a month of watering. We told him we will wait two weeks to see if it gets better and pay him.

you can see below pic. there are 2 shades that they laid for us. I'm not sure why the other one is darker. The bright green is our neighbor's grass. This pic was taken the day after they put in the sod.

 

[Chuck]

What is underneath the sod? Did they roll the sod after laying it? That sod looks like it was a day or two old before it was laid. A reputable landscaper will use freshly cut sod, he will water it in well and roll it. This is part of the job. Rolling is very important because it makes the roots of the sod make good soil contact plus it removes any air pockets. Where ever there are air pockets the roots will dry out completely and that area will die. If he were a true professional he would have covered the sod with about 1/4-1/2 inch of finely textured compost too before he watered it in. If it hasn't been rolled go rent a sod roller immediately instead of messing with this guy anymore.

 

[Kathryn crook]

Agree with chuck. Also, it can take weeks for brown lawn to green up. Keep it consistently moist for the rest of the summer. That may mean you have to water it at least twice a day. What a pain. He could have saved you that headache had he laid it right to start with. But, tbh? Your small pic doesnt look half bad. It will stress a bit at the beginning in that heat no matter what.

 

[Chuck]

Yes, as @Kathryn crook said. After it is rolled water early in the morning and about 1 hour before sunset. Set out some tuna fish cans to measure how much water is being applied. You will probably need about 1/2 inch per watering if this insane heat keeps up. After the grass greens up and starts growing reduce the watering

 

[Kathryn crook]

When we bought our house 4 years ago, the lawn was completely brown and wrecked. Just a little TLC and lots of water and here it is today. Call your landscaper if your not sure and ask if he rolled it into the soil as Chuck said. If not, he should have and make sure you give a review online about that.

 

[SarahG321]

Agree with chuck. Also, it can take weeks for brown lawn to green up. Keep it consistently moist for the rest of the summer. That may mean you have to water it at least twice a day. What a pain. He could have saved you that headache had he laid it right to start with. But, tbh? Your small pic doesnt look half bad. It will stress a bit at the beginning in that heat no matter what.

Do you think the sod could be old and not fresh? I'm not expereince at this but i thought the point of laying sod is so you can have fresh green looking grass?

 

[Kathryn crook]

Not really, that sod could go brown even in a day on a hot truck. Grass is pretty tough. It will come back. In the meantime, start researching how to maintain it. This year, until it sets roots, dont fertilize it...maybe it can have a winterizer in fall. After that, you will want to fertilize it in spring, summer, and fall at the very least. Well, it depends on where you live.

 

[SarahG321]

Not really, that sod could go brown even in a day on a hot truck. Grass is pretty tough. It will come back. In the meantime, start researching how to maintain it. This year, until it sets roots, dont fertilize it...maybe it can have a winterizer in fall. After that, you will want to fertilize it in spring, summer, and fall at the very least. Well, it depends on where you live.

Thanks! i just want to make sure i didn't get ripped off by the landscaper.

 

[Kathryn crook]

Ive never had sod myself, but I watch Mike Holmes and he doesnt screw around, and even his sod he laid got a bit brown in summer heat. Im sure it will be fine! Good luck and make sure to send us pics when its good and healthy and you hate having to mow it! Lol!

 

[SarahG321]

What is underneath the sod? Did they roll the sod after laying it? That sod looks like it was a day or two old before it was laid. A reputable landscaper will use freshly cut sod, he will water it in well and roll it. This is part of the job. Rolling is very important because it makes the roots of the sod make good soil contact plus it removes any air pockets. Where ever there are air pockets the roots will dry out completely and that area will die. If he were a true professional he would have covered the sod with about 1/4-1/2 inch of finely textured compost too before he watered it in. If it hasn't been rolled go rent a sod roller immediately instead of messing with this guy anymore.

Hey Chuck. so the sod does look a bit old to you? i'm asking because i want to make sure i didnt get ripped off and if i should pay the landscaper in full amount. he mentioned when he laid it, it was healthy and green which it wasn't. It looked like brownish green. Also, i dont know what fresh sod supposed to look like. Just debating how i should deal with the landscaper!

 

[Kathryn crook]

Tbh? I think you need to give it a chance to set. If you dont pay him, he may resort to the legal system and you dont want that headache. Make sure you document that you are watering it properly so if it does die, you can comment on that. But I doubt you have real legal recourse. Your sod really is not that bad. Its mostly green and the rest should be fine in a few weeks.

I wanted to add though...the landscaper should have warned you the sod might look peaked for a bit in the heat. Before you blame him, I would call him and ask him why your sod is brown and see if you get a satisfactory answer. He should have told you how to maintain it. Thats on him for sure. I cant say his product is bad, but him educating you on maintainence was.

 

[Durgan]

Sod laid properly on a good soil surface should be green and almost like a healthy lawn. From your picture it is even difficult to see the grass. I suggest you got ripped. But it depends on how far you want to protest. Doing nothing is the easy way out.

For comparison take a tour of a store that sells sod and see how healthy it appears. Most big box hardware stores sell sod at the front of the gardening section, like Home Depot.

 

[Kathryn crook]

Where are you Sarah?

 

[SarahG321]

Here is another pic of the sod. This is taken a day after. However, like i said, when it was freshly laid, it was not fresh green but more of this color. Some of it is due to my negligence for not knowing to water the day of.

 

[SarahG321]

Where are you Sarah?

Illinois