Customers ask us, “can I lay sod over existing grass?” The short answer is that it’s not a good idea. Some customers spray their existing lawn with Roundup and then use a weed eater to cut the dead grass close to the soil level. That debris would need to be removed from the project area before laying new sod over it. That can work, but if it’s not done carefully, you could have problems. Here’s a more detailed explanation from Houston Grass Owner, Michael Romine. Call us at 281-431-7441 for more information or a quote for your project.
Summary of the “Can I Lay Sod over Existing Grass” Video
Can I lay sod over my existing grass? You can do that, but we do not advise it.
At the very least we recommend that you cut the existing grass down with a weed eater and then lay the grass over that. However, you should also spray the existing grass and especially Bermuda grass with Roundup before you lay your new sod.
First thing you need to do is spray Roundup all over the whole area that you intend to lay grass on. You need to normally give it about 7 to 10 days, and if you see any green after 7 to 10 days, you need to spray those areas again and make sure everything is good and dead to make sure that you don’t have any contamination from weeds in the future.
Michael Romine
So at a very minimum, even if you decided that you want to lay sod over existing grass, you would want to spray it with Roundup and then cut it down to ground level with a weed eater. We do not advise that you just go out and buy a pallet of grass and lay it over existing grass without cutting the existing grass down to the level of the soil and removing the debris.
You’ll Have Problems if You Skip Preparation
Even if you use a sod cutter or a weed eater, if you just cut that grass out and leave those live roots in the ground you’re going to wind up with problems. A year or two later, the Bermuda grass is going to come through your clean, pure grass and try to take it over.
Any grass remaining under your new pieces of sod creates air pockets under those sod pieces. After laying sod on bare dirt, you’ll water the sod to eliminate air pockets under those pieces. If you don’t have bare dirt, it will take an enormous amount of water to get that dirt on dirt contact. All the remaining grass material is going to have to rot down to the dirt to get rid of those air pockets. You’re probably creating some future problems for yourself if you don’t have bare dirt before you lay your grass.
Grass was high quality. Installation was well done. Our builder said it was the best grass installation he’d seen.
Geoff S
TestimonialHouston Grass Offers Delivery and Installation Services
You can pick up your grass at our office or we can deliver it to your project site. We can also arrange for professional installation services. Our office is located on the south site of Houston just off Highway 6 on McKeever Road.
Houston Grass delivers quality grass from our family farm located in Bay City, TX. We’ve been in the grass business for more than 30 years and we’ve done that by focusing on growing the best quality sod in Houston at very competitive prices.
Call us at 281-431-7441 for answers to your questions or a quick quote for your project.
