Sod is a common term in gardening parlance. The word gives beginners a headache. The expression puts worry lines on the forehead of advanced hobby gardeners. This guide puts an end to all uncertainty. Read an in-depth explanation of the term here. Common procedures with a turf are no longer hidden from you here.

Wild life blooms under the turf

Table of Contents

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  1. the essentials in brief
  2. Definition sod
  3. Sod 5 methods
  4. Remove sod instructions
  5. Peel off the sod
  6. milling and digging
  7. Repair mossy sod
  8. Reuse old sod
  9. frequently asked Questions

    10. the essentials in brief

    • The best way to remove a turf manually is with a spade
    • A sod cutter makes removal much easier
    • Moss and weeds can be removed with a scarifier

    What is a sod? - Definition

    Turf is the name for the closed growth of grass, moss and herbs on the ground, the coherent growth of which forms a complete plant cover.

    A few centimeters below a turf, the lush soil life pulsates. The plant cover provides earthworms, beetles and other organisms with valuable protection against adverse weather conditions or predators. Furthermore, a turf acts as a natural bulwark against erosion and rock weathering.

    Remove or repair turf - 5 methods

    Notwithstanding its many roles in nature, a turf is not always desirable or a cause for complaint. The following table lists 5 common methods of dealing with a layer of grass:

    method material requirements
    remove, remove Spade, shovel, wheelbarrow
    peeling Sod cutter, mini excavator or shovel
    mill and dig Garden tiller, (162.69€) spade, sieve
    dig up Spade, sieve
    repair scarifier, rake, lawnmower

    How and with which tool you implement the processing methods correctly is explained in the following instructions in a practical and comprehensible manner.

    Remove sod - step-by-step instructions

    The best way to manually remove a turf is with a spade

    There are many reasons why it can make sense to remove a sod. Common occasions are to create a lawn or bed, to build a garden shed, (24.90 €) a pond or a sauna. The most cost-effective method dispenses with mechanical assistance and only requires a spade, elbow grease and time. The following instructions explain step by step how to remove a sod properly:

    1. best time is in late autumn
    2. Mark and cut off area
    3. Prick the green area with a spade 10-15 cm deep in a checkerboard pattern
    4. raise the earth slightly with each spade (tilt the spade handle backwards)
    5. Lift the pieces with a shovel and place them in the wheelbarrow

    You can also separate well loosened turf segments from the subsoil with your hands and place them in the wheelbarrow. In practice, sections measuring 30 x 30 centimeters have proven their worth.

    digression

    Compost the sod separately

    Sod that has been removed is too thick to dispose of on the normal compost. Nevertheless, you can compost peeled grass and reuse it in the garden as valuable soil. To do this, stack the sods grass-side down in a separate pile. Sprinkle some algae lime or rock powder on each layer. Before using in the bed, sift the soil to remove stones, root weeds and other debris.

    Peel off the turf - this is how it works

    Don't feel like some sweaty digging? Then use a special device to remove the turf. A lawn peeler or sod cutter pulls the green vegetation off the ground with machine power. You can rent the device inexpensively in hardware stores, garden centers or from construction machinery rental companies. This is how you peel off an old turf in an exemplary manner:

    1. Mow the area very short
    2. Align sod cutters straight, parallel to outside edge of turf
    3. Put on protective goggles, set the cutting depth, start and lift the device
    4. Lower the device with the rotating blades into the turf
    5. Peeling machine straight ahead over the turf run in lanes
    6. important: cut edges lie close together
    7. Switch off the device and set it aside
    8. Put on gloves
    9. Roll up cut grass strips

    Depending on the depth of cut and length of lane, the disposal of the grass rolls requires a helping hand or a mini excavator.

    Video:youtube

    Milling, sieving and digging up the turf

    Peeling off a sod always raises the question: where to put the rolls of grass? You can avoid this problem by milling and digging up the green area. A tiller acts as a machine-powered tiller. The turf is shredded and can be worked into the ground. In connection with digging, it is advisable to clean the soil of root weeds and stones using a throw-through sieve. Here’s how to do it professionally:

    1. best time is in autumn or early spring
    2. Mow or scythe green areas as short as possible
    3. Put on safety goggles, sturdy shoes and start the tiller
    4. Mill the turf lengthways and crossways
    5. Dig the soil 2 spades deep and 20 cm wide across the bed surface
    6. Throw the excavated material through a close-meshed, openable throw-through sieve
    7. fill the cleaned excavation from the second furrow into the first trench
    8. use sifted soil from first furrow for last ditch

    In order to clear a small area of turf, prior tilling is not absolutely necessary. Break up the sod with the spade and dig the soil into furrows. With the sieve, you can clean the soil of all kinds of impurities.

    Repair mossy sod

    Moss can be removed from the lawn with a scarifier

    Removing a turf involves a deep, destructive intrusion into the soil life beneath. Hobby gardeners who are close to nature are striving to repair the offending green area. The plan has the best chance of success when it comes to a moss-covered lawn. For this purpose, moss and weeds are combed out with a scarifier. The motorized device works with rotating rollers that scratch the turf. That is how it goes:

    1. Rent a scarifier at a hardware store
    2. Mow the lawn 2 cm deep
    3. scarify lengthwise and crosswise
    4. Sweep off moss and weeds with a rake
    5. mow again

    You can edit small lawn areas manually. You can do this with a hand scarifier that you pull through the moss-covered turf.

    You then subject the scarified turf to a revitalization program. First, the green area should regenerate for about 14 days. In dry conditions, regular sprinkling promotes the recovery process. Then fertilize the area with a slow-release lawn fertilizer or finely sieved compost. Larger gaps in the green can be closed quickly by spreading a thin layer of humus with lawn seeds and watering repeatedly.

    Reuse old turf - this is how it works

    Nothing is wasted in the natural garden. This also applies to a turf that you remove, for example to create a vegetable patch. The most important prerequisite for successful recycling is good to satisfactory condition. Reusing a sod goes like this:

    1. Prepare new green area with permeable subsoil and finely crumbly soil
    2. enrich the top layer of soil with a mixture of sieved compost and sand
    3. mow old turf to a blade height of 3-4 cm
    4. deep stabbing in transportable grass bricks
    5. lay out densely on the prepared surface, roll and penetrating blast

    Please fill in the seams with a mix of humus, soil, sand and grass seed. In order for the turf to grow at the new location, regular irrigation is important in the following weeks.

    frequently asked Questions

    What to do with old turf? How and where can I dispose of the peeled sod?

    You can dispose of it with your elbow grease and free of charge by turning over the sods, shredding them with a spade and letting them rot in a separate pile. New humus is created that you can use in the garden. In rural areas, farmers sometimes allow peeled turf to be spread over fallow fields upon request. The regional recycling center accepts grass sods that have been removed at prices starting at 10 euros per ton. If you don't shy away from the costs, hire a disposal company to drop off a container on your property and pick it up again.

    The turf from the lawn is coming loose. What to do?

    If the turf loosens, the lawn suffers from pest infestation. Ravenous beetle larvae nibble at the roots and cause the typical damage. In the early stages, you can save the lawn by fighting the grubs with nematodes. The roundworms are released with water from the watering can and parasitize the larvae. In an advanced stage, only one radical measure can often help: peel off the turf and lay a new lawn.

    I removed the turf for my new raised bed. Can I use removed sod for the filling?

    If a raised bed is built on a lawn, the turf should be removed. Of course, the organic material is far too valuable to dispose of. First lay out a stable vole grid on the ground. As a lower layer, you now stack thick branches and twigs up to a height of 30 to 40 centimeters, covered with some garden soil. Now is a good time to incorporate stripped sod into the raised bed fill. Mix the sod with chopped straw, grass clippings and similar garden waste until a 20 centimeter thick layer is formed. Further layers of manure, rotted leaves, coarse compost and fine compost follow.

    We would like to have a specialist company remove a turf and prepare the ground for replanting. What costs can be expected?

    For a 100 square meter area, there is a cost of 500 to 700 euros for removing the turf and expertly preparing the soil to create a lawn or flower bed. Added to this are the disposal costs for removed turf, soil, roots and stones. This calculation applies to normal garden soil. Difficult ground conditions or a steep slope drive up the costs.

    tips

    The disposal of removed turf in the container involves a high cost risk. Old sod must be separated from soil and stones. The separated earth is placed in a container for excavation. Stones are disposed of as building rubble and have no place in the earth container. Dispose of the pure sod in the green waste container. Combined disposal of sod, earth and stones in one container is considered mixed waste with correspondingly high costs.

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Garden design