How much grass is on a pallet? What is the size of a pallet?

There are many different size pallets out there; we typically sell by the yard and put 50 sq. yards of sod on a pallet of grass. 50 sq. yds. is 450 sq. feet. Some companies sell 60 sq. yard pallets which equals to 540 sq. feet but we don’t normally sell pallets that large. Some companies have started selling by the square foot instead of the square yard and a lot of times they will have pallets that are 500 sq. feet. We may move to the square foot in the future but for now we still sell by the yard.

If you put 50 sq. yards on a pallet and you put 20 pallets on an 18 wheeler then there will be 1,000 sq. yards on the truck or 9,000 sq. feet.

 

How much fertilizer do I use, what type, and when should I fertilize the grass?

Use 13-13-13 of  any brand and 10 pounds per 1000 square feet, which works out to 5 pounds per pallet; you should fertilize as soon as you can to help the grass get established.

 

How much do I need to water the grass when I lay it?

You need to water it every day for the first week and a half to two weeks;  then every two to three days for a few weeks;  you do not want water standing on the grass but you do want the water to soak through to the ground below the grass; usually an hour a day is plenty.

 

How much soil does a turgrass farm deplete?

This is a question we get asked all the time and we usually tell people, “Not as much as you’d think.”

We mow and mow and mow about 9 months out of the year and all those grass clippings decompose and go back into the soil. Plus all the fertilizer and sometimes lime that we put on the fields help retain the soil.

Here’s an article from the Turgrass Producers International organization that goes into some detail about how much is lost or gained and some of the studies that have been done on soil depletion. It’s only three pages long and not too technical so check it out if you’ve ever wondered about this topic.

How Much Soil Does a Turfgrass Farm Deplete?

 

What do I use to kill chinch bugs?

St. Augustine always has chinch bugs but normally the St. Augustine grows faster than the chinch bugs can eat it so they are generally not a problem.  Sometimes during a drought when the St. Augustine is not growing at its normal pace, it cannot outgrow the chinch bugs.  At times like this you can use a chemical with the active ingredient Bifenthrin.  There are a few different brands out there but the main thing is to look at the Active Ingredient and make sure it has Bifenthrin in it. Then apply it at the recommended rate listed on the label. There are other active ingredients that will work too just look for chinch bugs on the list of controlled insects.

 

I have circular brown spots in my yard.  What is it and what do I do about it?

Most likely it is a fungus called Brown Patch.  The pathogens for Brown Patch and other fungi are always present in the sod.  You can take a sample from anywhere and find the pathogens that cause this and other diseases.  What causes these diseases to start affecting your sod are the conditions of the yard.  Brown Patch starts showing up when you have wet conditions with water standing in puddles.  Poor drainage or shade that keeps water from evaporating can cause water to stand in places and this is where Brown Patch starts appearing.  The best solution to take is to correct the drainage situation.  You can use a chemical called Daconil to stop the spread of the fungus but it will not repair the damage already done.  Brown Patch rarely kills the grass and it will re-grow when the conditions are correct again.  To prevent this in the future, your best bet is to correct the drainage situation.

 

Can you over water grass?

Yes, you can.  If water is standing in pools then you have over-watered.  With water standing on grass in the heat of the day the grass will begin to wilt.  Having water standing on the grass drowns it because it cannot breathe.  Since standing water weakens the grass, it then becomes more susceptible to diseases and other stresses (see previous question).  You want the grass and soil beneath to be moist but you do not want water standing.