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2012 Southeast Lawn, Garden & Fishing Thread


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Yes, the company that would prepare the ground, acquire the sod, and then put in the sod would give a 12 month warranty. I don't think it is dormant yet. I may check with super-sod. Are you saying that keeping it wet would delay dormancy by keeping the soil from getting too cold while it establishes good roots?

No but if you keep mu1t years and doshy wet it will root quicker with highs 50-60. Im surprised they warranty it. Ive been in business 15 years and never heard of anybody warranty sod. So you may want to take them up. How they charge?

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Yes, the company that would prepare the ground, acquire the sod, and then put in the sod would give a 12 month warranty. I don't think it is dormant yet. I may check with super-sod. Are you saying that keeping it wet would delay dormancy by keeping the soil from getting too cold while it establishes good roots?

I made a call today to one of my distributors to see what they have near Savannah. They have a location there and they are suppose to call me tomorrow to give me a price. How much square feet are you wanting to sod?

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I made a call today to one of my distributors to see what they have near Savannah. They have a location there and they are suppose to call me tomorrow to give me a price. How much square feet are you wanting to sod?

Powerstroke,

Thanks. I think it is about 7,500 square feet. I should also tell you we're thinking of having an irrigation system put in first (done by the sodders). I'll try to get the cost breakdown tomorrow.

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If you are doing an irrigation you may not have time unless they can do it all in a week. Irrigation should cost between 600 and 1000 per zone. Use rain bird or hunter products only. Where do you live exactly?

Poweerstroke,

This house is in Savannah, GA.

1) They would hopefully start this Monday and finish about a week after Thanskgiving. 1-2 days each for prep. (including getting out old grass), putting in new soil, putting in irrigation, and putting in the sod. He said it should root within 1-2 weeks. He said it is better to plant grass in fall than spring because it roots better in fall. In spring, it concentrates its energy on growing up instead of growing down (roots). Do you agree? St. Aug. typically doesn't go dormant in Savannah until ~12/15 on average (~55 F soil temp.) and doesn't come out til ~3/15. He said Centipede, which we have now, is dormant longer: ~12/1 to ~3/31 on avg.

2) St. Augustine sod: $175/pallet incl. labor (13 pallets). Seems reasonable vs. what I've already checked.

3) He uses Rain Bird, which he said has 5 year manuf. warranty on parts.

4) He'd give 12 mo. warranty on grass only if he also does the irrigation.

5) We'd have rain/freeze sensor made by Orbit, which costs only $18-25.

6) Cost per irrigation zone: $438. However, there are 7-8 zones/76 heads. Why so many zones with lawn only ~1/6 acre/7500 sq. ft.? Because it includes 4 shrubbery zones, each with 12 small heads/zone and because the yard has some nooks and crannies as opposed to being, say, a simple rectangle. If they go with 7 heads/zone, they'd need 4 lawn zones. Each head would use two gallons/minute. Because we have good water pressure, he may be able to put in 8-9 heads/lawn zone. If he does, we'd need only 3 lawn zones.

Grand tTotal of 76 heads: 48 smaller for shrub and ~28 larger ones for lawn.

Is it common for people to put in shrubbery heads/zones? The guy did say that's optional. Opinion? If we were to leave out the four shrubbery zones, I think we'd save $1,750.

7) There will also be misc. charges for things such as boring under the sidewalk, water connection, water tapping, and other odds and ends.

8) A well could be dug/installed for $1,800-2,500. However, that means it would take a number of years to pay for itself. Also, if we have a bad drought and lower the water table a lot, that could cause a problem. So, I doubt this will be done.

-------------------------

Edit:

9) Some misc. charges:

- $350 for soil (two dump truck loads)

- $375 for tractor for five days

- $325 dumping off site debris, old grass, roots, etc.

- $350 for plumbing connecting at meter

- $960 for prepping sod areas: assumes 48 man hours at $20/hour

Do all of the figures seem reasonable? By the way, this guy has a hortic. degree from UGA

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$20 an hour wow he is cheap. If you have a well then it makes sense to have that many zones. I would use drip for shrubs. Its a lot cheaper. I called distributor again today and ask for three good companies in that area. Have you considered zoysia it is nicer. It is 35cent square feet. Prettier grass. St aug is hard to treat for weeds only selected chemicals can be used on it. Will cost more to maintain it in the long run.

Here in nc you must be state licensed irrigation contractor. Nc has the strictest laws for irrigation. I dont know about your area but sounds like a ton of heads unless your on a well. Its all about gallons a minute. On a city meter you try to stay around 18gallons a min. That would be 6 heads. A well also has to have a timer delay so it can refill. Use rain bird esp modular controller and rain bird freeze rain click NOT orbit. Cost more but better quality

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$20 an hour wow he is cheap. If you have a well then it makes sense to have that many zones. I would use drip for shrubs. Its a lot cheaper. I called distributor again today and ask for three good companies in that area. Have you considered zoysia it is nicer. It is 35cent square feet. Prettier grass. St aug is hard to treat for weeds only selected chemicals can be used on it. Will cost more to maintain it in the long run.

Here in nc you must be state licensed irrigation contractor. Nc has the strictest laws for irrigation. I dont know about your area but sounds like a ton of heads unless your on a well. Its all about gallons a minute. On a city meter you try to stay around 18gallons a min. That would be 6 heads. A well also has to have a timer delay so it can refill. Use rain bird esp modular controller and rain bird freeze rain click NOT orbit. Cost more but better quality

1) We have decided to not have a well dug. We'll use the city water.

2) For shrubbery: Is drip the same as a mister? I need to ask which he intends to use. I was thinking about getting the guy to just place the lawn sprinklers so that most of the shrubs are covered. For the ones not covered, we'd go with shrub heads.

3) We've already decided to go St. Augustine due to it being very good in shade from trees.

4) I'll ask the guy about Rain Bird freeze/rain.

Thanks for all of your help!

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Poweerstroke,

This house is in Savannah, GA.

1) They would hopefully start this Monday and finish about a week after Thanskgiving. 1-2 days each for prep. (including getting out old grass), putting in new soil, putting in irrigation, and putting in the sod. He said it should root within 1-2 weeks. He said it is better to plant grass in fall than spring because it roots better in fall. In spring, it concentrates its energy on growing up instead of growing down (roots). Do you agree? St. Aug. typically doesn't go dormant in Savannah until ~12/15 on average (~55 F soil temp.) and doesn't come out til ~3/15. He said Centipede, which we have now, is dormant longer: ~12/1 to ~3/31 on avg.

2) St. Augustine sod: $175/pallet incl. labor (13 pallets). Seems reasonable vs. what I've already checked.

3) He uses Rain Bird, which he said has 5 year manuf. warranty on parts.

4) He'd give 12 mo. warranty on grass only if he also does the irrigation.

5) We'd have rain/freeze sensor made by Orbit, which costs only $18-25.

6) Cost per irrigation zone: $438. However, there are 7-8 zones/76 heads. Why so many zones with lawn only ~1/6 acre/7500 sq. ft.? Because it includes 4 shrubbery zones, each with 12 small heads/zone and because the yard has some nooks and crannies as opposed to being, say, a simple rectangle. If they go with 7 heads/zone, they'd need 4 lawn zones. Each head would use two gallons/minute. Because we have good water pressure, he may be able to put in 8-9 heads/lawn zone. If he does, we'd need only 3 lawn zones.

Grand tTotal of 76 heads: 48 smaller for shrub and ~28 larger ones for lawn.

Is it common for people to put in shrubbery heads/zones? The guy did say that's optional. Opinion? If we were to leave out the four shrubbery zones, I think we'd save $1,750.

7) There will also be misc. charges for things such as boring under the sidewalk, water connection, water tapping, and other odds and ends.

8) A well could be dug/installed for $1,800-2,500. However, that means it would take a number of years to pay for itself. Also, if we have a bad drought and lower the water table a lot, that could cause a problem. So, I doubt this will be done.

-------------------------

Edit:

9) Some misc. charges:

- $350 for soil (two dump truck loads)

- $375 for tractor for five days

- $325 dumping off site debris, old grass, roots, etc.

- $350 for plumbing connecting at meter

- $960 for prepping sod areas: assumes 48 man hours at $20/hour

Do all of the figures seem reasonable? By the way, this guy has a hortic. degree from UGA

My weed lawn is looking better and better.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...
Time to get winter fertilizer out

 

 

 

Powerstroke,

 The irrigation and then the St. Augustine sod finally got finished ~12/14. They did very well and it looks great! Due to the mid-Dec. mildness in Savannah, it actually got a bit greener for a time, interestingly enough. There were several highs then of 74.

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  • 2 months later...

http://drunkenbotanist.com/ Cute read for bored gardeners.

 

It's that time of the year to clean up the winter mess and make everything pretty again. I have 2 big projects planned for this season which means only one will be completed because I will run out of $ or energy before I can start the second.

1. Pull and re-lay all my flagstone paths and extend some of them to new locations. Sections have developed ponding spots over the years and some erosion displacement so it's a total do over and this time I'm thinking of concrete/masonary as a base and watering in.

2. Thinking about a small pond in the backyard where I have a sinking spot anyway. Researching this it seems expensive (even DYI) and some huge maintenance, any thoughts?

 

 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/174140249299816/  Here's a link to our small group "Southern Chicks Who Garden, Drink and Swear" if you would like to visit for a laugh or two.

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http://drunkenbotanist.com/ Cute read for bored gardeners.

 

It's that time of the year to clean up the winter mess and make everything pretty again. I have 2 big projects planned for this season which means only one will be completed because I will run out of $ or energy before I can start the second.

1. Pull and re-lay all my flagstone paths and extend some of them to new locations. Sections have developed ponding spots over the years and some erosion displacement so it's a total do over and this time I'm thinking of concrete/masonary as a base and watering in.

2. Thinking about a small pond in the backyard where I have a sinking spot anyway. Researching this it seems expensive (even DYI) and some huge maintenance, any thoughts?

 

 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/174140249299816/  Here's a link to our small group "Southern Chicks Who Garden, Drink and Swear" if you would like to visit for a laugh or two.

It doesn't rain enough here (in between the portals) for me to have a garden, or flower beds. :(    I moved in this house 12 years ago and almost everything has died...sigh. Until it starts raining on a regular basis and these "hottest summer ever" summers become closer to normal, I refuse to sink any more money into the yard. :angry:  

 

 

 

I reallllly miss having a garden  :(   

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It doesn't rain enough here (in between the portals) for me to have a garden, or flower beds. :( I moved in this house 12 years ago and almost everything has died...sigh. Until it starts raining on a regular basis and these "hottest summer ever" summers become closer to normal, I refuse to sink any more money into the yard. :angry:

I reallllly miss having a garden :(

Irrigation?

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post-5017-0-31711500-1363207349_thumb.jppost-5017-0-31711500-1363207349_thumb.jphttp://drunkenbotanist.com/ Cute read for bored gardeners.

 

It's that time of the year to clean up the winter mess and make everything pretty again. I have 2 big projects planned for this season which means only one will be completed because I will run out of $ or energy before I can start the second.

1. Pull and re-lay all my flagstone paths and extend some of them to new locations. Sections have developed ponding spots over the years and some erosion displacement so it's a total do over and this time I'm thinking of concrete/masonary as a base and watering in.

2. Thinking about a small pond in the backyard where I have a sinking spot anyway. Researching this it seems expensive (even DYI) and some huge maintenance, any thoughts?

 

 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/174140249299816/  Here's a link to our small group "Southern Chicks Who Garden, Drink and Swear" if you would like to visit for a laugh or two.

The pond thing is fairly easy depending on how big you want it. I have one in a small garden off the front porch I made with a horse trough "The farmers daughter" gave me. It's 110 gallons so not too big, but enough to support several fish. I used a pump from Lowes along with a 2' planter in a stand to make a fountain in the center. I fill the top off the planter with water Hyacynths to create a natural filter. I have lights in the water so this fish show up nicely at night. I've got maybe 500.00 in fish and all. That includes the price of the trough if you get one from Tractor Supply.

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The pond thing is fairly easy depending on how big you want it. I have one in a small garden off the front porch I made with a horse trough "The farmers daughter" gave me. It's 110 gallons so not too big, but enough to support several fish. I used a pump from Lowes along with a 2' planter in a stand to make a fountain in the center. I fill the top off the planter with water Hyacynths to create a natural filter. I have lights in the water so this fish show up nicely at night. I've got maybe 500.00 in fish and all. That includes the price of the trough if you get one from Tractor Supply.

My parents used a large horse trough for a duck pond ;)  

 

Good luck it dont give us enough rain here during the hot months.

It used to rain here and I enjoyed a garden and a yard full of flowers.  :(   What I need to do is consolidate everything left into a single area. I did break down and get some strawberry plants and will plant a few tomatoes, but that will be the extent of it.  

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Fraz, that is a gorgeous water feature you've done there!

 

 

Mother nature should provide more than enough rain here so that is not needed. I don't live in Arizona :P

I will not sacrifice my perennials during drought times. I have been know to put 5 gallon buckets in everyone's shower to save my flowers. Veggies, I can buy at the store. :tomato:  Seriously I have a 275gl tank that holds the gutter water from my gardening shed roof.It gravity feeds down to my "nursery bed" and .03" of rain fills it.Set up cost 150.00 for tank and various plumbing parts.

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I don't know if any of you will find it useful, or even interesting, but I wrote an article dealing with clay soil gardening last year.  maybe it will be helpful to someone here:

 

http://oobieshoes.wordpress.com/2012/07/11/garden-success-in-clay-soil-2-2/

Thanks Bevo! Nice article, I'm very jealous of your flat yard. Erosion is a constant enemy in my yard.

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Thanks Bevo! Nice article, I'm very jealous of your flat yard. Erosion is a constant enemy in my yard.

 

That picture shows the upper gardens - I'm probably going to consolidate and scale back this year.  

 

As far as having a flat lawn, it's deceiving...it's really one continuous but slight slope down to the house - which presents flooding issues that I abhor.

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Looking for suggestions for safely protecting my blueberry bushes for the next couple of nights. Freeze warning, 15-25 mph winds, fake snow forecast, I'm concerned. These guys look really good right now and loaded with buds and blossoms. Short of building elaborate walls, I'm out of ideas.

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Looking for suggestions for safely protecting my blueberry bushes for the next couple of nights. Freeze warning, 15-25 mph winds, fake snow forecast, I'm concerned. These guys look really good right now and loaded with buds and blossoms. Short of building elaborate walls, I'm out of ideas.

 

How big are they - will contractor lawn bags not cover them?  Do you know the breed?

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How big are they - will contractor lawn bags not cover them?  Do you know the breed?

Contractor bags might work for some GREAT IDEA . Some are 4-6 ft. I don't know the breeds because the larger ones that are doing so well were "rescued" from abandonment. Every year I pick up one or two Lowes bb bushes just to maintain cross pollination. Those are still small and not as anxious to claim springtime yet.

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Looking for suggestions for safely protecting my blueberry bushes for the next couple of nights. Freeze warning, 15-25 mph winds, fake snow forecast, I'm concerned. These guys look really good right now and loaded with buds and blossoms. Short of building elaborate walls, I'm out of ideas.

 

28º is the critical point. Are you supposed to get that low?

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