The Grass Doctor

Does anyone know if you can plant grass seed on top of sod that had already been laid and died?

I bought a new house and had sod laid in the whole yard. I had to leave the weekend that they laid it and everyone knows that when sod is new, you have to water it for at least three days pretty much non-stop. Well i couldn't be there for the weekend and i came back 2 days later and my grass was cooked. I have been spending so much time on trying to get it back to how it used to be but there are still a few spots that i don't think will come back so i wanted to plant seed on them. Do i need to tear up the old sod or can i put the seed on top of the sod and water it? Any suggestions?

Public Comments

1. You can turn the soil in the sod and reseed.
2. seed need to be in the ground at least half and inch, or they wont take. unfortunately there doesn't seem to be a easy way, you will have to replace the sod or till the soil and start over.
3. Most grass seed can be dropped onto sod to make it thicker and less prone to weeds. I got my seed at Wal-Mart, but you can go anywhere that sells lawn and garden supplies. Just follow the directions on the back. It's pretty simple to do and works well. I did it myself to our lawn and it looks much healthier.
4. We small grain farmers call it "no till" just sprinkle on the seed and lightly rake the seed down into the dead grass and keep watered. RScott
5. Absolutely, go ahead and plant that seed. I would recommend going to garden store or ag supply place with a sample of your current lawn so that you can closely match it in texture and color. Buy a quality seed mix, not garbage from WalMart, and make sure that is is in contact with the soil. Then, lightly cover it with a thin layer of fine, finished compost and water the hell out of it, at least twice a day. That sod is going to drain even faster than regular soil, and you'll need to maintain soil moisture for 3+ weeks. You can get a decent sprinkler for under 10 bucks, and a daily timer for not a whole lot more, so you can take care of the watering without being stuck at home.
6. where did you get the sod from call and ask them if you can buy just enough to repair the dead stuff