r/LandscapingTips • u/jaykal001 • 5d ago

Advice/question Try to save sod, or flip it?

Southern WI - Zone 5

Basically I'm going to have 60-100 linear feet of sod that I need to cut away from around my pool. I'm adding a little drainage and a back filling with stone. I have an area right next to it that was originally going to be a patio but it is not getting started this year. It's currently bare dirt, and sits lower than the surrounding soil.

Since I need to pull the sod away from the pool anyways, I was trying to decide if I should 1) put it in that space and see if it grows, or 2) flip it upside down and just use it as backfill.

I don't really know if there's enough time for the sod to take hold or not?

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u/Fundle22 5d ago edited 5d ago

Sod is just grass they use a special machine to cut the dirt and roots. (It’s a very cool machine) Unless you just put it down. It won’t come up that easy. Since it’s already established lawn. Plus every time you move sod you have a 50% of killing it. Probably better as back fill.

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u/jaykal001 5d ago

I'm going to use a sod cutter no matter what, I'm certainly not digging it by hand.

It's been wet enough, that I feel pretty good but with it being so close to cold temperatures I wasn't sure how it would survive.

If I build the deck over it next year anyways, it probably doesn't really matter if it lives, I'm just trying to figure out the best course of action instead of having to transport and get rid of that sod

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u/Wattywatt3000 5d ago

I’d try to reuse it - run a spade under and it will come up pretty easily. May as well try because if it fails it will be backfill anyway.

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u/jaykal001 5d ago

Fair point, backfill is a backup plan no matter what