I need some help to figure out what I should do for next steps, I paid close to 6000 to have new sod laid back in July. This was after I paid a couple thousand to have sprinklers installed. The landscaper I used is blaming me for "killing it" even though it was watered and cut by someone else since he installed it.
Everyone is telling me to get a refund but he is saying he wants to pull it out and put seed down at a cost to me.
Does anyone know why it died, I have attached as many pictures as possible. Trugreen is also saying it may be a fungus.
I certainly feel for all involved. It reminds me of a similar situation I had when I had my patio installed. The weather took a turn and it was too cold for the concrete to cure properly. It was February. The contractor needed money so he took a chance on the weather.
We installed sod ourselves once. It was very expensive and heavy to haul. In fact, the load was so heavy it broke the truck. The sod is normally good for instant lawn, but if it lays on the truck too long the roots be adversely affected. It's not crystal clear what happened in your case, but I agree that July is not the best time for installing sod just like February was not the best time to pour my concrete patio.
I agree and sodding in July is a bad idea. The sprinkler system was a good idea but did the landscaper give you instructions on how to take care of the lawn?
New lawns need to be watered up to 4 times a day until they are established and put down roots. The ground under it had to be prepared properly ad amended first so the roots would have a good base to become established in.
Who is to blame I don't know.
If you only contracted for a sprinkler system that is all you get
If you contracted for the lawn to be installed by a licensed contractor there should be stated in the contract what he was going to do like remove the old whatever you had there, amend the soil prepare the base and install the sod. I myself would not have had someone else take care of the lawn after that and would have had a maintenance contract with the landscaper to take care of the lawn for at least a year. It is usually cheaper that way too if you purchase sod with a maintenance contract.
if the other person you looks after it, is he weeding, mowing, feeding? What is he contracted to do?
If you were responsible for making sure the lawn got watered then, and they fullfilled the parts of the contract they agreed to then, I have to agree with them it is not their fault.
Turf seems like and easy thing to do and many people see the sea of turf as the ideal thing, but most people don't really understand that like all plants grass is a living thing and requires regular attention. You need to pick the right grass for your location and the kind of maintenance you are willing to do. You have trees and a shady spot so you need to make sure the grass gets at least 6 hours of full sun or use a grass that will tolerate some shade. This is where you need to do your research and ask the right questions. If you say you want grass brand A, that is what the landscaper will put in, but if you say you want a low maintenance grass that will thrive in heavy traffic and work under trees and shadier spots and ask the landcaper or nursery to suggest a grass that fits your requirements it would be better. Whether you seed, plug, or stolon the ground, it should be well prepared first. Get a soil test, it will help alot to tell you if your pH needs to be adjusted and get recommendations for how to fertilize. If you are not doing the work yourself get a planting and maintenance contract for a year, it is actually cheaper to do it that way than by the piece. Ask the landscaper for advice on how to take care of the lawn and let him control the sprinkler. Most maintenance companies will cut the grass and do weed control but unless you give them permission they don't touch the sprinkler. Sprinkler systems still need maintenance and the heads should be checked once a month just to make sure none of them are broken and are pointing the right direction. This is especially true for sprinkler heads that are located along the sidewalk. I cannot tell you how many times the kids have broken my sprinker head riding the bicycle over them, taking the heads off or turning them around not to mention trying to pick my roses. New grass needs to be watered up to four times a day. The best time to plant anything is spring or fall not in the middle of summer because of the stress of the heat and you would need to use a lot more water. You need to put down the equivalent of an inch of rain a week. That means poking a stick in the middle of the lawn and see if the water is getting at least 3-4 inches down. If you have sandy soil you need to water longer and more frequently, if you have clay soil, it will dry out slower. For me I need to water the equivalent of 45 minutes a week and I divide that over 2 or three days. I run the sprinkler 20-30 minutes each time and I have established grass. You can test your sprinkler by setting out tuna cans at intervals and timing how long it takes for the cans to fill up. That is about an inch and that is how long you have to water or get the equivalent in rain every week.
The other way to test the grass if it needs water besides digging in the soil and feeling it is to walk on the grass. Grass that is well hydrated will spring back almost immediately. If the grass blades are looking gray and the grass stays down where you walked, the grass is in severe drought stress. You lawn looks like it did was badly under watered. Because your lawn is on a steeper slope. You may have to use shorter times more frequently to prevent run off. You have to watch the lawn when the sprinkler is on so you can determine how much water the lawn can take before it starts to run off. You may have to stop watering, wait for the water to be absorbed and finish watering about an hour later. I prefer to deep water fewer times a week than do shallow watering more frequently, it makes the grass develop deep roots that can tolerate drought better. You also need to adjust the sprinkler times for the season, water more often in summer and less or turn the sprinkler off when it rains a lot.
I don't think the landscaper is at fault here because it seems like he was hired to install the lawn but was not responsible for the maintenance or the watering. But, I do think that you should have a contract that spells out exactly what each person is responsible for. If you are responsible for the watering at least ask the landscaper for advice on how much you should water and set the sprinkler and ask whoever installs the grass how to take care of it, fertilizer, mowing, how often to water, when you can walk on it, etc.
P.S. I personally have eliminated most of my turf because it is a water hog and very high maintenance. I only have a small lawn left which I need to renovate and I am not looking forward to that. I would get rid of it but the HOA requires 50% turf in the front yard. Most of it died out in the summer and it is full of weeds now. I couldn't do anything about it sooner because, it would not have done well in the record heat and even now, I still am not getting enough rain.
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