ᐅ Rolled sod or sowing seeds yourself?

WilderSueden schrieb:

I just checked out of curiosity... at first, everywhere promises something around 2.x € per unit. But when I enter the postal code and quantity, depending on the supplier, the price ends up somewhere between 6 and 9 € per unit. So it seems to be either very region-dependent or just bait offers.

For such small quantities, the shipping costs will definitely have a significant impact, and of course, that depends on the region.
It could also be that it’s still early in the season. But I’m not entirely sure. We also have a local sod supplier here, and the fields don’t look quite ready yet.

Did someone mention golf turf here? I believe that term is being misused. Golf turf consists of completely different seed blends with much lower mowing heights, etc. The effort required here is significantly greater.

Grass is always the most expensive and labor-intensive plant in the garden.
How hilly the lawn is depends on how the ground is prepared. However, this can be evened out by topdressing with sand.

General statements like “seeding yourself is better than sod” don’t mean much unless the specific grass seed blends are named. Maintenance should also be discussed. To bring a self-seeded lawn up to the quality level of a sod lawn takes about three years and considerable work.

If your garden also has areas for bees, butterflies, and so on, there’s nothing wrong with having a lawn.

I prefer the Hunter rotors, but that’s a matter of personal taste. You won’t go wrong with either of the manufacturers.

We had the same idea and decided to go with sod turf. The waiting time I saved was definitely worth the extra cost.

We also use Hunter rotors (connected to a cistern) and a robotic lawn mower (435X model because of the slope).

The convenience, combined with the fact that the lawn always looks well-maintained, is definitely worth it for me.

I unfortunately managed to over-fertilize a few spots right away, which I now have to nurse back to health. But you never stop learning.

rick2018 schrieb:

Did someone mention golf turf here? I think that term is being used incorrectly. Golf turf consists of completely different grass mixtures with much lower cutting heights and so on. The effort involved here is definitely much greater.

He did, but I admit to asking a leading question 🙂

There is a wide range of grass areas, and the terms are often mixed up. At one extreme is the lawn (think golf turf, English lawn). Pure grass, lush green, cut short. Correspondingly high water and nutrient demand and high maintenance effort. As always, some of the work can be replaced by capital by sending a robot mower and installing an irrigation system. However, scarifying and fertilizing are still necessary. And as @HarvSpec nicely shows, there is plenty that can be done wrong in the process. At the other extreme is the wildflower meadow. Many different flowers and grasses grow freely. Great for wildlife but rather unsuitable for walking on. Mowing isn’t needed as often, but when it is, it’s done with a brush cutter. In the middle is the herb lawn or flower lawn. Dandelions, clover, and similar plants are tolerated there, and they tolerate mowing at a higher cutting height reasonably well. Fertilizing and watering are mostly unnecessary, and mowing is only done every 2-3 weeks. Thinking back 3-4 weeks, most gardens here don’t have a pure lawn but rather an herb or flower lawn. Colloquially, however, this is also called a lawn.

That’s why I asked about the goal. Because you can’t just switch from one type to another. To illustrate, just look at the poorly maintained meadows in public areas. There, they simply let it grow until June and then go over it with a large mulcher. The result is a lot of tall grass, few flowers, and the whole mess hangs over half the bike path after rain...

Robotic lawn mowers do not work on golf greens. They do not cut deep enough. We are talking about cutting heights of 0.5 cm (0.2 inches). Daily dew removal and similar care are also necessary. A cylinder mower with a grooming unit is required, among other equipment. The type of grass mix also plays a role.

A short lawn does not necessarily require more water or nutrients.

I support balanced vegetation. Our wild green roof alone probably covers more area than most gardens. In addition, we have flower beds, climbing plants, and so on. There are many birds in our garden. Every day, the stork comes to drink...

There is Kiepenkerl grass seed suitable for dry conditions. It does not require watering.
At least, it stayed green without watering through the last three summers.
However, it will not produce a lawn with dense, lush grass free of weeds, and it is not suitable for robotic mowers. When it gets hot and dry, it is not mowed and hardly grows anymore. It will not turn into knee-high brush. Still, after that, the grass is too tall to be managed with a mulching mower. The long blades do not decompose quickly enough.

Sod is not a guarantee of a well-maintained, lush, weed-free lawn.