Composting Sod

Discussion in 'Outdoor Gardening in the Pacific Northwest' started by Saw Scale, Nov 12, 2013.

  1. Saw Scale

    Saw Scale New Member

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    I recently acquired access to a new growing area, and it is covered with grass, moss, and weed. As I am peeling this top layer off I am left with a mountain of "sod". The last time I did this I sent away the sod in my yard waste bin, but this time the area is fairly large. I would like to make use of this sod by composting it but am not sure how to go about doing this. I have not measured my growing area but a rough estimate would be 100x150 feet. The sod pile is growing daily and starting to become a little overwhelming. Help! I am drowning in grass. Thanks!
     
  2. vitog

    vitog Contributor 10 Years

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    Throwing out sod is a clear waste of good organic matter. It will compost quite nicely any way you do it. You can dig it under in place or pile it up in a compost heap or bin. If you make a compost pile out of it, it would be best to keep it covered but watered sufficiently.
     
  3. Bodger2

    Bodger2 Member

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    Wow 100'x150' is a lot of back braking sod removal. There is a method called sheet mulching that would save you all the effort of removing the sod, Basically you are smothering the green material by depriving it the light it needs to grow. Essentially composting it in place. At the same time you are adding good organic layers of mulch to improve the soils condition. It is way less labour intensive method of removing sod. Your back will thank you. I guess sourcing the materials needed would be an issue for such a large area but I assume you would be amending the soil either way.
     
  4. Saw Scale

    Saw Scale New Member

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    Yes it is back breaking. I've gotten about a fifth to a quarter of it up in the last week and the sod pile is massive. On a more positive note, I am not planning to plant/sow anything until March so I have some time. However I was hoping to have the area stripped by the end of this month so I can start the process of turning and amending the soil. Thanks for the advice, I think I will continue to pile the sod along the edge of the property and at the base of a small grove of aspen trees.
     
  5. Bodger2

    Bodger2 Member

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    Well good luck with that. I don't envy the task ahead of you. I would encourage you to research the sheet mulching method further. Maybe even do one quarter of the area using that method just as an experiment.

    Tilling or turning the soil IMO is unnecessary. Let mother nature do that work for you in the form of earth worms. Turning the soil will being buried weed seeds to the surface only adding to your work load. It is believed that tilling or turning the soil is to get organic matter and fertilizers down into the soil where plants need them. But because most of a plant’s feeder roots lie in the surface layers, where biological activity and aeration is best, there is really no benefit to burying these materials deep within the ground. Instead, make those additions the same way nature does: by laying or sprinkling them on the surface.

    Clearly it's your choice to make. Personally I would take the easy route. Mother nature has been doing it longer than man has been around. And she knows best.
     
  6. woodschmoe

    woodschmoe Active Member 10 Years

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    The main thing (and it may be too late) is to vigorously shake the sods after removal to get as much soil out of the root mass as possible: it won't diminish the magnitude of the task, but it will reduce the volume and weight of sod somewhat, and retain as much soil as possible.

    In situations like this, I usually use the upturned sods to build a wall or berm somewhere along the garden perimeter..

    Sheet mulching can work, but (particularly when done with a layer of cardboard, newspaper or the like) often becomes a rodent habitat par excellence. Where I live, sheet mulching is code for `vole home`, and a good number of people have created a vole/mouse problem right at the roots of their plants by sheet mulching....and without this layer, one either has to apply a large amount of material on top of the sod (also a lot of labour over such a large area), or see it grow through.
     
  7. Saw Scale

    Saw Scale New Member

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    Thank you for taking the time to reply to my question/dilemma. Bodger2 I am right there with you on the mother nature thing, but personally I've not seen rows of broccoli or tomato in undisturbed areas. I turn the soil to create spaces for the roots of my seedlings to grow into. I do amend my soil with worm castings (which have the eggs in them) along with rock dust, organic fertilizer, compost, etc. I do try to keep the soil in my properties as organic/natural as possible. Maybe in the future I will try my hand at permiculture, but not with this property. Thank you again for your thoughts.

    Woodschmoe, I expanded a different property garden earlier this year and did exactly what you describe. I turned the sod and let the roots dry in the sun. Later I shook off the extra soil and it worked perfectly. But you are right about the timing, it's too cold, wet, and dark this time of year for that to work. When you built the sod berms around your bed did they compost down? And if so how long did it take? I have space at this property to be able to try to compost the sod, but it is a massive amount. Also I've never tried to compost just the sod by itsself, have you? I am very curious as to how well it would work and how long it would take. Thanks again for your time and attention to this.
     
  8. woodschmoe

    woodschmoe Active Member 10 Years

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    The berms I've built over the past few years haven't reduced as much as one might think: maybe by a quarter or a third over time. I make a point of piling the sod upside down (roots up): it doesn't stop all of it from growing out the sides and through cracks, but it helps. The net result is typically a grass capped mound (where the surface sods persisted) which, if you dig in, is made of some pretty nice looking compost/soil. The buried sods seem to break down nicely over time...
     

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