Grass Installation - Example:

Two different landscapers installed a similar area of lawn at two different houses. They looked identical in appearance and size.

Homeowner A paid twice as much as Homeowner B. Homeowner B is extremely pleased as he got the same job for half the price.

Two years later, after following identical care programs of irrigation and maintenance, B is extremely unhappy. There are large dead patches all over his lawn, and despite aeration it is as hard as concrete. Disease, maintenance, fertilization and pets are all blamed. Areas of grass have been repeatedly replaced yet the dead patches have returned. It looks dreadful and is a constant head-ache

A looks out to his children playing on the lush, green lawn. No dead patches. A soft fall for young children. The success of the lawn is completely a result of the installation.

With B trenches were dug with picks, spray heads with two inch pop-ups installed, the plot graded and the sod laid. It was done in half a day. Looked fantastic. Two years later looked dreadful.

With A trenches needed to be excavated with jackhammers, four inch pop-ups installed, tons of top soil introduced (one ton of top soil per hundred and twenty-five square feet of grass), the plot graded and the sod laid. It took two days. Like B it Looked fantastic. Two years later it looked better.

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The Reasons Why

· Two inch pop-ups work fine for the first six months, as the sprays reach all areas. After this time the grass will encroach around the sprays and faint dry patches will start to appear. This will get worse as time goes on. The trench for the two inch pop-ups will need to be at least six inches deep, when you take into account the can it is encased in, and the pipe and riser beneath it. The top dirt is relatively easy to dig through, and work is fast.

Four inch pop-ups will work well for the lifetime of the lawn. Four inch pop-ups require a trench of around a foot deep, once the casing and riser and pipe beneath are allowed for. The deeper trenches require a disproportionate amount of more work, as often caliche is hit, large rocks hit, and the undisturbed ground is that much harder. We use jackhammers. Picks could be used, but it would take that much longer again.

· No top soil (or little) was used on B’s residence. Anywhere where rocks are near the surface dead patches would appear. Without the top soil, the grass would have difficulty rooting across the lawn. The ground would become hard.

Whoever you decide to use, ask how much top soil they are bringing in, and what pop-ups they will be using. As stated, when the landscapers drive away, they will look identical, but that wise old sage- ‘time’ - will tell...