Finishing up work on a remote cabin and want to put down sod on bare ground for erosion control and avoiding a muddy mess during the winter. What's typically the latest that sod is put down during the fall?

No experience with sod but i have had good luck doing Bermuda seed this time of year. Itll get germed and slightly established. Then overseed rye grass when it cools in October to give good erosion protection through winter. Then the rye died back in spring and the bermuda did a great job of taking over.

Do it. Water the heck out of it.

A remote cabin where? Location is important for answering this question.

chickencoupe16 said:

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A remote cabin where? Location is important for answering this question.

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Houston County, TX

CS78 said:

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No experience with sod but i have had good luck doing Bermuda seed this time of year. Itll get germed and slightly established. Then overseed rye grass when it cools in October to give good erosion protection through winter. Then the rye died back in spring and the bermuda did a great job of taking over.

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Thanks. That's a good option if I don't go with sod.

Still like the idea of sod for immediate erosion control and full ground coverage, but not wedded to it either.

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Still like the idea of sod for immediate erosion control

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We put down sod every month of the year with no issue.
Be warned just laying sod doesn't control erosion immediately. In a heavy rain water will undermine it, eroding the soil away & causing the sod to become uneven. I've even had pieces completely wash out.
This is a huge PITA because in order to re-level, the sod has to be taken out & the soil regraded smooth.

Takes several weeks for sod to start really getting roots in & then you'll have more soil stability. Until then I recommend silt fencing or staked straw wattle around the area.

Good information.

Still better than hoping for seed germination. Especially since it doesn't' sound like hydroseed is an option.

MemphisAg1 said:

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chickencoupe16 said:

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A remote cabin where? Location is important for answering this question.

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Houston County, TX

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I've done St. Augustine in College Station right around October 1st before and it did great. I'd be comfortable pushing it a little further. You're more north and I believe Bermuda goes dormant a little quicker so for good roots, I would probably have October 1st as my deadline. That's all just slightly educated guesswork, others may have more solid answers.

Apache makes a good point that I would never have thought of with the undercutting and sod removal.

Thanks for the advice. My concern is putting down too late and roots not getting established, and then a deep winter freeze killing the sod and having to re-do in the spring.

My experience is it can still come back if that happens. It's not an all or nothing proposition necessarily.

When it doubt. Throw down some rye on top.

How much direct sunlight does the area get?

You should consider an erosion blanket with foxtail millet and Bermuda grass seed. The millet will germinate very quickly and get roots established and the Bermuda will come in behind it.

https://neilsperry.com/2023/09/gardening-this-weekend-september-14-2023/

"Sod for warm-season turf as soon as possible. It's too late to be seeding bermuda, especially in the northern half of the state. Ditto for sodding St. Augustine in the northern reaches of its zone. You just don't have enough time for it to "root in" before the first freeze."

whitebob005 said:

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https://neilsperry.com/2023/09/gardening-this-weekend-september-14-2023/


"Sod for warm-season turf as soon as possible. It's too late to be seeding bermuda, especially in the northern half of the state. Ditto for sodding St. Augustine in the northern reaches of its zone. You just don't have enough time for it to "root in" before the first freeze."

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It takes 7-14 days for root in and no cool front, let alone frost in site.

Definitely not your neck of the woods, but I had some Bermuda sod installed in Charlotte last October and it came through fine.

Today I broadcast bermuda seed on 2 acres in Brazos County....started raining as soon as I finished. We shall see how it does.

unclefish said:

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Today I broadcast bermuda seed on 2 acres in Brazos County....started raining as soon as I finished. We shall see how it does.

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if it was more than a light rain, probably gonna wash. Might want to reseed when the ground is still moist, if the rain is done.

With fresh sod, frequent watering is a must to get those roots down. Will you be able to water right after laying it?

Nights have to be above 70 for bermuda.
Not many of those left.

If you have good sun coverage, I would throw GOOD seed down NOW. Like tomorrow. Not seed from Home Depot, but from your local nursery. There should be several around your area. They'll clue you in on the best varieties for the area and your soil, but there should be another month for it to get started. Just water the snot out of it.

If seed won't work, I'm better sod won't take root very well either.

InfantryAg said:

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unclefish said:

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Today I broadcast bermuda seed on 2 acres in Brazos County....started raining as soon as I finished. We shall see how it does.

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if it was more than a light rain, probably gonna wash. Might want to reseed when the ground is still moist, if the rain is done.

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Yep...my place got hammered. Will see how much germinates in a few days and try again ahead of the next rain.