Loam questions?

Question

My wife and I are rehabbing our back yard. I have rototilled the backyard, but since then, some patches of grass and weeds have sprung up. If we are spreading loam for about a 4 inch cover, how detrimental is it to remove all of the rogue grass and weeds that have popped up? Will it ultimately affect our lawn once we plant it?

Answer 1

I would very carefully use weed killer on all vegetation before adding your topsoil.  I say carefully because any overspray will linger and not allow new grass to grow well.

Answer 2

I did this sort of thing, on the advice of a landscaper. Rotolling is a great thing to do before putting the new sod down, exposing fresh soil.  I would pull any big weeds, but otherwise, once you put down the 4" of sod/loam it will kill off the previous "greens". It will deprive them of sunlight, and the thickness of the sod will not allow weeds to poke through. (That is one of the best ways to get rid of weeds, is to plant healthy good grass which will strangle them out). Do NOT put down weed killer -- it will kill the roots of your new sod.  Then follow the directions  the "grass farm" where you bought the grass -- use a roller to press the sod down (it's like a big metal barrell, which you fill with water & roll over the grass) and water at least a couple of times a day till established (rooted), depending on your weather.  Enjoy!