We Sell To The Public
Hours of Operation
Modern Turf is open from 8:00am to 4:30pm Monday thru Thursday and from 8:00am to 4:00pm on Fridays. Our office is closed to the public on most weekends and holidays.
Loading, Pallet Size and Weight
Loading times for the public are 8:00 am, 2:00pm and 4:00pm Monday thru Friday. Our business centers around selling tractor trailer loads and acres of grass. Please be patient when picking up pallets from the farm and know that we are going as fast as we can. We will load at other times if you make arrangements but prefer to use the specified times. If you are purchasing a pallet or more, a sturdy trailer is recommended. The size of a full pallet is 48”x46” and stands 4 to 5 feet tall and depending upon the variety will cover either 450 or 500 square feet. A single pallet weighs from 1700 to 2900 lbs. Most standard sized pick-up trucks do not have a large enough payload to support a full pallet. Modern Turf is not responsible for any damage that occurs to your vehicle or trailer while on our property. While we keep our roads in excellent condition, please remember - it is a farm! Modern Turf reserves the right to refuse to load sod on a trailer or into a truck based on their size or condition. Customers picking up at the farm will be asked to sign a waiver on their receipt acknowledging their acceptance of liability. We regret all this legal mumbo jumbo but your lawyer may be better than ours so…
Sod Pricing, Scraps and Pieces
Sod prices can fluctuate and are available by calling or e-mailing for quotes. Like other volume type products the price will vary according to the quantity as well. Zoysias, St. Augustine and Paspalum are premium grasses and will generally cost more than the other commodity types like Bermuda and Centipede. Remnants or scraps and individual pieces are available most days from our production facility. The scraps may have a weed or a tear, making them less than a perfect slab. Because of our high quality growing standards not all varieties are on hand at all times so be certain to call ahead to confirm availability. There is a $20 minimum on all purchases of scrap or single pieces. Single pieces are just that – sod sold by the piece in perfect condition. Scraps are picked up from out of the field and loaded by you, or you and your very good friend who owes you a big favor. Depending upon the size of your truck bed and the variety of grass, the cost for scraps can run from $50 to $80 a load.
Lawn Consultation
Modern Turf offers complimentary lawn consultations on the phone or through E-mail. Site visits can be made for $100 an hour including travel time. If you call or E-mail please give the following information: size of the area in question; hours of direct sunlight per day and whether it is mostly morning or afternoon sun; water source and irrigation type; soil type, traffic expected (kids, dogs, ball field or just aesthetic); your expectations (best yard on the block, better than it is now, something to hold the dirt in place…), amount of time you like to spend doing yard work, whether or not you use a lawn service and if so what they do for you ( mowing & trimming, fertilizer, chemicals, irrigation…) budget for this project and the expected timing for your project.
Payment & Deposits
Modern Turf accepts payment in the form of cash, check or credit card (Visa/MC only) at the time of pick-up or delivery. All pallets hauled away from our property have a $6 deposit with $5 being refundable upon return of undamaged pallets. When pallets are returned a check will be issued to the customer according to how many pallets are returned.
Prep for Sod
Sodding is a lot like painting. The really hard part is in the prep work and the quality of the finished product is dependent on good soil preparation. The size and scale of a sod project will often dictate what equipment is available and necessary to properly prep a given area. The best thing to do prior to sodding is to have a soil test done through your local extension agency and follow their recommendations as to how to best amend your soil.
If you are repairing lots of small areas keep in mind that sod comes in squares and rectangles so try to avoid lots of curves, in other words prep areas with as straight of a line as you can to avoid more work later on. The first step is to spray the area with Round Up. After the present vegetation dies back (1-2 weeks) apply any lime or other recommended amendments from your soil test and roto-till the area to be planted (2-3 inches), thus incorporating the amendments and thoroughly loosening the soil. Then fertilize and irrigate the area to encourage weeds to germinate. Once these weeds germinate spray with Round Up again. Till again if possible then rake out dead weeds, humps, bumps, rocks and roots. Have some starter fertilizer on hand and a good spreader and apply the starter fertilizer immediately prior to laying the sod.
Laying Sod
If more than one pallet of sod is being laid pay particular attention as to where the pallets are placed. Don’t paint yourself into a corner! Good central locations will mean less distance that you have to carry the sod. Try to establish the longest run of sod in the middle of the area and make that your starting point. A string pulled tight down the middle and staked at the ends will give you a great guide as to where to lay the first row. This will also give you two sides to work off of which is particularly important if there is more than one person laying the sod. When you lay the sod, do so in a staggered pattern resembling the way you would lay brick. This will help the grass heal in or establish faster and also prevent erosion gulleys in the event of a heavy rain. The perimeter of large areas can be laid separately then “tie in” the rows inside of that. This method takes a little more sod but looks nice when finished. Try to avoid lots of little pieces to fill in small areas. It seems like a good use of the scraps but all those little pieces have a very high mortality rate. If you do end up using them, put some sandy topsoil on top of the area with all the small pieces. This will help them stay moist and increase their survival rate. It is always a good idea to keep smaller pieces to the inside of the sodded area, this helps keep them moist and increases their survival rate. Here is a Turf Installation Guide that may provide more information.
Rolling or tamping the sod after laying it is optional. If the prep work was done properly this step can be eliminated. The primary reason that people roll freshly laid sod is to smooth the imperfections in the prep job and establish soil to sod contact.
Care for New Sod
Water, water and more water. The first day is crucial. The first week is also very important. When you water for the first time it is imperative that the soaking be complete. The best way to tell if it is wet enough is to lift a piece and see that it is soaking wet, as is the ground beneath it. Then take a screwdriver and stick it a few inches in the ground and wiggle it. When you pull it out of the ground the hole you just made should fill up with water. In general the entire area should be so wet that you can’t walk on it without causing damage. Keep it saturated daily for the first week then begin backing off to every other day the second week. If you are installing sod during a drought it would be a good idea to wet the soil prior to laying it.
The first mowing can be done once the sod is tacked down by the roots. The way to test for this is to grab a fist full of grass in the middle of a piece and tug. You’re not trying to pull it up – just testing for resistance. Once your tug is met with some resistance, it is fine to mow.
Problems with My Lawn
Often times we are contacted by folks after major damage or even death has occurred. This makes it much more difficult to diagnose and solve problems. No grass is bullet proof. If you think you have a problem you probably do. Send digital photos and descriptions of problems you are seeing in an E-mail addressed to mail@modernturf.com. Be specific in your correspondence by including as much information as possible. Tell us about what you are seeing, variety of grass, irrigation practices, when sod was laid, soil type, shade – including daily hours of direct sunlight and directional orientation, drainage, fertilizers and/or chemicals used, and anything else you feel is important or different. Send us pictures that show good areas, as well as affected areas (close-up, short distance and broad view), weeds, insects and placement of significant objects such as trees, garages, houses and streets as they relate to the area of concern. These things will help our professional turf staff better and more quickly solve your issues.
Prevent Weeds
After your new sod is well rooted and growing well, get into the habit of using a PRE-EMERGENT HERBICIDE chemical and the weeds will eventually become history. This type of chemical PREVENTS weeds by halting the sprouting seeds in the soil. Some commercial 'Weed-and-Feed' formula fertilizers will also contain pre-emergent chemicals. Read the labels carefully or log-on to the manufacturer's web-site to know how to effectively use the product and what to expect. Otherwise, use 'POST-EMERGENT' chemicals to kill any and all existing weeds for a while. Most homeowners will have several types of weed-killers on hand for the never-ending war with weeds. But the Pre-emergent chemicals are the most efficient way to win the battle. These chemicals cost a little more, but are worth it in the long run.
About using LIME
At some garden centers you can purchase a home soil-testing kit and do it yourself. You can also have it tested through your local agricultural extension office. DO NOT use LIME unless your soil is too acidic. If the soil test for 'pH' is lower than 6.5, it may indeed benefit from a liming. Most soils in the Carolinas have low pH and would benefit from annual lime applications. Lime can be put out at any time of the year but we find it is more convenient to apply throughout the winter months. We also recommend the powder form over the granules as the powder tends to work faster in the soil.
