Homemaker Monday: Growing a Lawn With Sod for 100th the Cost

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YOURS: This week's "YOURS" goes to Homemaker Barbi for her post on how to create an expensive-looking tablescape for cheap. Not her words exactly, but that's what it boils down to! I think because of my fun experience with tablescaping last week, I'm on a roll and I'm totally interested in learning more about tablescaping. Homemaker Barbi offers 11 tips for how to do it on a budget. A couple of them are...

-"If using a floral centerpiece, use one extraordinarily tall stem of flowers along with regular height stems to draw the eye upward and really make a statement."

and...

-"Mismatch dishes with unique vintage and antique pieces to add variety and make your setting interesting."

I'm going to be incorporating some of her tips in my tablescaping this week and I can't wait! To read all of Homemaker Barbi's tips, click HERE. Thank you so much, Homemaker Barbi, for your inspiration. Your website is informative, inspiring and fun to read and you make a difference! Please feel free to take the "I Was Featured" button from my left sidebar if you would like!

And now for the "How I Applied it to My Life" feature...

Last week I was filled with wonder as I pored over Becky's blog at Thoughtfully Blended Hearts. She featured a gorgeous outdoor tablescape and I had to try one myself. I had my opportunity last week when I volunteered to have a luncheon for a friend who was having a birthday. I had the 12-year-old boy clean up the courtyard, dragged some camping tables out, covered them with three Mexican-style tablecloths and went to town. I had so much fun with it, I actually did an entire post on my experience on Wednesday. If you would like to read about it, click HERE, and here's a hint of how it turned out....


Thank you, again, for your inspiration, Becky. You made my world a better place!

MINE: Although using sod to create a lawn is quick and beautiful, it can be expensive. Because we had a large area of property to plant, we knew that using sod would cost thousands of dollars, but using seeds has it's own problems as well. It takes a long time and can come up unevenly and sparsely. Additionally, as with any lawn, the pollen produced during grass reproduction can cause allergies and itching and is not always a walk in the park (no pun intended). Here's a way to have the best of both worlds and to be able to create a full lawn in as little as three weeks without the allergens. This idea came from a friend who is a professional landscaper, and we're so excited about watching the lawn come up. Here goes...

Step 1: Purchase a special variety of sod that is only male. This sod contains no seed-producing qualities, thus eliminating the allergens found in most lawns. The only way to propogate this type of grass is by using the method below. The quantity of sod should be about one hundredth the size of your lawn. Make sure to keep it moist and protected until it is time to use it...


Step 2: When it's time for planting, rinse the mud off the bottom of the sod with a high-pressure hose.


(It seemed to work well when we did it in a wheel barrow.)

Step 3: After the mud is rinsed off, tear the sod into 1/2 to 1 inch pieces, making sure to keep the white roots, or stolons, intact. Keep these pieces moist right up until the time they are planted.


(The 9- and 17-year-old boys had this job.)

Step 4: Dig 1/2 inch holes every six or so inches, like so...


(Our regular landscaper men, and the 14-, 12- and 7-year old kids were in charge of this, and they used any implement we had on hand, i.e. serving spoons, ice cream scoops, you name it.)

Step 5: Place the stolon in the hole...


...and cover with dirt...


(The stolon is the root systen of the grass and will begin to spread and sent up sprouts.)

Step 6: Repeat these steps one hundred million times, until lawn is completed...


...and keep well-watered until sprouts begin to show.

Extra tips:

1. If your knees get sore, Barbie roller blade pads can be utilized to minimize discomfort...


(Home Depot professional knee pads also work well.)

2. If you tire easily, just pull up a chair when it comes to hosing down and separating the sod. It's relaxing. Try it...



3. If you have lots of kids to which chores need to be assigned, one kid can pass out the stolons to the other laborers, like so...


4. There is really no need to use gloves, as sod is soft and pliable...



If, however, you are three years old and feel the need, by all means, approach your landscaper man...,


...convince him to take off the glove you had convinced him to put on earlier...,


...and convince him to help you put it on your own hand...


You'll look much cooler when you're carrying the sod pieces back and forth...


5. Dress appropriately. The 9-year-old boy, knowing that I was going to be blogging this, said, "Hey Mom, show them how dirty you are going to get when you do this job."...


6. If you begin to feel like this...


..take a sippy cup break, hose yourself down, then get back to work.

"I really, hope this works."... That's what I overheard my husband say at a bar-b-que that night. Me too. Maybe you shouldn't try this for three weeks until we can prove to you that it does. Wish us luck!

OURS: Okay, now let's see what tips, recipes, how-tos and know-how you all have to share. Now that it's summer, I'm so excited about having extra time to hone in my homemaking skills, thanks to all of your awesome ideas. Thank you so much for joining us today and we'll look forward to seeing you next week! Have a great Homemaker Monday!



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