Grading and Turf Installation

Let’s face it- it’s not just grass.

It is the carpet for your outdoor living room. It’s the first impression for visitors. It’s your bragging rights with the neighbors. It’s where your kids make memories playing in the sprinkler.

More than a lawn, it’s your pride and joy. Or at least, it should be!

This is why at Thoms Bros., we take as much pride in grading, turf establishment, and then maintenance as we do with the most technical services that we offer.

Grading

In preparing to sod or seed a yard Thoms Bros. avoids the biggest mistake many people make in installing their lawns: failing to prepare the soil adequately. Results will be best, particularly over the long haul, when soil is prepared for turf, debris needs to be removed, soil amendments need to be added, and existing vegetation needs to be eradicated. It’s one chance to get the job done right so that you do not need to spend thousands of dollars trying to maintain for a poor root structure, constant nutrient deficiency, and insect and disease infestations.

Thoms Bros. uses a variety of equipment including but not limited to:

Tractors with york rakes, box scrapers, soil pulverizes, etc.
Skid steer loaders with soil preparators, power rakes, etc.
Crawler dozers
And, good old rakes and other manual tools

Hydro Seeding

Hydro seeding (sometimes called hydro mulching) can help to establish a lush healthy lawn or bring life back to a yard that is past its prime. Hydro seeding is a great alternative to sod, more flexible and affordable than traditional sodding methods with an excellent success rate.

But what does it do? Hydro seed machines mix together seed, water, fertilizer, tackifier (glue), and green wood fiber mulch to create slurry. The slurry is sprayed on the ground with a high pressure hose which helps it to reach all kinds of terrain, like slopes, that may be difficult to reach. When the slurry dries, it creates a crust over the ground, protecting the area from erosion. The crust protects the seeds from being washed away in the rain or eaten by birds.

Sodding

Sodding is many times described as being like installing a new carpet, with the exception that your new lawn will need to be tenderly cared for until it re-establishes itself in your soil. Thoms Bros. always uses fresh cut sod for quick and proper establishment. We either use the typical one yard piece of sod or the “Nifty Fifty”. The Nifty Fifty Big Roll is a 50 square yard roll which enables a crew of three to install up 3800 square yards of sod per day. Switching to the Big Rolls increases installation efficiency and reduces labor costs, making sod pricing competitive with hydro-seeding. This type of sod can be used on athletic fields (reduces shifting significantly), governmental jobs (especially stabilizing steep embankments), and large commercial projects.

Turf establishment by seeding is the most budget conscious procedure. Although, we do warn that if a high quality lawn is desired that extra cost would incur for proper establishment, including extra water and fertilizer. Seeding can be done for many applications by several of the following means:

Seeding

Overseeding on established turf areas
Broadcast application with straw overlay or erosion blanket for new turf areas
Spot seeding on established turf areas
Tractor mounted slit-seeders for new turf area