Sod Installation in Holly Hill, FL

Sod Installation in Holly Hill's Older Yards

Holly Hill is a built-out city of about 13,000 people on just under 4 square miles of land. The Census Bureau's survey puts the median year built at 1978. More than half the homes went up before 1980, and only about 3 in 100 date from 2010 or later. About 56 percent are detached single-family houses.

An older yard often needs more prep before new sod goes down. The old turf and its weed roots come out first, and the ground gets a fresh grade. We replace whole yards or just the bad sections.

An older sprinkler system can leave dry stripes across new sod. Our sprinkler repair work fixes heads, pipe, valves and controllers before the sod goes down. Sunshine 811 marks utility lines but leaves private sprinkler pipe and lighting cable unmarked, so show us where yours run.

Why Do Holly Hill Yards Hold Water?

The NRCS soil survey maps much of Holly Hill as Myakka and Tuscawilla fine sand. On Myakka, the water table rises within 18 inches of the surface for 1 to 4 months in most years. On Tuscawilla, it sits within 10 inches for 2 to 6 months, so rain ponds on top. Patches of Astatula sand are the exception: the NRCS rates them excessively drained.

The city's flood page says flooding here comes from storm tides and from rain runoff that overflows its canals. It names the B-27 Canal, the LPGA Canal, the Nova Canal North and the Halifax River as the main sources. FEMA's maps put about a third of the city's land in the A and AE flood zones. Riviera Oaks Dog Park started as a flooded area that became a retention pond.

The city's Drainage Division keeps up more than 1,300 catch basins and about 60,000 feet of city ditches and swales. Rain that pools inside a yard needs a fix on the lot itself. Our grading and drainage work reshapes the yard so water moves away from the house. Low spots get fill dirt, and a French drain or drainage pipe with grates handles what the grade cannot.

Watering and Fertilizer Rules for New Sod in Holly Hill

Holly Hill adopted the St. Johns River Water Management District's watering schedule by city ordinance. In Daylight Saving Time, odd-numbered addresses water on Wednesday and Saturday, and even-numbered addresses on Thursday and Sunday. In Eastern Standard Time, odd addresses get Saturday and even addresses get Sunday. Sprinklers stay off from ten in the morning to four in the afternoon, and each zone runs one hour at most.

New sod gets more leeway under the District's rule. It may be watered on any day for the first 30 days, then every other day for 30 more. Our after-care advice fits that window: water daily in the morning hours for the first two weeks. Mow 3 to 5 weeks after installation.

Holly Hill also falls under Volusia County's fertilizer ordinance. It bars fertilizer with nitrogen or phosphorus from June 1 through September 30. Year-round, fertilizer has to stay at least 15 feet from any water body, like the Halifax River or a canal. Our advice to fertilize before or after installation applies from October through May.

Pavers, Rock and Mulch for Holly Hill Homes

On flatwoods sand, a paver patio or walkway needs a compacted base and a slope that sheds rain. A new patio also sends more rain across the yard, so we plan its slope with the yard grade. We build paver driveways on a thicker base than a patio, since cars bear down on it.

Holly Hill's Public Works pages point homeowners to the Florida Yards and Neighborhoods program. Its nine principles include picking the right plant for the right place and using mulch. Where grass keeps thinning under trees, a bed of rock or mulch over weed block often works better. We lay coquina rock, river rock, shell or mulch, with bed edging or paver borders.