December, and our pool is almost finished. Woohoo! We are now facing the challenge of how to repair the damage left by the backhoe & other digging. The yard is Bermuda, which obviously is now dormant. I heard we can't put sod in after a freeze... but the mud cakes in our dogs feet, which they don't worry about cleaning before the come in from a romp out back.

Seems I have seen green nets along road custruction. Is this an option?

The yard is 166 feet long, and the backhoe had to take that route, so we have a LOT to repair.

Thank you!

Compost and/or mulch on top will protect your soil and help the bermuda grow back very quickly once it is warm again. You may not even have to sod. Ask anyone who has tried to put in a garden where there's bermuda how well it grows in mulch! Good luck!

For all those people who don't know, I found out the hard way: don't water before pool construction starts. The equipment is heavy (picture one of those lumbering dump trucks filled to capacity with dirt and sod), and if the ground is wet, they sink in and rip the sod, dirt, and sprinkler system to shreds!

To prevent futher sinking, they were forced to take dirt (dryer mud, actually) from the excavation and pile it along their path.

I wasn't informed not to do this, so I don't know if there is much sod left. But your suggestion is very good, and quite viable. I will make sure they remove as much of the dirt they displaced to even the lawn as much as possible.

I have read that sand is a good thing for Bermuda. I am curious why you didn't suggest such? Compost seems most logical, but don't have access to it. Mulching seems the easiest, most cost effective, option.

You are right! Compost is the best thing to use but I figured you didn't have access to such large amounts. Shredded wood mulch will be the next best thing as it will prevent erosion and further compaction so the Bermuda roots can grow back in right away. If you can spread a little compost, even half an inch, it will help enormously.

I know sand is typically used but regular sand settles into its own little pocket and causes problems later on. That's the source of many drainage and water absorption problems on golf courses! These pockets also collect poisons...not nice.

So put down a little compost and a lot of mulch and you should have a happy yard by June!
Kathe

why not throw out a good quantity of rye grass seed... in ten days you will have a good stand of grass and no more mud.. then, in the spring, you can evaluate how much damage was done to the bermuda and if needed, then reseed the area with bermuda seed...