Planting Grass Sod

St Aug is probably your best bet to establish/survive under a live oak.....but if the canopy is dense, it will be hard for any turfgrass to thrive.

Definitely nuke all the weeds and get your yard straight before sodding. Add dirt to low spots, pass grating, etc. The extra prep work will be beneficial in the long run.

You can sod now. The sooner the better. Do not wait until May or June. Water in as recommended. Sod will start greening up soon, so it will be in demand.

I’ve found Zoysia to always be the most shade tolerant grass.

Is it possible to have the oak thinned and limbed up to allow more filtered sunlight in?

Roundup has no residual effect…once the undesirable gf\rasses/weeds are dead, you can lay sod.

You have a one time shot to fix your soil before you get the sod down.

You are about to spend $1k+ on sod. Order a $30 pH sensor on Amazon and get the soil balanced before you lay it down.

Even better, rent an aerator and break up any compaction issues before the sod arrives.

The better you get your dirt before the sod arrives the more latitude you have with the shade issues.

I would recommend that you either break up the top 2 or 3 inches of the soil or add that much new dirt. If you try to plant grass sod on top of hard ground, it will either die or will grow very slowly.

Before you plant, I would add 3 to 5 lbs of 13x13x13 fertilizer to your 16x16 foot area. This will help the grass to get a good start on growing. Also after you get the sod put down, soak the area really well. Then step on each piece of sod to push it down into the dirt. This will help level the area so when you do mow this area, it will be smooth.

Sod is not cheap, but it grows fairly fast. The "squares" of sod can be cut up into several pieces and planted several inches apart. The new sod will will grow and fill in all the area in a couple of months. Just be sure each piece of sod is pushed down level with the dirt or you will have a very bumpy lawn to mow.