Hi all, thanks for taking the time to read over my post. I tried to post in the most relevant topic areas but may not be 100% relevant, so I apologize if that's the case.

We live in a Rural Municipality outside of Winnipeg, Canada (zone 2/3). It's just about 45 minutes from the Canada/US border in Central Manitoba.

We just bought a brand new house in a still developing subdivision. It was the show home, so it was built for about a year before we bought it. When we got it, wild weed seeds had established all over the lot and they grew 3-4' tall over the summer. The weeds established in the clay we get here in Manitoba. The lot was raw, no topsoil has been laid down yet. I still have to lay down my 4" of topsoil.

The weeds are invasive, tall and woody, so I cut them down with a weed eater and it left me a tough, woody "lawn" of cut weed stumps in my front yard. Some are as thick as young saplings. I attached a photo. You can see the cut vs. the part I have to finish. That utility line you see sticking out is our water line.

I had utility companies mark the other lines and we have HV power lines and Gas Lines between 3/4" and 4" under our front yard, so I can't use a rototiller or I'll hit utility lines. The utility companies instructed me to "hand dig within a meter of lines" which means pretty much the whole yard save a small square against the house. I attached more photos to give visuals.

We have a year after purchase to finish the landscaping in the front which gives us until July 2019 and according to the arcitectural guidelines of our subdivision, we have to have sod in the front yard (no moss, gardens, etc.). It just needs to be a traditional sod lawn.

Not only are we in zone 2/3, but Winnipeg is an infamously cold city. We consider it now fall (early August). By late September, we'll have frost, by Halloween we may have snow. It will consistently be around -25 for about 5 months of the winter, -35 for about a month and maybe it will hit -50 a few days in January or February. The ground stays frozen solid until around late March, and we don't plant frost-intolerant gardens outdoors until late May. Growing season here is only about 3.5 months, but those months are long, hot, humid and sunny.

Because of the short summers and the fact that it's already August, I don't have very long. The weeds are local weeds. They may die, they may not but the seeds definitely won't. My questions are;

1. Can topsoil be used to inhibit weed growth if the weeds are cut? Can I just lay topsoil over the cut weeks and lay down sod?

2. I know many hate the idea of saturating the ground with chemicals (as do I), but if it's my only option then what is best (specifically)?

3. Will weed killer kill my sod too if the whole ground is saturated with it before my sod is laid down?

Thanks so much!

Stacy