Is there a kind of grass seed that is foolproof?
March 21, 2011 9:13 AM Subscribe
I can't seem to grow grass in my front yard. Is there a kind of grass seed that is foolproof? I don't care what kind of grass it is, I just need it to grow!
I have a small front yard (facing west) that is partially shaded part of the day by 2 trees. Our block must have bad soil because no one on the block has attractive grass - but at least they have grass! We have been in the house 5 years and have never had grass for more than a couple months. The rest of the year it is brown - mostly soil.
I know it's possible to grow grass because there is one section where we had some work done a couple years ago. The handyman seeded a patch of grass when he was finished, and that grass grows (not exactly lush, but it grows).
One year I raked, put down fertilizer and grass seed and watered every morning for 20 minutes. Grass grew for a month or two but then died.
Next year I hired a landscaping company and paid them over $1000 to do regular aeration, fertilization 4x a year, seeding, etc. Grass grew a little for a month or so and then died. They told me not to water every day so I watered every other day for about 20 minutes.
This year I don't want to spend a ton of money (because it doesn't seem to make a difference!).
Is there any kind of nearly-foolproof grass that will grow in poor conditions?
I have a small front yard (facing west) that is partially shaded part of the day by 2 trees. Our block must have bad soil because no one on the block has attractive grass - but at least they have grass! We have been in the house 5 years and have never had grass for more than a couple months. The rest of the year it is brown - mostly soil.
I know it's possible to grow grass because there is one section where we had some work done a couple years ago. The handyman seeded a patch of grass when he was finished, and that grass grows (not exactly lush, but it grows).
One year I raked, put down fertilizer and grass seed and watered every morning for 20 minutes. Grass grew for a month or two but then died.
Next year I hired a landscaping company and paid them over $1000 to do regular aeration, fertilization 4x a year, seeding, etc. Grass grew a little for a month or so and then died. They told me not to water every day so I watered every other day for about 20 minutes.
This year I don't want to spend a ton of money (because it doesn't seem to make a difference!).
Is there any kind of nearly-foolproof grass that will grow in poor conditions?
Any weeds in your yard? If your yard isn't growing weeds (dandelions, ground ivy, etc.) then it probably won't grow grass.
posted by infinitewindow at 9:27 AM on March 21, 2011
posted by infinitewindow at 9:27 AM on March 21, 2011
It doesn't sound like water, fertilizer or sun is your problem, so I'm guessing there's something odd going on with your soil -- perhaps it's extremely alkaline? It's cheap to send a box of soil off to a USDA extension office for a test that will likely tell you what's going wrong.
Sorry I don't have a direct answer to your question.
posted by jon1270 at 9:28 AM on March 21, 2011
Sorry I don't have a direct answer to your question.
posted by jon1270 at 9:28 AM on March 21, 2011
You are looking for Contractor Mix grass seed, like fescue. It isn't the prettiest, but grows like crazy even in shady and salty areas.
posted by kuujjuarapik at 9:28 AM on March 21, 2011
posted by kuujjuarapik at 9:28 AM on March 21, 2011
Makes me think that you don't actually have soil so much as inorganic fill dirt placed there when the homes were built.
Sod is a good idea, but expensive. I think you need to spend some quality time in soil remediation, and even buying soil to lay down in layers before you seed it.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 9:28 AM on March 21, 2011 [2 favorites]
Sod is a good idea, but expensive. I think you need to spend some quality time in soil remediation, and even buying soil to lay down in layers before you seed it.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 9:28 AM on March 21, 2011 [2 favorites]
Do you really need grass? I mean, do you want kids to be able to do kid stuff on a traditional front lawn? Or, are you just wanting something attractive and fairly low-maintenance? Because, I think your yard is trying to tell you something--and you might want to look at alternatives.
Does you community have a Master Gardener's program? Or is there a county ag department? Those are both a wealth of information (usually free) and can give you alternative ideas and, if you really want, suggestions for appropriate seed.
But I would really recommend seeing if there is a Native Plant society in the area and consider putting in native plants. As a bonus you'll attract all kind of cool, beneficial insects and perhaps critters and you'll have almost no maintenence to do. We replaced our lawn with a combination of native plants and other "xeriscaping" and barely have to do anything but the occasional trim.
posted by agatha_magatha at 9:32 AM on March 21, 2011 [2 favorites]
Does you community have a Master Gardener's program? Or is there a county ag department? Those are both a wealth of information (usually free) and can give you alternative ideas and, if you really want, suggestions for appropriate seed.
But I would really recommend seeing if there is a Native Plant society in the area and consider putting in native plants. As a bonus you'll attract all kind of cool, beneficial insects and perhaps critters and you'll have almost no maintenence to do. We replaced our lawn with a combination of native plants and other "xeriscaping" and barely have to do anything but the occasional trim.
posted by agatha_magatha at 9:32 AM on March 21, 2011 [2 favorites]
Where are you?
What kind of trees are in your yard? Some trees--oak and walnut, for instance--impede or prevent growth of grass (or anything else) under them.
I agree with jon 1270 that you should send off a soil sample. If your trees aren't busily poisoning the soil, it could just be bad soil and you may need to start amending with compost, manure, cover crops, etc. You might also consider not going with the grass, as agatha_magatha suggests. If you don't want to try something as "exotic" sounding as xeriscaping, there are still gobloads of sturdy perennials that will grow in your area--ask at well-established nurseries and garden shops, where there is usually at least one font of knowledge about the area and its climate and soil and plants that thrive there.
posted by miss patrish at 9:46 AM on March 21, 2011
What kind of trees are in your yard? Some trees--oak and walnut, for instance--impede or prevent growth of grass (or anything else) under them.
I agree with jon 1270 that you should send off a soil sample. If your trees aren't busily poisoning the soil, it could just be bad soil and you may need to start amending with compost, manure, cover crops, etc. You might also consider not going with the grass, as agatha_magatha suggests. If you don't want to try something as "exotic" sounding as xeriscaping, there are still gobloads of sturdy perennials that will grow in your area--ask at well-established nurseries and garden shops, where there is usually at least one font of knowledge about the area and its climate and soil and plants that thrive there.
posted by miss patrish at 9:46 AM on March 21, 2011
Depending on where you are: Bermudagrass for sunny areas; Saint Augustine for shade. On the U.S. west coast, there are fescues for sun and shade, though Bermuda is much tougher. If you don't mind mowing a lot, ryegrass is a solution for the truly desperate.
I suspect that the trees - if they are large enough to shade the lawn area - are out competing the grass, and killing it. The trees have fine roots all through the soil, extending far past the dripline.
Also, watering every other day for twenty minutes might be too much. You need to keep seed moist until it germinates and starts to establish, then cut back. Knowing the time isn't really enough either - you need to know the rate at which your sprinklers deliver water. Generally speaking, water until the water begins to runoff, then stop. If the soil is moist, don't water. Once grass is established, step on it - if the footprint remains in the grass, the grass needs water. There is a bit of an art to eyeballing turf water needs. Most people seriously overwater their grass.
There are many other factors. Soil pH, water pH. If you are watering a lot, you'll also have fungus problems. Spread cornmeal over the soil, this will encourage beneficial fungus to out compete bad fungi. Most importantly, don't overwater.
You can till in organic soil amendments, but the real magic occurs just with tilling. You'll kill the fine tree roots with tilling and open the soil for new roots to grow. It's a bit of a gamble to see if the grass can establish before the tree's fine roots do. Note that this is not the best thing for the trees; damage enough of the surface roots and you can push the trees into decline, and watering for turf grass can be stressful for the trees. Even if you are planting in very poor soil, tilling is the key. Well established topsoil simply has a good texture because of the organic matter not only helps creat void space, but it mitigates the soil's electrochemical tendency to bind together. The problem with adding organic amendments to poor soil is that they are rapidly consumed - within a year - and the soil reverts to its old self.
As infinitewidow observed, if you don't have weeds, that's a sign. One thing to do is to talk to a local nursery about what's good for your area. They'll be familiar with local water and soil conditions, as well as climate and microclimate.
posted by Xoebe at 9:46 AM on March 21, 2011 [2 favorites]
I suspect that the trees - if they are large enough to shade the lawn area - are out competing the grass, and killing it. The trees have fine roots all through the soil, extending far past the dripline.
Also, watering every other day for twenty minutes might be too much. You need to keep seed moist until it germinates and starts to establish, then cut back. Knowing the time isn't really enough either - you need to know the rate at which your sprinklers deliver water. Generally speaking, water until the water begins to runoff, then stop. If the soil is moist, don't water. Once grass is established, step on it - if the footprint remains in the grass, the grass needs water. There is a bit of an art to eyeballing turf water needs. Most people seriously overwater their grass.
There are many other factors. Soil pH, water pH. If you are watering a lot, you'll also have fungus problems. Spread cornmeal over the soil, this will encourage beneficial fungus to out compete bad fungi. Most importantly, don't overwater.
You can till in organic soil amendments, but the real magic occurs just with tilling. You'll kill the fine tree roots with tilling and open the soil for new roots to grow. It's a bit of a gamble to see if the grass can establish before the tree's fine roots do. Note that this is not the best thing for the trees; damage enough of the surface roots and you can push the trees into decline, and watering for turf grass can be stressful for the trees. Even if you are planting in very poor soil, tilling is the key. Well established topsoil simply has a good texture because of the organic matter not only helps creat void space, but it mitigates the soil's electrochemical tendency to bind together. The problem with adding organic amendments to poor soil is that they are rapidly consumed - within a year - and the soil reverts to its old self.
As infinitewidow observed, if you don't have weeds, that's a sign. One thing to do is to talk to a local nursery about what's good for your area. They'll be familiar with local water and soil conditions, as well as climate and microclimate.
posted by Xoebe at 9:46 AM on March 21, 2011 [2 favorites]
Until you know what is going on with your soil, you are wasting money if you keep planting stuff that you will know will die. Find your country extension office and get a soil sample to them. It should only be $10-20 for a soil analysis and they will tell you want to you need to do to improve the soil.
posted by COD at 9:58 AM on March 21, 2011
posted by COD at 9:58 AM on March 21, 2011
Make sure you don't cut your grass too low. Plenty of houses in the neighborhood usually have brown lawns, while ours remains lush and green. We just leave the grass a little longer, and that does wonders.
posted by msbrauer at 10:06 AM on March 21, 2011
posted by msbrauer at 10:06 AM on March 21, 2011
If you put sod down on bad soil, it will look good for a couple of weeks, then you will have dead sod. I have done this.
The extension office is a good place to start. I would talk to them and follow their guidance.
posted by Danf at 10:51 AM on March 21, 2011
The extension office is a good place to start. I would talk to them and follow their guidance.
posted by Danf at 10:51 AM on March 21, 2011
There is no foolproof grass seed.
You need to get your soil tested by an agricultural extension (not the pretty much useless home test kit). Much cheaper to do that than try and sod or seed again or anything else. Soil tests will tell you what your soil is missing, and what and how amendment much you will need to add for it to grow most average things, like grass.
Also, 20 minutes of watering with what? A hose? Or sprinklers? Automatic, or the kind you attach to the hose? Unless your lawn is on pure sand, I really hope you mean you are spending 20 minutes out there holding a hose. 20 minutes of automatic watering is far too much. I'm a professional gardener, and here in summer-dry California, most automatic sprinkler systems I set to go off for 3-5 minutes every 2-4 days, depending on soil, aspect, slope, lawn type, &c. Definitely not 20 minutes under any conditions.
If you're asking a gardening question, it's almost impossible for anyone to answer with any authority without knowing where you live, BTW. Different types of turf are better suited for different climates and soil.
posted by oneirodynia at 1:37 PM on March 21, 2011
You need to get your soil tested by an agricultural extension (not the pretty much useless home test kit). Much cheaper to do that than try and sod or seed again or anything else. Soil tests will tell you what your soil is missing, and what and how amendment much you will need to add for it to grow most average things, like grass.
Also, 20 minutes of watering with what? A hose? Or sprinklers? Automatic, or the kind you attach to the hose? Unless your lawn is on pure sand, I really hope you mean you are spending 20 minutes out there holding a hose. 20 minutes of automatic watering is far too much. I'm a professional gardener, and here in summer-dry California, most automatic sprinkler systems I set to go off for 3-5 minutes every 2-4 days, depending on soil, aspect, slope, lawn type, &c. Definitely not 20 minutes under any conditions.
If you're asking a gardening question, it's almost impossible for anyone to answer with any authority without knowing where you live, BTW. Different types of turf are better suited for different climates and soil.
posted by oneirodynia at 1:37 PM on March 21, 2011
Astroturf is pretty foolproof. You can even chuck a bit of grass seed over it when it's done.
posted by flabdablet at 5:57 PM on March 21, 2011
posted by flabdablet at 5:57 PM on March 21, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Flood at 9:23 AM on March 21, 2011