Revitalizing the grass

[sleddriver]

Been working on getting the backyard grass in shape since late April. I aerated with a 'water wand', then fertilized, then spread a thin layer of peat moss in the light & bare areas. Also keeping the thin/bare areas moist, never letting them dry out.

Results? It's gone from weak, pale yellow-green to deep, emerald green, with lots of runners spreading into the thin areas.

This area sits in Sun for several hours a day around noon and was bare. You can see how the grass has spread in here, putting down roots on the runners. It should be solid in another month or so.

 

[andrewg]

You folks have some different looking grass species in Texas than we do up north. Attractive....but odd looking. What type is it?

 

[SuperDave456]

That's St. Augustine.

You're doing good.
Adding stuff other than chemical fertilizers helps A LOT.

Dried Molasses, Texas Green Sand, and Soy Bean Meal are also great things you can put down. They are expensive, but will turn your yard into a rain forest.

 

[RTexasF]

Quote:
That's St. Augustine.


Yep, also called carpet grass. It requires huge amounts of water which makes no sense at all in Texas. Our irrigation system runs three times a week and it's just barely enough. Areas in the sun all day still turn yellow/brown. The water bill is over $100 a month during our ten month summer here, I can't afford to run it more often.

 

[rshaw125]

Water grass? Never done it. Seems like a massive waste. I have drought/sun tolerant grass and it's on it's own.

 

[DBMaster]

I have Bermuda. It requires less water than St. Augustine, but for some areas of the state SA makes sense. Bermuda requires several hours a day of full sun so as soon as your trees are large enough to provide shade the ground underneath them starts becoming bare. I only water my grass twice a week, for 10-12 minutes per zone, and that's only when the rains stop in the summer and the mercury hits triple digits. We have had such good rain this year that I am only turning on my sprinkler system this week. I've had it since 1999 and I have never made it to June without running it.

That being said, it seems like most of my neighbors who have these systems use them as an excuse to turn off their brains. They over-water on alternating days, as evidenced by the permanent puddles from their runoff. They leave the systems on all winter when the grass is brown and dormant. Mine gets turned off in November and stays off until needed again in the heat. They run them in the rain, the day after it rains, etc. Like I said, it's an excuse to waste and shut down one's brain. I added a rain sensor to my system for $15 when I used to travel for work to make sure mine wouldn't happen to run in the rain while I was away.

You can't fix stupid!

 

[sleddriver]

Too bad I don't have a 'before' picture...it was very thin in areas.

I tried lots of different amendments over the years. Didn't see much growth for the $$$...and they ARE expensive. As the photos shows, the grass is doing great.

 

[sleddriver]

Originally Posted By: RTexasF
Yep, also called carpet grass. It requires huge amounts of water which makes no sense at all in Texas. Our irrigation system runs three times a week and it's just barely enough. Areas in the sun all day still turn yellow/brown. The water bill is over $100 a month during our ten month summer here, I can't afford to run it more often.


Your experience is quite different from mine. I'm guessing you have very sandy soil, which doesn't hold water very well. My 'soil' to use the term very loosely is mostly heavy clay and rock, save for the 4" of topsoil I've built up over the years with compost.

 

[sleddriver]

Originally Posted By: rshaw125
Water grass? Never done it. Seems like a massive waste. I have drought/sun tolerant grass and it's on it's own.

Very common down here in the South when it doesn't rain. Usual rainfall here is about 33"/yr.

 

[sleddriver]

Originally Posted By: DBMaster
I have Bermuda. It requires less water than St. Augustine, but for some areas of the state SA makes sense. Bermuda requires several hours a day of full sun so as soon as your trees are large enough to provide shade the ground underneath them starts becoming bare. I only water my grass twice a week, for 10-12 minutes per zone, and that's only when the rains stop in the summer and the mercury hits triple digits. We have had such good rain this year that I am only turning on my sprinkler system this week. I've had it since 1999 and I have never made it to June without running it.


I have too much shade for Bermuda. In front which faces West and receives a lot of hot sun, it's invaded my patch of 609 from the neighbors yard. Now there's is all dead due to the heat wave in 2011.

Regarding water, I too have a sprinkler system, but use it judiciously. Only when I see the grass just beginning to wilt...which is occuring now that we've crossed the 100°+ temp range. Fortunately I had very good rains in both May and June as well as cooler-than-usual Tx weather here. Sure makes a difference.

Originally Posted By: DMBaster
That being said, it seems like most of my neighbors who have these systems use them as an excuse to turn off their brains. They over-water on alternating days, as evidenced by the permanent puddles from their runoff. They leave the systems on all winter when the grass is brown and dormant. Mine gets turned off in November and stays off until needed again in the heat. They run them in the rain, the day after it rains, etc. Like I said, it's an excuse to waste and shut down one's brain. I added a rain sensor to my system for $15 when I used to travel for work to make sure mine wouldn't happen to run in the rain while I was away.

You can't fix stupid!


It is rather frustrating to see a 'stupid' sprinkler system running in the rain..rain sensors are inexpensive.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: rshaw125
Water grass? Never done it. Seems like a massive waste. I have drought/sun tolerant grass and it's on it's own.


We do nothing. Whatever grows, we mow. Visitors have commented that our yard appears park-like and are always amazed by my Zeroscaping!

 

[tom slick]

You guys probably got more than 6" of rain last year.

 

[DBMaster]

Most metro areas in Texas are growing at an unsustainable rate. The state doesn't pay for much, sells us out to commercial interests, and can't keep up with water needs no matter how much it rains. Smart use (conservation) will be key in the future. Adjusting watering habits is an easy first step and many will end up being quite surprised to find out that they could have been maintaining their vegetation using a lot less water than what they currently use.

There are MANY pools around here as well. That's pretty common in the Southwest. Various cities have placed restrictions on the filling of pools. Some require a special permit and extra money to fill one. It's reality time, I guess.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: tom slick
You guys probably got more than 6" of rain last year.


You betcha. I have recorded 14 inches here in ONE DAY! Tropical storms can easily dump that much and more as they come ashore.

I went through the whole "Beautiful Lawn" Phase with my first home in suburbia, spent a fortune on sod, sprinkler system, and bug killers. Lawn was gorgeous for about 3 years then I got tired of blowing so much money on it. So this yard I just mow it.

 

[Garak]

You guys are sick! I barely have time to cut my grass.

 

[RTexasF]

Originally Posted By: sleddriver
Originally Posted By: RTexasF
Yep, also called carpet grass. It requires huge amounts of water which makes no sense at all in Texas. Our irrigation system runs three times a week and it's just barely enough. Areas in the sun all day still turn yellow/brown. The water bill is over $100 a month during our ten month summer here, I can't afford to run it more often.


Your experience is quite different from mine. I'm guessing you have very sandy soil, which doesn't hold water very well. My 'soil' to use the term very loosely is mostly heavy clay and rock, save for the 4" of topsoil I've built up over the years with compost.


South Padre Island (all sand) is a 30 minute drive and rain down here is regarded as a miracle......unless it comes in the form of a hurricane.

 

[threeputtpar]

Not sure what fertilizer you used, but it's looking like your grass is moving in the right direction.

I finally found a source of fertilizer that still contains Phos, so I used that this spring and I can't keep up with the mowing it's growing so fast and thick. It was a 10-10-10 blend and it was labeled as an all purpose fertilizer.

My lawn is mainly fescue and bluegrass, as they survive the winters up here. I've also got some tall fescue that was starting to overtake the small fescue and bluegrass, but with the fertilizer this year the good grasses are taking back over from the weeds.

 

[sleddriver]

Originally Posted By: threeputtpar
Not sure what fertilizer you used, but it's looking like your grass is moving in the right direction.

I finally found a source of fertilizer that still contains Phos, so I used that this spring and I can't keep up with the mowing it's growing so fast and thick. It was a 10-10-10 blend and it was labeled as an all purpose fertilizer.

My lawn is mainly fescue and bluegrass, as they survive the winters up here. I've also got some tall fescue that was starting to overtake the small fescue and bluegrass, but with the fertilizer this year the good grasses are taking back over from the weeds.

I use ammonium sulfate, 21-0-0 as my water & soil is alkaline, which can lock up iron making it unavailable, resulting in yellow/pale green grass. A soil test revealed very, very low levels of nitrogen while P & K were high, so I don't need to pay for them.

The winter of 2011 it was below freezing here for nearly a week. All this grass was brown. I thought it was dead. Sure enough it came back from the roots.

I tried the 'organic' stuff for a few years: Way too expensive and too weak. Didn't last very long either. Then I tried Scotts at the box stores. It's about $1.25/lb! That's nuts. A.S. is $0.25/lb. Much easier on the wallet and concentrated enough to do some good. My lawn was just starving!