Grass!

[DEFYANT]

I cut my dirt yesterday. More like.. I used my lawn tractor as a weed wacker.

I never started a lawn from scratch. And I am just barely ahead of scratch. So where the hell do I begin? Currently, we have what the builder puts down, which aint much.

So if any of you out there have any tips on gettin grass to grow, clue me in, cuz my green thumb sucks!

:help:

[jgc61sr2002]

Charlie - If you can swing it, Sod IMO is the only way to go. Instant lawn no problems ( weeds, bare spots etc.).

I would recommend an underground sprinkler system. You won't be sorry.

Good luck with your lovely new home.

[MikesMerc]

Yep, a good sprinkler system is needed. Then have a reputable company come and spray on the hydro seed "mix." With consistent even watering you'll be there in no time.

Also, don't let the grass get to tall before you cut it the first time.

Sod is a good option if you san afford it.

[Cheeseheadbob]

Charlie, I had my lawn completely resodded when the landscaping was done. Some tense moments with last year's lack of rain, but 435,000 gallons of water later, everything survived, and today the lawn looks great. IMHO sod it!


Sod is a good option if you san afford it.

[STLR FN]

ASTROTURF should do the trick. :D

[Hotrauder]

Charlie, We had a landscape company come in with top soil and seed, plant it and we took over from there. Needed regular water and before we knew it we had a great lawn. The above advise is good. good luck with your new home and your new lawn. Dennis:beer:

[1stMerc]

You didn't say how much area you have to fill and how much work you're willing to do. At any rate sod is probably your best bet and a sprinker system or at least some sort of timer. One thing make sure you water it early morning rather than evening, to prevent infection.

Good luck,

[Joe Walsh]

Like everyone else said....Sod it!

If you go the grass seed route, you will be watering even more than if you lay down sod.
Plus, when you go on vacation for a few days and don't water the new grass during a typical hot Baltimore summer you come back to a whole yard full of expensive new HAY!

In my development one builder built houses and sodded on my side of the street and another builder built houses and seeded on the other side of the street.
It is amazing how much better the lawns on my side of the street look...even neighbors across the street who REALLY take care of their lawns still look kinda crappy.

[MarauderMark]

I thought this was something else.Carry on.:rasta:

[Bluerauder]

Like everyone else said....Sod it!
Here's another vote for sod. Have 'em install a sprinkler system while they are there. Our office building was resodded last year after years of trying to get it to grow right. Now, it looks good enough to put the lines on and get together a pick-up game. :D

[baltimoremm]

I just got done reseeding much of my new lawn, I had alot of luck with a shade/sun fescue blend. Bluegrass is harder to maintain and has never performed well for me. If you had a ton of money to spend, then go with sod, but seeding was worth the extra time.
I loosened the top layer first with a rake, then used the spreader for fertilizer, watered for about an hour in all areas. The next morning, i seeded with the spreader (laying it on pretty heavy because the birds and wind get half of it). I watered twice a day for the first week until i started seeing sprouts, and then cut back to watering just once a day. After two weeks , I overseeded lightly to get full coverage, then watered once a day again. I'm three weeks in and have excellent coverage. It would have been a lot easier if i had a sprinkler system, but I've been pretty pleased with the results. I only spent about 100 bucks total.

[DEFYANT]

Great info guys, thanks! Sorry Mark, maybe next time :lol:

Chance of Sod is slim to none! I hear th e cost is incredibly high! I will look into the under ground sprinkler and hydoseed.

[sweetair]

Charlie, we built our house 8 yrs ago, and all I got was a sprayed lawn. It took a full season to get a lawn (that 1st summer was the drought of 1999) all that grew was weeds. I was persistent and limed the lawn/dirt, seeded and put down the Scotts stuff, what ever color matches the time of year we are in. Right nwow the blue bag I think. Point being, I feel I have a great lawn. 3x/year at least I still put down the Scotts fertilizer, haven't limed it in a few seasons. If you do use pellets NOT powder. You will only make that mistake once if you do. Due to the clay composition areound this area you need to raise the ph. Good luck, you'll be mowing grass in no time............

[HwyCruiser]

I fought for years to overseed my zosia grass for lower maintenance / better looking front yard. I'm finally on the downhill slop of that battle, but it wasn't easy.

There's a product out there called Turface that could be your best friend for moisture retention if you decide to seed and/or spray. If your beginning from dirt, sod might be the way to go over seed, but it can be done!

One of these years I'm going to put in a sprinkler system, but if you can establish the right grass blend for your climate that really isn't necessary.

[dwasson]

I have dogs that destroy my backyard, so we are always planting new grass. I like the blown on grass seed for large areas and the bagged lawn patch, with the shredded paper media, for patching.

[shakes_26]

Now your talking!!


ASTROTURF should do the trick. :D

[the_pack_rat]

I remember when I bought my first house ...

I could'nt wait to have that nice oh-so green perfect lawn.

A few months of taking care of it & having it out with a weedwacker once a week .... I lost enthusiasm real quick. Those things have got to be the most temperamental machines known to mankind.

I may have continued to use the built in sprinklers to keep it nice & green ....

But I started writing a check every month for someone else to do mowing - edging & trimming.

I haven't looked back since.

:P

[1stMerc]

I just got done reseeding much of my new lawn, I had alot of luck with a shade/sun fescue blend. Bluegrass is harder to maintain and has never performed well for me. If you had a ton of money to spend, then go with sod, but seeding was worth the extra time.
I loosened the top layer first with a rake, then used the spreader for fertilizer, watered for about an hour in all areas. The next morning, i seeded with the spreader (laying it on pretty heavy because the birds and wind get half of it). I watered twice a day for the first week until i started seeing sprouts, and then cut back to watering just once a day. After two weeks , I overseeded lightly to get full coverage, then watered once a day again. I'm three weeks in and have excellent coverage. It would have been a lot easier if i had a sprinkler system, but I've been pretty pleased with the results. I only spent about 100 bucks total.

http://www.melnor.com/products/timers.asp
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=lightgraytint colSpan=3>http://www.melnor.com/images/shareall/transparent.gif</TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=3><TABLE cellSpacing=3 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD></TD><TD align=right></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD class=lightgraytint colSpan=3>http://www.melnor.com/images/shareall/transparent.gif</TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=3>3100 Two Zone Timer</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD>http://www.melnor.com/images/products/thumbs/3100-thumb.jpg (http://javascript<b></b>:;)</TD><TD class=cellpadding10>• Allows you to water two areas of your lawn/garden from one faucet
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You need one of these. Works great once you get your times set. Sold at Home Depot. See link above.

[Blue03]

Its been too many years ago but I put in a sprinker system and never regreted it. My neighbor did not to save a few bucks and has regreted it over the years. I'm also a fan of sod but if you need a lot of turf it can get spendy.
When I did the back half of my yard I had hydroseed put (sprayed) down. It takes a little longer (weeks) than sod to look good (its hard to beat that same day done look) but it generally comes in pretty nice and is a lot less expensive than sod. It should be a good time of year for either. Maybe do the trophy lawn (front) in sod and the back in hydroseed. When involved in commercial projects at work, we see hydroseed spec'ed for most situations. Remember, if you plant it you'll have to mow it! Good Luck

[Leadfoot281]

My house had been rented out for years when I tossed out the renters and moved in. The yard was in terrible shape. Weeds, thistles, hemp, you name it.

I let the grass "grow out". Let the grass get tall (over your ankles!), and it'll seed itself in.(grass thats ready to "seed" will look purple-ish at the top). That's when you want to cut.

Throw some grass seed out first, and the mulch from the tall lawn clippings will keep moisture on the seeds, fertilize them, and also lightly bury it/shade it from the sun. Don't rake! Those clipping are comprised of the same things (N-P-K) that goes into high dollar fertilizers. Plus water!

Sprinklers can actually burn the grass. Water on cool/over cast days. Sunlight is actually amplified like a laser by passing through the water drops.

Try to cut the yard on cool EVENINGS only! Heat kills fresh-cut grass! Water evaporates right out of it ALL DAY LONG if you cut it in the morning!! The grass will recover much better at night. Leave it "longish" this summer. Never cut more than 1/3rd it's height. A 50% cut will stress it out big time!!!!

Bare spots will fill in. Weeds will get choked out. It took a summer and cost NOTHING. The grass is THICK today. Leadfoot knows grass :rolleyes:

[magindat]

I hear ya, D.

The trick is to catch the clippings and spread them on the bare spots. If you cut right as the grass is seeding (a little tall), you can spread the grass's own seed over the bare spots. The rest of the clippings are automatic cover and also act as compost. Of course, water helps. I have managed to fill in over 1/2 an acre this way. It has taken about 2 years. I have no sprinkler system and am terribly delinquent with watering. I usually make progress in the summers when it rains almost every day at 5:00 in Florida.

You can see when grass is seeding cuz it'll have taller 'stalks' with seeds on top. Cut, catch and spread. After it fills in good, you can 'weed and feed' to make it look more consistant. The only draw back to my method was the spread of weed seeds along with the grass seeds. I got fill pretty quick. Weed and feeding now is making it more uniform.

Good luck!

[SID210SA]

just concrete it and we can all meet there for the next couple of MV's:D :lol:

[SID210SA]

no but seriously....I dont know how dry it is up there but you could try xeroscaping (sp).....saves on water and you are not uniformed like everyone else in the neighborhood.....kinda like having the Marauder.

[MarauderMark]

Dang!!! Why do i keep falling for that thread title:rasta: