What Kind of Grass in Backyard?
What kind of grass should I plant in my backyard? Someone told me about some kind of honeycomb thingy to put down before I plant the seeds. Anyone know anything about such a thing?
What kind of grass should I plant in my backyard? Someone told me about some kind of honeycomb thingy to put down before I plant the seeds. Anyone know anything about such a thing?
I have an 8 x 12 “lawn” that I pathetically fuss over until it looks halfway decent. Here’s my routine: overseed with shade grass seed in May/June — depending on temperature — and September. This involves heavily scratching the lawn surface, throwing down soil starter (nice, soft top soil with fertilizer in it), then gobs of seed, then watering daily for two weeks. Keep watering every 2nd or 3rd day when rain is scarce and during the dog days of July and August. Don’t forget to mow it regularly — if you let grass grow too tall, it clumps. I use a cordless trimmer because the surface is too uneven for a push mower. Repeat the overseeding, to fill the inevitable gaps, in early September. Use a fall fertilizer (high in phosphorous for root growth) in late October. Frankly I wonder if it’s all worth the effort. Am giving serious thought to replacing with more eco-friendly artificial turf.
Have a look at Stock Seed Farms for some wild buffalo grass. I planted some of the shade mix and it’s growing like crazy. Initially you’ll have to water every other day to get things going, but once it’s rooted it can survive on rain alone.
http://www.stockseed.com
Thanks for advice. And, IMBY, interesting link, I wish I could grow that kind of grass.
My parents moved down to just outside Jacksonville… they have this really course, but green and pretty grass that’s appropriate for their harsh climate. My mother says, “It’s not grass. I hate it.”
Needless to say, my dad is not pleased to hear that what he spent 6 months nurturing is “Not grass.”
http://parkslope.patch.com/articles/fields-of-cannabis-in-old-brooklyn
they have this supergrass seed now that grows anywhere. mixed with fertilizer and mulch, like anotherposter said. we used the pennington deep shade mix on top of topsoil and it grew in well. then i spot re-seeded with the Scott grow-anwywhere mix (full sun! shade! on top of concrete!) and that grew like like a mofo, thick and tall and dark green. and on top of some concrete where i had put dirt.
You don’t need the honeycomb unless you are going to have seriously heavy traffic – like driving on it or hosting a party every night.
I put down sod and it did great the first year, tailed off for a few years after that and is now going bananas due to all the rain. Rain/watering is the most important thing – more important than the type of grass IMHO.
I don’t know which kinds are best–depends on your light. I just went to my local hardware store and asked them for seed that they thought would do well without much sun. I don’t remember the brand but it was about $12 for a bag and I used maybe 4 for a 16X18 foot area (I planted more densely than rec’d by the bag). This stuff wasn’t just seed but seed in a kind of moss (or something else) mix and it’s done well.
I broke up the dirt a little first, spread the mix, and watered it twice a day religiously (unless we got good rain) and it took a couple of weeks but it came in really well. I might like a different kind of grass better, but this at least keeps us from having a mudpit and the dog likes napping on it. Whatever you plant, I think watering it well early on is key for the seeds to sprout.
Gravel. Grass does not grown in Brooklyn.