How to grow grass?
by
Peggie
+2
as you can see we have a big bare spot in our front yard. We have put down grass seed and now have weeds, not grass. My husband and I are not ones for green thumbs but did what we were told. This is actually “greener” than before. Any suggestions? Oh yeah our poor little tree is dying too. We live in Colorado where the ground is more “clay”.
First I would put Scotts Weed n Feed on it to kill off the weeds, then the grass should fill in after the weeds are gone with the fertilizer in the mix. Its applied with a lawn spreader. I use 2x a year in spring and fall.
If that is clover you will also need to use Weed b Gone for clover.... https://www.amazon.com/Ortho-Chickweed-Clover-Concentrate-16-Ounce/dp/B00F4JS3SS/ref=asc_df_B00F4JS3SS/?tag
You'd have to amend your soil, get the right grass seed, check your drainage, etc., mow your weeds...... Focus on saving your tree, it adds property value :) Maybe dig that dead strip out and plant a couple of friendly evergreens, surrounded by mulch..the dark woodsy mulch accentuates the green grass that is doing well. If I lived in Colo (my family does) I would take full advantage of the beautiful rocks you have available in all sizes and colors, and use them like plants. My front lawn looked like yours. I had it removed, put in a false stream bed across the front, added some hardy plants and MULCH! I am in love with it. Keep the tree though. :)
Hello, Water and mow, leave the grass box off to allow the grass to lay on the soil, this will give it nutruments. and maybe if it has not started to grow bt next year, you might want to go Turves of Grass for Artificial Grass instead.
Take a breath and have a think. When was the tree planted? If it was during this year's growing season, it is probably suffering from stress. Leave it be and don't worry about it until next spring when it will be acclimated. Then make sure it is fed (I love those sticks you pound in the dirt) and watered deeply once a week.
As for your weed/grass issue, I get it more than you know. But Colorado has had a really crazy growing season this year (heat, drought, smoke, etc.) and that probably had something to do with your grass not growing. Keep in mind that only certain types of grass thrive in specific areas and that MANY types of grass seed have a lot of weed seeds in them. Oh, and birds LOVE grass seed and it will wash away easily.
Since your space is small, consider getting turf instead of growing grass from seed. It may be more economical in the end. I'd kill off the weeds with a vinegar/soap mix (1 gallon of vinegar and an ounce of dish soap), rough up the dirt with a tiller or rake and drop the turf. Keep it moist but not over-watered for about a week, then acclimate it to your area by slowly reducing the amount of water until it gets no more than 1" a week. Best of luck!
I agree with the weed & feed, tree spikes, maybe some miracle grow. You could get a little "fill dirt"(comes from new building areas). OR use some top soil since it's a small area. When you get seed keep in fridge for at least 24 hours(reacts like winter to seeds). Check local nursery for types of grass known to do well in area. After you spread the seed cover lightly with straw to keep birds out of it. Water well. When it starts growing well lightly rake out straw and use a mulch around tree.