Any Green Thumbs Or People Who Have Had Success Keeping Grass?, I want my grass back! Options

[Teebs]

my yard is always green, and i do nothing to it.

Most if it is horrible weeds, i get out every few weeks and spray them.

I noticed a few months ago a nice patch of grass in the dog run, it was about 5cms big... it has now spread to more than half of the dog run and is making its way out into the main yard... as i do nothing with it, i dont know exactly why it is growing but will help it by killing all the weeds

[MiniMum]

Some types of grass do better in the shade than others do, I think kukuya (sp?) is one of them. Our bunnings sells seed and turf.

[Noishe]

Have dirt at the moment...little bits of green are appearing after the sprinkling of rain the other day.

Going to redo the rear yard...thinking pooch couch, or some other couch grass [couch tends to repair itself naturally].

From Gardening Australia...

Reinvigorating Lawns

Lawns

Lawn Maintenance

[dancinbcs]

Some great suggestions already but I will add lots of water is needed to maintain grass under trees as the trees take so much water. We use a grey water hose on our washing machine and since we started doing this we have more grass than we can cope with. Our ground is pure clay so this is quite an achievement. You need to be careful of your washing products when using grey water as some will cause more harm than good. We use Martha Gardner's Woolmix for washing and Huggie fabric softener and neither seem to cause any problems.

Other than the water, rake the leaves off the grass, scatter them and lawn clippings on the bare patches to break up the soil, don't mow too short and aerate the soil if the water won't sink in. I have found a tent pole upside down works well to punch holes in the ground.

Kikuyu is hardy and grows fast in the summer but tends to disappear a bit in winter so overseed with a winter grass mix as well. The various types of Buffalo are hard wearing but a lot of dogs are allergic to them. I once herd Rob Zammit comment on radio that most dogs are allergic to the well known Sir Walter buffalo that has the reputation for being so easy to grow.

[dianed]

Some types of grass do better in the shade than others do, I think kukuya (sp?) is one of them. Our bunnings sells seed and turf.

If you live in coastal NSW and Sydney surrounds you can,t beat Kikuyu. Some people view it as a weed but for a dog lawn its the best. Available in turf form or in seed mixes.

[horus]

Some types of grass do better in the shade than others do, I think kukuya (sp?) is one of them. Our bunnings sells seed and turf.

If you live in coastal NSW and Sydney surrounds you can,t beat Kikuyu. Some people view it as a weed but for a dog lawn its the best. Available in turf form or in seed mixes.

Totally agree!!! I have 3 dogs and I'm a professional horticulturist, so you won't get a better recommendation than that! Kikuyu grows before your eyes during summer, especially after rain (like this time of year ) so you could easily have to mow it twice a week if you want to keep it looking good, or at least weekly so it doesn't get away on you. I've neglected to mow mine and had to put cow bells on the dogs so I could find them in the backyard. But, Kikuyu will tolerate a fair amount of traffic, will recuperate very quickly if damaged, is reasonably drought tolerant and will stay green during winter (as long as there are no really heavy frosts). I get a lot of comments about my lawn and it is just Kikuyu, left long. If you cut it a few notches on the mower higher than you normally would your grass won't grow as quickly and always looks good. Most race courses use Kikuyu cut about 4 inches long.

This photo was taken in November last year.

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[Poo d'état]

Damn, wish i'd read about kikuyu before we had our lawn relaid some months ago... Ours kinda died from the start, it's the first lawn we've had and didn't think about maintenance during the 6 weeks we waited for settlement, so the grass was about 2 feet tall when we moved in, and was pretty much half dead down the bottom (was just at the end of last summer too). The dogs weren't much help with replenishing it either . So we're on our second one now, and there are bits that keep threatening to go, but overall it seems to be holding up. Will definitely get onto kikuyu if it dies on us again.

[Cosmolo]

We have kikuyu too and it stands up really well to 4 dogs. We do alternate between dogs toileting front and back every few weeks too in addition to what everyone else has said.

[Edslaine]

I've got kikuyu too on a double town block. The lawn took a beating here in the summer - especially the three weeks of 40 degrees. It looked like it would never recover. I don't water it. We've just had a couple of days of rain - first for months and in three days the lawn is looking much healthier. Great stuff - tough as old boots. I don't see bald patches from dog wee or dog paths. I took some of the runners to a friend's place and she planted them in her 'lawn'. Kikuyu spreads quickly.

[NorthernStarPits]

Every year or so, spread some top soil (thin layer or thick depending) over the existing lawn and throw down seed.

When you mow, dont use a catcher, let it spread break down and build some thickness over time.

If its wee burning the grass soak it with water.

This post has been edited by NorthernStarPits: 18th Mar 2009 - 07:59 PM

[Erny]

Every year or so, spread some top soil (thin layer or thick depending) over the existing lawn ...

I did this last Spring (in anticipation of a hot, dry summer) and combined with using the grey water from the washing machine as well as some wonderful help from some friends who have a dam, a truck and a 1000 litre water tank with it, it saw the lawn through the worst of our summer. Last year I did the water bit, but it didn't look as well as it does now even for all the scorching hot weather we've had. So I'd say the top dressing set it up to 'win' this season. It's not perfect and it is suffering some wear and tear from the dog, but it's ok and the back yard is predominantly lawn.

When you mow, dont use a catcher, let it spread break down and build some thickness over time.

I do this every now and again. You don't want too much of the lawn mulch as it can suffocate the grass. I also don't do it if I've not been good by keeping up with de-weeding the lawn. Otherwise, I'm only spreading weed seed all over the place.

But I must get some lawn seed and re-seed it. I think that will help it along just that bit more.

This post has been edited by Erny: 18th Mar 2009 - 08:11 PM

[jr_inoz]

So...as the super long title says....are their any greenies here that have succesfully managed to avoid big, huge, bare patches of dirt?

Someone posted a photo and said they manage to keep their grass by never mowing the grass shorter than 10cm, and any bare patches they sectionied it off and the ground is loosened so water/sunlight/air can get to the roots of grass and regrow...

Anybody else have tips?

We have huge trees (stupid weed ones) that have already started dropping MASSES of crappy leaves on the grassy/dirt areas... Short of chopping them down so more sun can get to the grass....should we rake up the leaves? Or leave them to 'deposit nutrients into the soil' like my OH says? Also the soil is hard and compacted so I guess the leaves stop more dust from raising up...

But anyway... advice and tips? *bats eyelids*

i could only grow 'moss' along the side of my place - grass ok out the back. I had to have it all killed off and ripped up lately cos my dog was allergic to the kykuya (sp). I had santa ana planted in its place - it is thriving everywhere (although a bit 'flat' where my dog runs alot) and doing exceptionally well along the side of my house which has lots of shade where previously no grass would grow. You might want to try a more shade tolerant grass variety. Other than that - i am definitely not a green thumb.

(I also had subsurface drippers installed - wonderful - so glad i did!)

[sandgrubber]

Any new green thumb people with advice?

Grass needs light. Full stop. You must rake leaves if they pile up or you will get bare spots. It also needs some nutrient, but if you have clay soils, that won't go down the gurgler as fast as it does here in WA on sand. Organic fertilizers are better but the dogs find them exciting and may dig when they are applied . . . so chemical stuff may be a better way to go. You should be able to find some grass seeds that are more shade tolerant . . . or plant Dichondra repens in with the grass. If you introduce more shade tolerant species they will eventually take over, provided nutrient and water are available and the dogs aren't using it as a digging pit.

[kritta]

i'm waiting for an answer too
my problem is the dogs sit by the side gate all day long and the grass is dead there. I'm thinking of paving just that area when I figure out how to do it.

A couple of Better Homes and Gardens magazines ago they showed how to make a paved area with plants under a problem shady tree, they make it look so easy! I don't think it is at all!

We just finished paving and never again!!
Just an idea....could lay those coloured stones down, look good and provide good drainage, only small problem with them is that some dogs don't like walking on them!

[hortfurball]

Any new green thumb people with advice?

Why? Don't you like what the others had to say?

Opps no this one is the last - do NOT scalp your lawn.

Depends on the turf. The company i've ordered mine through recommends to scalp it once a year.

Don't listen to them. Anyone who recommends scalping a lawn at all needs a smack on the hand. That went out in the eighties, along with top dressing with yellow builder's sand...like adding clay to a lawn was ever a good idea. Thankfully we have progressed in our knowledge since then. (It may also have been a Perth based fallacy...I can't imagine anyone recommending top dressing with yellow builders sand on clay soils!)

Some good advice offered here, it has pretty much all been covered, but then someone else has come and offered the exact opposite advice so if you're reading this and not totally confused by now, you're doing well!

As a qualified Horticulturist (Yep, that's right, it's not HOTfurball, it's HORTfurball ) whose ex partner used to be a greenskeeper for the WA Cricket grounds, here's my take...

The best thing you can do for your lawn is to hire a Lawn Aerator for half a day from your local hire shop, rake up the plugs it removes and dispose or compost them, and lightly top dress the lawn with a lovely rich soil improver (also known as soil conditioner) which will both fertilise the soil and add water retentive qualities. Doing it yourself with a garden fork can simply compact the soil further as you are compressing it with each hole you poke. Wiggling the fork will loosen the top level but without hollow tines, the soil that is displaced is simply compacted further down, creating a more difficult to fix long term issue. If you have clay soils, add gypsum as it helps to stop that dry clay-pan effect in summer and the mushy mud-pie effect in winter. If you have sand, have a good cry to get it out of your system then commit yourself to years of back breaking and unrewarding work. Sandy soils will always revert to sand, no matter how much good stuff you add, so the trick is to keep repeating everything approximately every three years.

Use Dynamic Lifter a few times a year to ensure the soil under your lawn doesn't become too acidic. Wetting agent should be applied at the beginning of Spring, Summer and Autumn. In Winter the grass is pretty much dormant so there's no point, and it will just get washed away by the Winter rain anyway. If there is no change when you use the wetting agent, apply again on a weekly basis until you see some effect. If your soil is highly water repellent it may need two or three repeat applications before you see results. I have found the clip-on hose packs far superior to the granular forms.

It is better to give one good deep soaking than to water shallowly two or three times. For those with no/minimal water restrictions, you are better to water once a week for half an hour than every second day for ten minutes. Watering more deeply but less often encourages deeper root growth, and the grass can tolerate drought better. If you don't do anything from the first two paragraphs though, watering will basically be a waste of time. Without the wetting agent's hard work, the water will run off clay soils, and will seep straight through sandy soils.

Do rake up fallen leaves (they stop the essential sunlight from reaching the grass), and don't make a habit of mowing without the catcher. Once or twice a year is ok, to add organic matter back to the soil, but any more just adds to the issue of thatching, and also stops sun from reaching the lawn. You have to give the previous lot of grass clippings a chance to break down before you go adding another lot on top. Also, as Erny said, don't do it if you aren't 100% on top of the weeding, or you'll be creating a whole lot more weeding for yourself next year.

Lastly, thin the shade canopy of trees if at all possible, or plant a lawn alternative underneath instead, either a garden bed, or dichondra repens, so long as you don't mind it spreading into the rest of your lawn and any nearby garden beds that don't have a good solid edge at least 10cm deep.

Have fun.