Tips needed for putting in a new lawn

[TR Custom Parts]

The back yard of the new house has quite a few gullies in it. I have cleared out a lot of trees and had the stumps ground down too. The goal is a bigger and FLAT back yard for plenty of room for my son to play in.

Have spent this weekend chipping all the brush I cleared and the next step will be to level out the yard. Planning on renting a JD tractor with a scoop and a york rake on it. Will have about 10 yards of topsoil delivered before I start. Once I get the yard leveled out and the topsoil spread what is the best way to seed the lawn? Sod would be nice but it is out of my budget.

 

[JRSGN]

Mark,

IMO, Not knowing the Size of the yard (10 yards of top soil) I would leave the soil a little soft. Go to Lesco, get 2 50# bags of Perenail rye ( white bags Blue writing) Seed the heck outta it, Rake all the seed (try to cover it with soil). Then get hey ( in the bag not the bails) & cover the whole yard. It takes about 2 weeks to germenate. Water it good everyday ( not like you have to with all the rain ) In about 1 month you should rake up the hay & fertalize. Ask the guys @ lesco they will give you the #'s. I think 24 - 5 - 11 are the #'s.

Good luck.
Jim

 

[getchasum]

Isn't rye an annual....... it will dye out after one season of maturity.
I think I would look at some fine blade fescues blends or a creeping red. Even at best, you'll still need to reseed this fall due to it will be very hard to establish, due to we're starting in to the heat of the summer. You'll have a lot better survival rate planting at the first of fall. It give the roots time to establish to withstand hot and drought conditions.

 

[JRSGN]

Scott,

Isn't rye an annual....... it will dye out after one season of maturity.

> Thats why I said Perenail Rye. Not Annual.

I think I would look at some fine blade fescues blends or a creeping red.
> IMO That won't stand up to Kids to well.

Even at best, you'll still need to reseed this fall due to it will be very hard to establish, due to we're starting in to the heat of the summer. You'll have a lot better survival rate planting at the first of fall. It give the roots time to establish to withstand hot and drought conditions.

> Yes I agree on that BUt The way it's going we are not having a summer, It's a Monsoon .

> @ my Job All we use is Double eagle P Rye, Yes we seed 3 times a year but we have 26 baseball games, 30 soccer, 33 lacrosse. Football is @ the other campus & they use the same. Also 295 kids out there between 12.05 & 1.30. The stuff is great.

Jim

 

[John Larkin]

Mark, planting season is over. Do your prep work if you like now but don't plan on getting good results until the fall like getchasum said. I don't like the perrenial rye, too light green. I prefer the darker greens like bluegrasses and fescues. And if you have Johnson grass, you have to dig it out (very coarse and unkillable); it can easily take over your yard. I have several patches to dig out myself this fall and replant.

Here's a fairly good site though it doesn't have great detail:
http://www.allaboutlawns.com I used this quite a bit this year. It gives generalities about what grasses grow in which climates best. http://www.scotts.com is good also for fertilizers and such.

 

[TR Custom Parts]

So would sod be the answer if I want a lawn now? The area I am talking about is around 100 ft x 50ft.

 

[John Larkin]

Pretty much that's the case. The problem is though you may do everything right (even sod), you have to let the root system establish for several weeks. Letting your son play on it immediately will damage it. It's disappointing but a fact. I had to stay off the areas I replanted for 3 weeks and even after that, the rake seemed to pull some roots out as I removed the straw. I watered every morning from 6:30 - 7:00 for the 3 weeks also and perhaps beyond. Gotta keep it wet. Night watering isn't as good since it gives the soil time to form molds.

One suggestion is to go ahead and do your dirt work. Get him some Tonka trucks and bulldozers. Then he can help Daddy for the next 2 months. When I was little, a big dirt pile was fun. Start planting your yard when average temps are around 70° during the day, maybe late August or early September but at least a month before the first frost. I have some reseeding to do and that's my plan also.

 

[SinistrV6]

I just put down 13 pallets of sod and it's doing great. Monsoon conditions in the South have been good for that, at least. I see you're in Texas. All of these other grasses are nice, I'm sure, but if you want green grass with low maintenance it's hard to beat Centipede in this part of the country. Loves full sun and is very hardy in the winter. A little prettier (but slightly more maintenance) is St. Augustine. I don't know what sod is going for in TX, but I paid $80/pallet installed here on the Miss. Gulf Coast.

 

[TR Custom Parts]

Actually I am in CT! We never did have a spring here with just about rain every day. If had planted already it probably would have just washed away. Checking into sod prices today to see if it is feasible to go that route.

So if I planted seed at this time of year it wouldn't stand a chance if we actually get some summer weather??

 

[Lee_Burough]

A few thoughts

I take this yarden thing pretty seriously

You have to get the area ready before you do any planting:

-Drainage and slope
-irrigation system in the ground (can be simple)
-soil composition (ammendments if necessary)
-design a gravel area for the kids to play in
-kill robust native plants that might grow again in your grass
-plan areas on the edges and corners of your yard for planting perennial gardens (areas you won't ever have to mow and will give you more time for your Buick)
-watch landscape design shows on HGTV for ideas
-contact the county extension agent in your area for local yard and lawn tips (they will test your soil too)

Then, you have basically three choices:

Seed
Plugs
Sod

If you go with seed, use a seed mixture of 10-15 different grasses....That way, the dominant grass -the grass that grows best in your area and yard- will dominate. A good mixture of seed will include fast growing annual grasses to provide shade for the more desirable grass that grows slower. Keep the seed moist until it germinates and then water a couple times a day for the first month.

If you use plugs, you'll get a good stand of grass faster than seed. Place the plugs and sow a temporary grass seed to cover the otherwise bare ground until the plugs fill in.

Sod is the best way to go, but it won't take any traffic for a while until it gets established. It takes a LOT of moisture to establish a lawn with sod (during the first 6 or 8 weeks).

Fall is natures time for grass to begin from seed. Gardening is America's number ONE hobby. Check out a book at the library on "planning or designing your yard," or something like that, it will help you through the planning stages. A job well done now will pay huge dividends when you go to sell the house someday.

Good luck

 

[Buickz]

Mark,

Up here in Suffield, CT we had a new house go up across the street and they had a hydro seeding company come in and spray the entire bare lot after they prepped the surface. They now have a perfectly green lawn with no bare patches. Maybe thats an option? I have no idea how expensive it is or who does it as the truck had no company name on it but it was impressive. They have done that to many properties around here.

--Andrew

 

[TR Custom Parts]

Never thought of that option, that's the green stuff they spray all over the place? Called a landscaper I have used before and he wants $300 to do the area I need taken care of.

Price of the sod is $1300 plus I would have to install it myself.

 

[Little6pack]

Mark if you bring in loam 10 yards sometimes it hardly makes a dent. Better off to give the measurements to the company delivering the loam for correct amount.

Sod: If you go sod you are going to have to make sure that the yard is prepped real well no stones & flat as possible. Better get some friends over to help you roll it out. You are going to need to water & water & water & water it A LOT. Of course you missed all this rain we had.

I threw seeds with straw over it a few weeks ago, Looks real plush now. If you do get any patch spots doing it this way just seed some more.

I would not worry too much cause kids will & can do grass in.
My 2 year old dumps sandbox sand all over it & the 14 year old drive dirt bike in it.

 

[jmidolo]

Having done this before..we filled my backyard.. 485yrds of fill and 60 yrds of loom....I seeded. I have a great lawn..NOW, but it took a while to come in...gets a little better each year. I went from seed. Would never do it again. Hydroseed is the way to go. My neighbor just had his Terra-seeded...but if you already loomed, that's not necessary. It blows down an already germination process started seed/loom mix..pretty cool.

Anyways. I'd go w/the hydro seed. Up here in NH it's 500bux for 5,000 sq ft of coverage. If you haven't already done it, and are thinking about a sprinkler system..NOW is the time. I just put mine in, wished I did it sooner. 27heads. Got estimates from 2100 to 2900 to have it done. I did it myself, w/all Rainbird heads all new off ebay for a total of 1100 including supplies and labor to have the line pulled.

Also, if you go the Seed/hay route, Something I have done and is easier than using Hay and raking it up after..lotta work pita..instead of Hay, use Peat Moss! It retians the water great, and it decomposses into the soil so you dont have to rake it up..just throw it kinda heavyish over the seed when done seeding.

 

[84GNTTYPE]

I've worked in a family-owned lawn and garden/ag center for that past 2 years. I will tell you what I would recommend but keep in mind that I'm in Wisconsin, so I'm not sure how much different it would be on the east coast.

#1 It's not too late to plant and long as the grass has water and warm conditions.

#2 When you buy grass seed definitely go with a mix. Don't buy one kind of grass. Perennial Rye is quick to germinate, but you should also have a fescue or two in there also. Unless you're going to showcase your lawn it's not worth the extra money to buy a mix with bluegrass. Be sure that no matter where you buy your seed that it is all perennial, no annuals that won't come back next year. I don't recommend going to any large retailer to buy grass seed. Many of their mixes are way over priced and include many, if not all, annual grasses. If there is one in your area I would recommend getting in touch with a feed mill or local farm and home center (not sure if you guys have those in CT, but it's what I would recommend if you were in Wisconsin)

#3 I would recommend fertilizing just before or just after you plant. Put a good starter fertilizer down. A good analysis is 9-23-30 or 6-24-24 or anything that has similar numbers to that. The main thing to look for in a starter is a high amount of potash (the last number) that promotes strong root growth and will get your grass off to a great start.

#4 In good conditions, i.e. moisture and warmth you could see grass in a week to ten days.

#5 Be careful how deep you plant it. Many people plant their grass too deep and it rots in the ground. I usually tell people to either broadcast it and then walk on it, roll it, or VERY lightly rake it in. Leaving it sit on the top leaves it exposed to birds, wind, and rain. Also don't over water your lawn. If you're expecting rain for a week straight, don't plant your seed because it will more than likely rot. Follow whatever the seller recommend for a seed rate (how many #'s per how many square feet). Many people think it isn't thick enough and put more down that they should. Too much grass seed will form a "mat" and won't allow for any of the seed to germinate. Once the grass comes up, you can always go back over it with a light seeding to make it your grass denser quicker.

I can't think of anything else at the moment, but if you have any more questions feel free to email me. Hope this is helpful.

 

[Ken Cunningham]

I used to have a back lawn. Then I got a dog.