Turf Repair

[CliffCavin]

I am helping a family member of mine to repair a 400-500 sq ft section of their back yard. The dog they formerly owned completely trashed a section of their yard by digging 6 inch to 10 inch deep holes all over the place, over a period of years. It is so lumpy now that you can not even get a mower over the holes and mounds of the terrain.

In the past few days they sprayed RoundUp to kill all the grass/weeds (mostly weeds).

My idea is to use a roto-tiller to even out the terrain, then lay down grass seed. I was thinking of using a tall-fescue mix (totally sunny area), and covering with straw. We don't have any heavy equipment, and we are trying to do this as cheaply as possible.

1) Is this a reasonable course of action? Are there other alternatives I should consider?

2) How long do I need to wait after the RoundUp was sprayed before attempting to put down new grass seed.

3) How late in the season can I plant with a tall-fescue mixture in central Ohio? Is fescue my best bet?

4) When I till, should I add some bales of peat-moss (or something else?) to help improve the clay soil?


Thanks,,,,, Cliff

[Woody]

Cliff:

1) yes, and yes.

2) 7 days the label says.

3) you are lucking out with the weather. You shouldn't have a problem doing it right now.

4) if it is clay, yes. About 1 inch deep, till it into the top 3-4 inches of soil. That will be plenty.

Now.... What is the existing grass? Fescue isn't noted as producing a top notch turfgrass, and tall fescue is NOT DESIREABLE as turfgrass (at least here in Ohio, unless it is an IMPROVED cultivar). Don't use that crappy Kentucky-31 tall fescue. It is as course a blade as grass gets, and it looks bad. Fine fescue will work. It isn't bad, but it isn't top notch. Go with it if the area receives less than 4 hours of direct, full strength sunlight (a shade area). Personally, I like a nice bluegrass or perennial ryegrass, but the modern elite-class cultivars are MUCH darker green in color, and it will stand out. Home Depot now carries Lesco grass seed. Their sun mix should do quite well, and will contain some ryegrass and some bluegrass.

As for Roundup. Many will say you can plant the next day. You can, and you can get away with it. BUT..... Some perennial weeds have rhizomes, and they have not had time for the Roundup to translocate to the rhizome and kill it. So, if you till it up, then plant your grass, those weeds will NOT BE KILLED! Some of them are real nasty, like quackgrass, and realistically, the only way to eradicate it is with another application of Roundup on your new grass. Do it right the first time.

As for straw. I'm not a big fan of using straw for mulch. The wind carries it off, and always into a neighbors yard (who then gripes about it). If you use straw, remember something. EVERYONE over applies it. One bale should do 500-1,000 square feet. When looking down on the ground, you should be able to see about 50% straw, and 50% dirt. Overapplying it steals nitrogen from the ground to decompose it, and at times it may need to be pulled up with a pitchfork once the grass is 2 inches tall if it is too heavy. It will actually PREVENT the grass from growing if overapplied.

Water it well. Twice a day should suffice. DO NOT let the seeds dry out once they are planted, or they will die. Out of all of this, watering is the most important. Almost no one overwaters sprouting grass.

Woody

[hardboiled]

Would burlap be suitable for such a small area Woody?

[CliffCavin]

Thanks Woody.

I guess I'm pretty much on the right track. I'll be carefull to not overdo the straw. As far as which seed to use, I suppose any of the "sunny mix" from the local garden center would work pretty well. Around here, most places sell a "Contractors Mix", which I think is a BlueGrass, Rye, Fescue mix.

The watering will be the tough sell. I'll have to convince my sister that it is absolutely critical to keep the seed wet, but don't "wash" it by over watering.

Thanks again,,, Cliff

[Woody]

Hardboiled: It may be used. It may be a headache. I tend to use the "PennMulch" type products these days, unless on a steep grade.

Cliff:

You are not looking to keep the seed WET, you are looking to keep the seed from getting completely DRY. A LIGHT watering TWICE a day will be more than enough this time of year. You don't want a mud puddle! You want MOISTURE, not standing water. If it rains, then no need to water,obviously. But no rain, and hit it twice a day with a LIGHT to MODERATE amount of water.

Woody

[RRS]

I tend to use the "PennMulch" type products these days, unless on a steep grade.

I've had good results this year with Seed-Aid.

[Alpine Naturescapes]

If you go with a tall fescue, try Plantation. You can order it on the internet. Like Woody said, if you go with the local Wal-mart seed or whatever, you will probably get crap. Kentucky 31 is crap. Plantation does well in clay. You can try a local Lowe's - they often carry it. It has a finer blade, hardly ever goes to seed, and has great color. It does take a lot of moisture to start. Try 10 minutes every evening. This is a tough grass. Bugs won't bother it. It takes a lot of traffic and drought once established, and it won't need much mowing. If you want a finer grass, nothing really beats KBG.

[jschlenker]

sodsodsodsodsod

OR instead of seed you could buy 55 yards of sod for $165 (at $3yd), lay it down with some starter fertilizer, water and have an instant lawn.