Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - My backyard is dying!!!!!! HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!

genuinegirly · 06-07-2009, 06:21 PM

Some key bits of information are missing from your description.

- When it rained twice/week, how many inches or centimeters did it rain each time? It is likely that it was not a sufficient downpour to maintain your young lawn.

- Even though you have chosen a drought-tolerant fescue, going a week without water WILL kill a lawn - if you have not sufficiently saturated the soil during that watering. You should have a minimum of two inches moisture saturation in the soil if you plan to water infrequently (note: this is not the same as watering with two inches of water, this is all about maintaining moisture in the soil matrix - which is incredibly difficult to repair once destroyed).

- How short did you cut it when you mowed your lawn? This particular seed that you have chosen prefers to be cut no shorter 3-4" high, which is honestly a bit tall for a typical push lawnmower. Mowing it too short will do severe damage, since you can cut it below the intercalary meristem.

- What kind of fertilizer did you use? It could be that your clay soil is severely nutrient-poor and once your fertilizer was used up, the plants were left starving. If you chose to use fertilizer salts, this is a frequent problem. If you put down a layer of manure, this is less likely the problem. You really should have made an effort to break up your clay and ammend the soil by mixing in fresh compost or manure before planting - clay is a terrible substrate for a lawn.

06-07-2009, 06:21 PM	#6 (permalink)
genuinegirly Eat your vegetables Super Moderator Location: Arabidopsis-ville	Some key bits of information are missing from your description. - When it rained twice/week, how many inches or centimeters did it rain each time? It is likely that it was not a sufficient downpour to maintain your young lawn. - Even though you have chosen a drought-tolerant fescue, going a week without water WILL kill a lawn - if you have not sufficiently saturated the soil during that watering. You should have a minimum of two inches moisture saturation in the soil if you plan to water infrequently (note: this is not the same as watering with two inches of water, this is all about maintaining moisture in the soil matrix - which is incredibly difficult to repair once destroyed). - How short did you cut it when you mowed your lawn? This particular seed that you have chosen prefers to be cut no shorter 3-4" high, which is honestly a bit tall for a typical push lawnmower. Mowing it too short will do severe damage, since you can cut it below the intercalary meristem. - What kind of fertilizer did you use? It could be that your clay soil is severely nutrient-poor and once your fertilizer was used up, the plants were left starving. If you chose to use fertilizer salts, this is a frequent problem. If you put down a layer of manure, this is less likely the problem. You really should have made an effort to break up your clay and ammend the soil by mixing in fresh compost or manure before planting - clay is a terrible substrate for a lawn. __________________ "Sometimes I have to remember that things are brought to me for a reason, either for my own lessons or for the benefit of others." Cynthetiq "violence is no more or less real than non-violence." roachboy Last edited by genuinegirly; 06-07-2009 at 06:31 PM..