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When I built my house I had the yard sodded - this was 13 years ago. Over the years some areas have deteriorated - mostly those that get full sun throughout the summer. Other areas that are often shaded because of being in between houses (east / west street) or around a couple larger trees look much better. I don't know or can't remember the grass variety but I'm guessing it's cool season.
I don't want to overseed with cool season grass seed if it won't thrive in those parts of my yard...but will it look bad or be bad in general to mix in some other kind of grass? That doesn't sound good to me in principle.
But if I don't do something, the weeds really move into those spots in late summer. I do aerate every fall and use good fertilizer a few times through the season, including as a winterizer. Use crabgrass preventer in the spring that rarely lasts through the summer; also use grub stuff in June to control Japanese beetles.
Any suggestions? With fall coming this seems like the best time to take some action.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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I have that problem, with two 100' fir trees on one side of the house, there are places never hit by the sun. I reseed that area every spring with a dense shade mix that I mix with some annual ryegrass. In the fall most of it goes brown and dies off, with just a few tufts here and there of green left, but from about May-October it looks good. If your trees are deciduous you can plant in fall after the leaves have fallen and been raked. My problem is that the new grass would get smothered by the dense carpet of needles that we get in winter winds, so I have to wait to seed.
I have that problem, with two 100' fir trees on one side of the house, there are places never hit by the sun. I reseed that area every spring with a dense shade mix that I mix with some annual ryegrass. In the fall most of it goes brown and dies off, with just a few tufts here and there of green left, but from about May-October it looks good. If your trees are deciduous you can plant in fall after the leaves have fallen and been raked. My problem is that the new grass would get smothered by the dense carpet of needles that we get in winter winds, so I have to wait to seed.
Do you have any problems with the other grass "spreading" beyond the area you want or it not blending well in terms of the color or coarseness of the blades?
Normally grass thrives best in full sun. The fact that yours does not may just be summer dormancy.
Two other things can lead to your problem: watering improperly is one. Mowing too low is the other.
Most folks water too often for too short a time. This encourages shallow root growth, to the detriment of your lawn. And no amount of watering will keep a cool season grass green in the height of summer, especially a hot one like this year.
Mowing? most folks mow waaay to short. 3" inches is the minimum for most cool season grasses. You could even go 4 with good results.
Finally, you are probably fertilizing too much. If you use a slow release fertilizer, spring and fall will be enough, since the grass does not grow much in the heat of the summer.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,576 posts, read 81,167,557 times
Reputation: 57808
Quote:
Originally Posted by reneeh63
Do you have any problems with the other grass "spreading" beyond the area you want or it not blending well in terms of the color or coarseness of the blades?
No, a good mix causes the colors and textures to blend, and without sun it doesn't spread. That part of the yard is not real visible to the street, it's where I play soccer with my grandson.
Normally grass thrives best in full sun. The fact that yours does not may just be summer dormancy.
Two other things can lead to your problem: watering improperly is one. Mowing too low is the other.
Most folks water too often for too short a time. This encourages shallow root growth, to the detriment of your lawn. And no amount of watering will keep a cool season grass green in the height of summer, especially a hot one like this year.
Mowing? most folks mow waaay to short. 3" inches is the minimum for most cool season grasses. You could even go 4 with good results.
Finally, you are probably fertilizing too much. If you use a slow release fertilizer, spring and fall will be enough, since the grass does not grow much in the heat of the summer.
Totally understood about mowing too low - I prefer the "lush" look and when it gets hot I raise it even higher. I try to water heavily but it's possible I end up a little short because it's hard to water different parts of the yard after work.
No, a good mix causes the colors and textures to blend, and without sun it doesn't spread. That part of the yard is not real visible to the street, it's where I play soccer with my grandson.
Definitely good to know - I don't want a "patchwork quilt" of different grasses!
Do you all notice if it's when the grass is going dormant that that's when the weeds tend to come in? I figured if I watered enough the grass would keep going and that would keep the weeds at bay.
I gave up watering the grass a few years back. Doesn't seem to make much difference. It went dormant in the heat either way.
Agree with that. You either go all in - water for hours at least weekly or none at all. If you just do a little, that's not enough and the grass is worse off as they grow shallow roots. I decided to also not water at all.
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