|
| Hello, I live just outside Columbia, SC. I have a slopped lawn which stays soft most of the time and only gets partial sunlight most of the day. My other problem is that the swale stays moist most of the time as well and I have a difficult time growing grass there. I am not sure what type of grass I have but I do know that my lawn is full of poa annua. What should I do to try and grow a healthy lawn? I do have a couple of small trees in my front lawn which does keep some sunlight off my lawn at times during the day. I am open to any suggestions. Thanks. |
Follow-Up Postings:
|
- Posted by dchall_san_antonio 8 San Antonio (My Page) on Fri, Mar 22, 13 at 16:34
| Can you post a picture showing the shade? How often do you water and for how long? How high/low do you mow? |
|
- Posted by Partsman41953 8 (My Page) on Sat, Mar 23, 13 at 6:58
| Hello, Right now with no leaves on the trees the yard is getting sun most of the day but during the summer where the 2 small trees are the area that stays soft I would estimate only gets sun for about 4-5 hours a day. I only water maybe 2-3 times a week as the area by the swale stays soft and moist most of the time. To answer your question about mowing, I have a brand new Toro mower that was set up on the medium cutting height and I have not changed it. I hope that answers your questions. |
|
- Posted by dchall_san_antonio 8 San Antonio (My Page) on Sun, Mar 24, 13 at 0:15
| Watering is your problem. This time of year you should be watering no more than once per month. When you water it should be a full inch all at one time. Measure with tuna or cat food cans. Your soil will become very firm (hard) by the time you water again. This is normal. Wet and soft all the time is the reason weeds sprout. You should increase the frequency slowly through the spring until in the hottest heat of summer you are watering once every 7 days. During very hot and dry periods, you might go to once every 5 days. By watering like this you discourage the weed seeds from sprouting. They need continual moisture like they are getting now. Established grass gets moisture from deep roots. When you water deeply, then the grass can get that moisture for many days on end without needing to be refreshed. Sounds like you have too much shade to grow most grasses. Your two choices would be fescue or St Augustine. I would ask around with the neighbors to see what they have. Bermuda and Kentucky bluegrass would be out of the question. Most zoysias will not grow in that much shade, either. |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Lawn Care Forum
Instructions
- You must be a registered member and logged in to post messages on our forums.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review the contents and make changes.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- It is illegal to post copyrighted material without the owner's consent.
- HTML codes are allowed in the message field only.
- No advertising is allowed in any of the forums.
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.