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Sat, Jun 23, 12 at 9:31
| I have an area in my lawn, about 10'X10' that always burns out at the first sign of a drought.
The gress is basically growing on shale. I am 73 years old and cannot dig out this area and replace with soil. How do I go about top dressing this area? What type of soil should I throw on top and how much at a time? My grass is blue grass and I cut it at 2 1/2". |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| Hi, you might want to raise the cutting height for your bluegrass to 3.5 inches in the summertime especially. Adding compost will help too. Be sure your bluegrass is getting an inch of rain or sprinkler water a week. Also, when cutting your lawn, never take off more than a third of the blade at a time. Hope that helps. |
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| What do you think topdressing is going to accomplish? The shale isn't going anywhere, and the problem will persist even if you did topdress with 1/4 inch of topsoil. If the shale can't be removed then you will just have to water the area when it starts to show signs of drought stress. Adding organic matter to the area might help the soil hold more water, but don't expect miracles. If you want to try that, then use compost, or milorganite regularly on the area. (This is good for the rest of the lawn too.) |
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| Topdressing is usually applied in depths of 1/8 to 1/2". Best to apply it after cutting the grass low so the turf isn't smothered. The heat of summer is not the time to be scalping. The topdressing should be of a material that is similar to the existing soil and should not be a material that is more fine in particle size to the existing soil. (don't topdress with a high clay content soil over a sandy soil.) As suggested, higher mowing and regular deep watering will help reduce drought stress. I would suggest you also check for excessive thatch buildup in that area. |
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- Posted by dchall_san_antonio 8 San Antonio (My Page) on Sat, Jun 23, 12 at 13:23
| Lots of good advice - all of it good. Even though it might appear contradictory, it is not. Do you know how deep the soil is before you get to the rock? |
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- Posted by dmoore66_gardener 6 (My Page) on Tue, Jun 26, 12 at 12:17
| Tiemco, I thought top dressing might shade the grass roots a little more and also hold some moistur. |
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- Posted by texas-weed 7A (My Page) on Tue, Jun 26, 12 at 15:22
| To help with water retention and OM that will not decompose into nothing in a year from now look for PEAT. NOT PEAT MOSS, that is not PEAT. Peat is light and really holds water well. But you are going to have to really apply the water to keep KBG green in the summer heat. |
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