I recently bought a home in Gilbert, AZ (Phoenix area for those that don't know Gilbert). I don't have much grass to maintain, about 1200sq ft of Bermuda grass. I want to transition to an organic program and would like to do so as soon as possible. Now I do have some problems:

1. I believe some of the "grass" is nutsedge. I do have pictures of both lawns if I can email them to someone to help identify it.

2. The ground looks very compact. I tried digging in it with my fingers to see if it was moist and I could not get down at all.

3. Some areas in the backyard do not grow any grass due to dense shade from two mature trees. I would like to fix this problem if possible.

All right, those are the problems I have come up with. I figure some aeration, compost, and some deep waterings would be a good start going into the winter time here. Believe it or not, the grass is still green and we're still hitting 90s here.

Let me know what you think and thank you in advance.

Vicente

1) Nutsedge is challenging whether you are trying to stay organic or not. Most chemicals don't work very well on it although there are a few products that specifically target this weed (sledgehammer etc.) The problem is the "nut" part. This weed forms little nut shaped bulbs in its roots a energy reserves. If you kill of the top, it just regrows from the "nut". The quickest way to get rid of them is just to dig them up - dig, not pull. If you pull, you will likely just get the topgrowth and miss the nut.

2) Getting on a consistent watering schedule and using organic fertilizers will slowly improve the soil. For a much quicker fix: Water for 15 minutes. Let it soak in. Water for 15 minutes. Let it soak in. Do this a bunch of times in a row until you can actually get a shovel into the ground. Then, wait a day and rent a plug aerator. Make a couple of passes over the whole area. Then, sprinkle a layer of compost over everything and then rake/broom the area to knock some of the compost into the holes.

3. Bermuda won't grow in shade. You can plant St Augustine grass there if you really want grass. I don't think it looks very good next to bermuda though. Personally, I would make beds, patios, sitting spots etc out of the shady spots. Grass likes to grow in the sun. If you walk in the forest, you aren't going to see a ton of grass growing there. It is a lot easier to follow nature than to fight against it.

I probably won't start on it till spring time and just let it all go dormant for right now. I do wish the previous owner would have taken a little more care of his lawns. ;)

If the OP had acres??? That would present some challenges. You can still do it, but the weight and cost of the materials could be problematic.

Can I afford to water 3 times a week during the warm season and 1 to 2 times per week in cool season? Phoenix has some real challenges, but they can be over come with money, or I mean water.

I also know an organic farmer who basically turned his area of the desert into an oasis. His process is compost, compost tea, and fish emulsion. My work has done work with him so he will be giving me a break on cost.

All in all, it is pretty exciting but I do know the cost will be up there, especially for the summer months.