Hello Warren,

The pool was above ground, not inground. However, It was sitting on a
1-2 ft deep bed of sand. I did not remove the sand, just brought more
good soil and rototilled it. I thought it was enough but it sure
wasn't because that is the only spot that is dry and dormant despite
watering. The problem area is about 600 sq. ft. The rest of my approx.
4000 sq. ft lawn is doing all right.

I'm wondering if there is a way to amend the problem without having to
dig the area, remove the sandy soil and put good soil....

Thanks
CD

"Warren" wrote in message news:6GWIc.80772$Oq2.40760@attbi_s52...
wrote:
Some years years ago, I removed an above ground pool (approximatelly
30'x18')from my backyard and planted a lawn instead. I used a Pacific
Northwest mix from Scotts (we live in OR).

As the years passed, I noticed that the grass planted in that area
would grow drier and thinner. In very warm summers, it would basically
go dormant, despite regular watering, while the surrounding areas
(which were planted at the same time) would be looking just fine. Two
years ago, I covered the area with a thin layer of top soil and
reseeded it. The results were good and it lasted for a year.
Nevertheless, the grass went dormat again this year.

The problem might be related to the fact that there was a layer of
sand underneath the pool. We brough good soil and rototilled the area
but we might have underestimated the thickness of the layer of sand.


How deep was the pool? If we're talking about a typical swimming pool
with depths of 4' to 10', the sand that was under the pool would be a
non-issue. (I'm assuming that when you say "removed" you mean you took
out the concrete, and didn't just fill in the pool.)

And what was used to fill in the remaining hole after the pool was
removed? Certainly you couldn't afford good quality soil for the entire
depth. Assuming that you have some fill, and then some good soil on top
of it, how deep is the good fill? Was organic material added? Or are you
totally depending on chemical fertilizers?

BTW... It's entirely normal for a Northwest lawn to go dormant in the
summer. The only part of my lawn that doesn't is part of my front lawn
that's under a big tree. There's a part of my front lawn, a small
8'x8'x5' triangle, that falls outside of this shade, and just keeping it
somewhat green takes as much water as my parents used to keep their
whole 1000 sq. ft. lawn in Wisconsin green. And it still doesn't look as
nice. Could it be the surrounding areas that aren't going dormant have
more shade?

--
Warren H.

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