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Old 21-06-2011, 02:26 PM posted to alt.home.lawn.garden
Willshak Willshak is offline
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First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Jul 2006
Posts: 316
Default Lawn is looking worse every day - Pic attached

turbosl2 wrote the following:
I have a 1.5acre lot in upstate NY that we just seeded last sept/oct.
The grass came in really thin last year because it was to late and cold
to get it to get higher than an inch or two. I added Scotts winter (4 -
15,000sqft bags). This spring (about april) my grass looked FANTASTIC,
really dark green but not very thick yet. Some areas that are shaded
more are nice and thick and green but the rest of the yard the grass is
yellow and burnt looking. It looks like the grass is rotten or brown and
dead at the base but as it gets to the top it gets greener. I am in
complete sun and in pure sand. I have an inground irrigation system with
rainbird 5000 heads. Last year i watered 15mins per zone (i have
16zones, each zones nozzles totaling a flow of 12GPM). Meaning to water
1.5acres i am using roughly 2900 gallons of water. I did this 4 times a
day to get the seed to germinate. This year i did the same in the
spring, but the rain sensor tripped when we had rainy days. I keep
reading to cut back and water deep and in the morning. I changed to
20mins a zone, every other day starting at 5am until i think around
noon. The grass got crispy and dried out. I now water 15mins a zone
(which is a 4hr cycle) starting at 5pm, then at 10pm, then again at 3am,
then at 8am. The grass is looking better but still yellow and crappy. I
just put down scotts turf builder today HOPING it will come back to
normal.

Can i cut back on my watering, or is it because i am in pure sand that i
need to water this much. I cannot seem to water deep and get it to
survie, and remember i have 16zones which 30mins takes 8hrs so i feel i
have to water at night.

Or is my lawn just lacking nutrients and now that i fertilized i should
be good? How can i tell when it is in need of fertilizer nice water?

What do you think?


There is not much nutrients in sand to support growth. Overwatering it
just washes what there is of it down further.
It is probably growing better under the trees because the decaying of
falling leaves provide nutrients there.
You will have to rake in some compost wherever you want grass.


--

Bill
In Hamptonburgh, NY
In the original Orange County. Est. 1683
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