John wrote:

We are in the process of building our cabin, and wanted to plant a little
over 1.25 acres of Kentucky blue on a portion of the remaining land. The
soil is of the sandy type, and we are located in southern Oregon at around
4500 ft. The property originally had pine trees and sage brush. Some of the
pines remain, but I have rough graded the property to rid it of the sage and
tree stumps. We are not expecting to move in until the fall of '04, so we
have time to do everything right.

If any, what would you recommend as a topsoil combination? Best and most
efficient way of smoothing out the rough grade, so no there are no abrupt
changes throughout the lawn? Sod, seed, or hydroseed? Best time of year to
plant? Any other tips that would be beneficial?

Thanks in advance.

You might be better off with a blend of various grass seeds rather than relying
solely on Kentucky bluegass. Kentucky bluegrass is not ideally suited to the
west side of the Cascades, although southern Oregon may be more to its liking.
It requires high fertility (a rich soil base and regular fertilizing) and
frequent summer irrigation to perform well. It takes several years to establish,
during which time it is frequently overrun with other, more weedy and less
desireable grasses.

Check with your local extension office or the OSU horticultural sites for
recommendations for your area. Both spring and fall are ideal times to start a
new lawn in our climate and the method you choose depends on how quickly you
want the lawn to fill in and the $$ you have to spend - seed is cheap, sod and
hydroseeding significantly more expensive. All require the same preparation.

Here's a couple of links that might help:
http://eesc.orst.edu/agcomwebfile/ga.../westlawn.html
http://eesc.orst.edu/agcomwebfile/garden/Lawn/


HTH
pam - gardengal
PNW, zone 8