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23-03-2006, 09:28 PM posted to rec.gardens

wrote:
We recently bought our home in the Pacific NW and during the inspection
time it was discovered we needed a new storm drain system. The
previous owner agreed to put this in place as long as we repaired the
lawn. They did an excellent job with the storm drain but they also did
an excellent job of tearing up what was once a beautiful lawn with a
backhoe.

Approximately 50-60% of the lawn was damaged or destroyed. Being that
I have little/no lawn care experience I was hoping that I could get
some pointers from some folk out there as to how to tackle this.

Currently there is upturned dirt (which they compacted and smoothed
out) surrounding the house and the back lawn had a backhoe repeatedly
driven over it. My understanding is that we are fast approaching grass
seed time and I'm looking for some direction?!?! Any help will be
appreciated.

Well, the best season for seeding is early fall -- around the time that
Mother Nature starts to help with the watering, but not so late that the
soil has cooled too much for effective germination. But since that's six
months off, you'll need to settle for the second best.

The first thing I would do is consider how big of an area you want to remain
as lawn. Lawns are expensive. Lawns take a significant amount of labor to
maintain. Lawns are essentially just a blanket of green -- one color. There
are other alternatives that are less expensive, require less labor, and are
far more interesting to look at. I'm not saying you shouldn't have any lawn.
I'm just saying that now is a good time to decide how much you really want.

Optimally, you're going to want to level the ground, with a slight slope
away from the house. When it rains so much that the lawn is saturated, and
can no longer absorb any more water, you don't want it rolling into your
foundation, or forming big lakes in your yard. Nor do you want to cause a
flood on a neighbor's property. You're probably not going to need to do any
major grading changes. Just be aware of which way water will flow.

It's hard to say whether or not you need to bring in a lot of new soil or
not. But where the backhoe ran over, you almost certainly will need to rent
a plug aerator to make some holes in your lawn. Some nice fertile soil
and/or some compost spread over the lawn afterwards would be a good idea.
(BTW... Don't use the aerator on wet soil. You'll destroy the soil
structure, and set-up an environment better suited for weeds than lawn.

Soil temperatures need to be at least in the upper 50's, which won't happen
until the sun has been out a bit. Depending on how far north or south you
are in the PNW, this could be in a few weeks, or more than a month from now.
Shady areas might not warm-up enough for effective germination until June!

After seeding, use some "starter" fertilizer. Don't go over the
recommendation on the package. More is not better. If anything, less is
better. (Manufacturers tend to recommend the maximum so you'll buy more.)
Then lightly rake the surface, being careful not to burry everything. You
just want to loosen it up a bit, and get maximum seed to soil contact.

Keep the surface damp. Not too wet, but don't let it dry out. Keep that up
for a few days after you see a lot of sprouts. Then water less frequently,
but deeper.

Now here's where the expense comes in big-time. In much of the PNW, July and
August are very, very dry months. You may find your water bill will rival
your mortgage payment if you want to keep the lawn green. But a young, first
year lawn may not survive going dormant so soon. Either way, you're probably
going to have to start over again in the fall -- the best time to start a
lawn. You'll have a little head start, and the attempt at a lawn you put in
this spring will keep the weeds down (compared to not seeding at all).

Personally, I only water my front lawn (which is rather small), and I let my
backyard go dormant. And still my water bill in summer is as high as my
heating bill in winter. That's why I suggest thinking about whether or not
you really want to restore the whole lawn, or whether you'd like something
else better.

--
Warren H.

==========
Disclaimer: My views reflect those of myself, and not my
employer, my friends, nor (as she often tells me) my wife.
Any resemblance to the views of anybody living or dead is
coincidental. No animals were hurt in the writing of this
response -- unless you count my dog who desperately wants
to go outside now.

Power Lawncare Tools for Spring Clean-up:
http://www.holzemville.com/mall/blackanddecker/

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