Trashed lawn - Where Do I Begin?

14 years ago

I just purchased a 30 y.o. home last December. Late this spring there was some grading done and the excavator brought in a load of "dirt". It is very light in color and even the weeds don't seem to have an interest in it.

Someone told me I could have it analyzed by the local farm service and this was their output:

Wph 5.5

OM 1.0%

OM LBS/A: 20

P LBS/A: 41

K LBS/A: 141

I asked them if the could recommend a fertilizer and they said to use per 1,000 sq ft:

150 lbs limestone

9 lbs 0-46-0
9 lbs 0-0-60

That comes out to 800 lbs of lime and fertilizer! That can't be right, can it? All this is Greek to me. The soil looks really bad, and we are in the worst drought since the 1930s. The grass in the front of the house looked okay, before the drought.

In the rear of the house there is a slope, and the one rain we had all summer made several gullies. I bought some woven hay, like they use along highways, but haven't laid it out you.

I am really concerned about further erosion on the slope. I wasn't going to attempt to grow grass this summer, but I'm worried that further rain will trench it badly.

We have a lot of shady areas in the south facing yard, and lots of sun in the north facing yard (front yard). There may be zoysiagrass in the front yard, but not quite sure. I had a landscaping outfit come out and they said there is 6,000 sq.ft. (I think that's exaggerated)to deal with and it would cost me $1,700 to fertilize and seed. Another $800 if I wanted the woven grass mat everywhere.

So that is my is my dilemma. What is my best approach? So, my specific questions would be:

What kind of fertilizer should I use and how should I apply it? Right now, I have few special tools.

I have access to alpha rabbit food for $12.00/50 lbs. Would that be of any use?

How/when should I apply the grass seed? What type?

Should I fertilize, then put grass seed on top of that, then hay on top of that and wait for the next rain? Can I do that all lat once?

In my former homes all I had to do was Weed & Feed & mow. This new is a whole new ball game.

Thanks in advance, for your advice.

Sam

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Comments (4)

sammyq2
Original Author
14 years ago
Photo of the side area. The barren area are all around the house.
grass1950
14 years ago
That fill looks like sand. How deep is the fill? How deep was the soil sample you sent for analysis? Did you take samples of the soil that wan't covered with fill? You should take proper samples of each type of soil profile you have and get a full analysis of each from Logan Labs in Ohio.
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sammyq2
Original Author
14 years ago
Grass1950, thanks for the reply.

No, the fill they used was some kind of dirt, may have clay in it. I wish they had brought dark topsoil, but no.

For the sample, I took a couple handfulls of that new dirt, and a lesser amount of the darker topsoil where they had been digging. The overall sample looked darker than just the light stuff.

I am not looking for golf course quality, but good enough to control the erosion and make it look half presentable. We are spending tons of time and $$$ rehabbing the house, and the lawn isn't such a priority - yet.

Another thought, we have lots of pine trees in the area and brown fallen pine needles are plentiful. What would you think about using them as new organic material to help get things started?
grass1950
14 years ago
The term "fill" implies a depth below the root zone. You have 2 different soils with their own profiles and characteristics. The fill soil and the native soil. This is one of the reasons it is recommended that fill soil be compatable with the existing soil. Unless you want to replace the fill with a compatable topsoil to a depth below the root zone, I suggest you get comprehensive soil tests from a reputable lab for the root zone (3-6" down) of the native soil and another of the fill. The test you had done where you mixed the soils is not accurate and therefor not usefull. Once you have the results people here can advise you on what to do to improve the fill for turf growth (doesen't mater if you want a showcase lawn or just ground cover) and whether you can treat the whole lawn or just the fill areas and what amendments to use to prepare the soil for Fall planting. Not much of anything can be planted in the heat and drought of Summer and survive. You might look into using landscape blankets to protect from erosion in the meantime.