Help with lawn in DC area

7 years ago

We've had recurring problems with the lawn in our driveway circle. We don't salt the driveway, so it's not that. The area gets about 4 hours of direct sun per day. Previous attempts at seeding have resulted in almost all weeds, so in late spring, we had a landscaping company lay sod. I think it's mostly red fescue. We've been diligent about watering deeply, but the grass has gradually but steadily browned to the point where the only green spots now are weeds. Is it dormant or dead? We've had a hot summer and lots of rain. If we seed it, should we use red fescue again? I've also read about zoysia grass as being shade tolerant, but I'm afraid it may not tolerate our winters. Any suggestions?

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User

7 years ago

"Driveway circle" -- probably high heat, as many of us have issues with areas like that.

"Red fescue" -- tolerant of lower light levels, but not particularly good at high heat tolerance, and the dormancy mechanism isn't good at all. If it does brown out for any great length of time, it's usually not dormant, it's dead.

Zoysia, some varieites at least, are tolerant of your winters because they're tolerant of my winters up here in the foothills of the Pocono mountains of Pennsylvania! Keep in mind that Zoysia turns to light brown straw at the first frost and doesn't recover until well after termperatures warm; it won't risk freezing in the slightest. It offers no winter color, but is tolerant of extremely high heat and lower water levels.

I can't speak to shade tolerance, however, and you'll have to wait for a zoysia expert for that. I'd be very hesitant to trust the printed literature and books on that as local observation shows a great deal of variance from those in terms of light level acceptance of the grass,

But that's true for every grass. I can successfully keep Kentucky Bluegrass happy on indirect light for seven months a year on my north face. Much depends on care and local conditions--it gets constant northlight and reflection from a white fence.

All is still not lost. Four hours is at the lower level for most grasses, so bluegrass (with its good dormancy mechanism) is still an option.

But whatever you choose, I'd choose fast. The seeding window opened in the middle of August and, for most grasses, it's best to have everything done around Labor Day weekend. Or, now. The later you go, the less chance it has to grow in and develop good roots by winter.

And, if memory serves, Zoysia would have to wait for late spring anyway. It's a warm-season grass.

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Comments (9)

dchall_san_antonio
7 years ago
Zoysia will tolerate your winters in its own way, brown. But it should come back in March or April. I've had it and it's too finicky for me.

Can you post pictures of the yard? Best garden pics are taken on a cloudy day.

You talked about watering. How long did you water? Did you get a full inch? And how often? How did you water the new sod?
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helsharmar
Original Author
7 years ago
I'm posting pics of the lawn right after sod installation in May, about a month later, and today (in that order, but should be obvious). I contacted the landscaper in June when I saw distinct areas of brown adjacent to green, matching the sod squares. They claimed not their problem. We didn't measure the water, but we alternated between letting a hose trickle over each area and using the oscillating sprinkler, letting it go for hours. We watered in early morning or evening. We felt the sod each time. It never seemed dry and sometimes felt too wet, like a rice paddy. It also rained fairly often during this time.
User
7 years ago
That looks more like sod loss and lack of establishment than anything else, and it suffered in summer (spring installations often do. Installation of sod in May? It was doomed to suffer, and if late in May, nearly doomed to failure).

See how it failed in patches before going all at once, and the patches seem to conform to where the sod was laid? That's one signal of what's going on here.

You might have gotten away with it by watering it more. Maybe. Maybe not. It depends on how close it is to that tree there. Grass might simply not be the best solution, but it does look like it'll work through at least most of that area.

I'd be tempted to scalp it, seed it again with a tri-mix (fescue, rye, and bluegrass) right now (literally, today or tomorrow if possible), water 3x daily, and see what happens. Get the best seed you can, but you're seriously getting short on time...too short to do much research and order anything much from far away.
helsharmar thanked User
helsharmar
Original Author
7 years ago
Any recommendations on seed brand? I can get lots quickly via Prime.
User
7 years ago
Anything with a good mix of fescue, rye, and Kentucky bluegrass, and with zero noxious weed seed and very low percentages of weed seeds.

Remember that even low percentages are huge numbers. There are 1 million KBG seeds per pound. So if the batch is 0.1% weed seeds--a number that seems reasonable--that's still 1,000 weed seeds per pound...

In this instance, I'm not inclined to suggest an elite lawn. Not right now, anyway.

Scalp it, seed it, and tap it down (you can roll it, walk it, or whatever). Some topdress with peat moss, 1/4", or compost. Some don't. Both work, although the peat or compost do help hold water should you forget, or if temperatures get hot or winds pick up. Seed won't tolerate going dry.

Water 3x per day (seriously) for a few minutes at a time for a full month. Fescue and rye sprout quickly, but the bluegrass takes forever.

By then, temps are much colder, so you should be able to back off to daily watering or every other day immediately. Feed at that time, though. And check back in for further instructions.
helsharmar thanked User
helsharmar
Original Author
7 years ago
Thank you so much.
dchall_san_antonio
7 years ago
Is the center of that area mounded up? It looks like the center might be 8-10 inches higher than the driveway. Growing grass on a mound is a challenge, and growing grass inside a mass of heat collecting asphalt adds more to the challenge.

Mark your calendar to write back with progress this coming weekend but no later than Sept 15.
helsharmar
Original Author
7 years ago
No mounds. It's perfectly flat.