Dry as a bone
Posted on June 3rd, 2009 – 8:26 AMBy Jaime Chismar
Boy, I sure picked the wrong year to restore my lawn.
The nice folks at Earthworm Organic Lawn Care reseeded our front and back yard in April. We eagerly followed their instructions and watered diligently the first ten days. My dad even lent us his favorite sprinkler — a sturdy, yellow lawn tractor.
The dandelions were never happier.
May came and went, and so did our motivation. Now our grass is officially dormant. The clover still looks good.
I’d like to blame the brown lawn on my upcoming wedding or my new freelance design business. But, to be honest, Brian and I are not lawn watering people. In the heat of summer, I’ll set up a soaker hose around an established tree, but never give a second thought to the grass.
How can I waste water on the lawn when our neighborhood wetlands are dry as a bone?
On the flip side, all this brown gives me extra incentive to plant new shrubs and perennials.
So, how is your lawn holding up under these drought conditions? Are you a regular waterer or can you turn a blind eye when the grass turns brown?
21 Responses to "Dry as a bone"
I HATE watering the grass ~ I’m cheap that way - plus, it seems wasteful. We’ve been watering a bit this year though - trying to save some of our lawn but I have ’started’ a couple of perennial gardens that will replace a couple of sizeable spots of grass ~ but again…being CHEAP - I’m dividing what I have & getting things from friends to fill my new perennial gardens!
to quote maxine:
“i’d water the lawn but i’m pretty sure thats whats making it grow”
i havent mowed my lawn yet this year, and i’ve only watered it enough to keep it from totally dying.
Right now, my yard has minimal curb appeal and it makes me really anxious. I thought if I could have a better looking lawn, I could improve things. I think I need to forget about the front for this year and work on a plan for next year.
Gardening teaches patience, but it also makes me super impatient, too!
I’m in Rochester; we’re just a bit below average for rain, but everything here is green. I am not the lawn watering type of person either, but there are some patches of my lawn that have been re-sodded and seeded that I’ve had to water. We’ve been lucky to have gotten a few soaking rains down here over the past couple of weeks though.
Earthworm came to our house too. We are trying to restore our entire front slope with low-mow, low-water seed with much diligence and not many results (dirt, weeds and a bit of grass so far). The non-eco seed that was put in bare spots and to overseed in the rest of the yard is doing well - but we water EVERY DAY! (The grass does look good though.) We have done an almost entire yard renovation this spring, almost everything is new or transplanted (shrubs, perennials, veggie garden). Our next water bill should be a mean one. Come on rain!
I am in the midst of a multi-step creeping charlie eradication treatment program. The next step is to re-seed, but I may be talking to the company about waiting to re-seed this fall. What do folks think I should do? I can live with a scrappy lawn for the summer, cuz MY CREEPING CHARLIE IS DEAD!
Since we seeded all our own grass originally (new construction house in the city) I went with a blend of grass seed from Gardens Alive that is both rated for our climate, for heavy traffic and for low water requirements. It’s not looking that great at the moment but it bounces back surprisingly well when watered. Creeping Charlie is still a problem and I’ve given up on the organic solutions this year. I have weedbegone Max in my possession and will use it on a day that isn’t so windy.
What? Judybusy is finally free of creeping charlie? That’s awesome! You should share you secrets in a guest post, interested?
According to the city of St. Louis Park, I can only water on even days. However, it seems like I only remember to water on ODD days.
My rain barrel is oddly empty for this time of year…
I’m with you Margaret. Four four years, I have tried organic ways of removing the Canada thistle in our yard. Fire, boiling water and hand pulling have only made it worse. One tiny root nubbin can reproduce and reestablish in a summer.
Come fall, I am busting out the herbicide for some selective removal.
Fire? Did you flame the thistle, Jaime? I’ve always wanted to try one of those propane flamers. Seems like a bad girl tool with a very good use. Anyone tried them?
Jaime, this quote of yours above (”On the flip side, all this brown gives me extra incentive to plant new shrubs and perennials”) is the exact idea that’s been guiding my planning since I started gardening four years ago. The goal is to reduce the amount of grass by a little bit every year. If I start to waffle on the plan, the sight of my brown lawn strengthens my resolve!
We used a mini propane torch. It just made the thistle angry.
Here’s my creeping charlie solution: Green Guardian, a local organic company. I was going to wait till everything was done, but the treatment they do really has killed the CC. As part of the package, they also fertilize and re-seed, as mentioned.
I was very skeptical that it would work, but so far, so good. But I really think I am going to ask them if we can re-seed in the fall. It’s getting too warm for new seed to do well.
I have used a flame weeder to take out some pretty tough weed customers. The flame head is bigger than the propane torch and the technique is to cook the whole plant clear down into the root by postioning the flame head right on the ground. Fair warning that his also sanitizes the spot so bye bye worms, nematodes, good bacteria, etc. But the noxious weed is gone. I have also had luck with the vinegar/salt mixture poured right onto the offending species on a hot day.
Mother Nature uses fire to get the weeds out of her garden. If it’s good enough for her, it’s good enough for me. I’m going to do a controlled burn of my lawn this fall followed by a heavy seeding.
I wonder if I need a permit for this?
I have had to put the sprinklers on to water all the gardens now that the rain barrel is empty and since I have been slowly reducing my grass by expanding the flower gardens.. my grass gets watered by association.
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My grass looks pretty good, largely because it is mostly shaded. I have been watering where I’ve seeded bare spots, but other areas are good too. We put a deck on last year that covers most of the area that used to go brown. Our boulevards are also browning, but they are scheduled for grass eradication & planting with ornamentals.
We’ve watered once this year, but like Chadwick from Rochester, we’ve had a bit more rain than the Twin Cities here in Northfield. Our lawn just bakes because it faces south and east — so we made a perennial bed (lots of prairie plants that love the heat) out of the worst spot in the lawn — right down by the sidewalk. That has improved the looks considerably because it draws the eye away from the brownish parts.
We too reseeded our lawn this spring. We’ve been watering like they recommended and continue to feel guilty about it. The only motivation we have is the money spent on reseeding. Well, and the going away party to be hosted in our backyard this July (watch it rain that day). I don’t see much difference in the lawn (it’s only been 2 weeks) but my gardens look lovely!
We hardly have any grass left and will have less once the rain gardens are in a few weeks from now. What little grass we have gets some water because I water some of my plants.
Greengirls Connie Nelson, Robyn Dochterman and Jaime Chismar are dishin' the dirt from the backyard garden and beyond. Whether you're a greenthumb or greenhorn, they're eager to learn from your misshaps, mistakes -- and most importantly, your sweet successes -- all growing season long.
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