The grass pictured above is seed that I put down Sunday, July 1st. We saw growth in just 4 days, folks. Now that’s fast. This is day 5, and it’s over an inch long. I know you’re all just dying to know my secret, right? Well just pretend you are, because I’m going to tell you anyway.
We had a torrential rainfall on Tuesday night that washed much of the Miracle-Grow and seed both in a pile at the end of the area that I seeded. I gently raked it, spreading it back to its original spot, and added more soil and a little more seed, then drenched it all again. It’s all filling in and I’m excited to see so many bare patches filling in with bright green grass!
And there you have it. Now go, sow some grass. Your bare summer feet will be very happy, because baby grass is very soft, and it tickles.
UPDATE April 19, 2009
I’d like to show you before and after photos of this area of our yard.
Note: We added a privacy fence, and neighbor cut down all of their trees,
added a room and a door on the side of the garage.
Taken on overcast day.
The first photo was taken in 2004, just after we’d had a room addition put on the house and were left with a huge mound of dirt. We left the mound for several years and planted on it, using it as part of the landscape. In July 2007, we transplanted everything and leveled the mound, and started growing grass. The summer of 2008 it was patchy and young, still filling in. Now, April 2009, you can see it’s thick and lush and very, very green.
Stop back and let me know how well this works for you – and share your before & after photos!
While you’re here, grab one of my amazing photos for your desktop, or visit my shop!
{53 Comments}
Whee! I just planted some grass seed on July 4– the hot part of our Texas summer– and our soil is the heavy black gumbo clay that’s prevalent all over North Texas. I started with a surface that was virtually concrete, so hard that I couldn’t even jam a screwdriver down more than 1/4″. Even a rototiller would just bounce along the surface, it was that hard. I had to water , till it by hand with a tilling fork, water some more, till some more, mix in a lot of compost and fertilizer, then level it all off. Meanwhile, I had to apply for a variance from the city so I could water more than just twice a week on certain assigned days. Once that was approved, I laid out the seed and a bit more fertilizer… watered a couple of times every day as the soil surface started to get dry… and today is Day 4 (the seeding day being Day 0). I now have the beginnings of growth, like the first appearance of a beard on a teenage boy. :greenthumb: Oh, I know that I’ll probably have to overseed again in the fall to catch the inevitable thin spots. But considering that I had literally ZERO grass in that area, and what kind of soil and deep shade I had to work with, plus the hot Texas summer weather, among other things, I’m quite pleased with how things are progressing so far. I only wish that I could have simply done the Miracle-Gro technique, but given the type of soil and the deplorable hardpan conditions I had to deal with… it needed far more work. Oh, and I grew up in Illinois so I’m well aware of the differences! It’s been said that the soil in the Chicago area is so rich and fertile that one could spit on the ground and a human would grow. I agree!! :rofl:
Wow, your yard looks great, I’m in the process of restoring my lawn, I can’t believe how many people misread your article, what is wrong with people, I read the whole thing and understood exactly, Keep up the good work, lawns take a while but are so worth it.
The before pic looks like my yard rite now, and I hate it!!! I am gonna try this and hopefully get some grass growing!
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