CCColtsicehockey

I don't have a sprinkler system and I am growing new grass in some areas of both my front and back yard.

I need to make sure it gets watered for about 20-30min every 12hrs right now so the seed stays moist. Currently this works while home but if traveling at all that means times get missed and as it is getting hotter out that could kill the grass.

So does anyone have any experience with hose timers and all and any recommendations. Currently I am running two hoses for two different sprinklers off a single faucet so I don't have to turn on two seperate systems. I could get a single output timer and run the split off it or get one with several outputs.

Suggestions?

CCColtsicehockey

Ended up going with this one.

doopstr

I had an interesting observation about seeding last year. I always water seed a lot because that's what they tell you to do. My neighbor had her entire lawn removed and reseeded. She never watered it once and it came in great! It still looks great.

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

That should be more than enough. We don't have one here but had one in our other house to water an area behind the pool that didn't have irrigation and we just got a simple one from Lowe's. Worked great.

I agree with doopster though as I've always been one to "train" grass to not need a lot of water. We sodded last year, then overseeded in fall and late winter, and our yard looks great... and we do not have irrigation. We did water it (sprinklers) right after the sod was laid, but after that we relied on Mother Nature. Sure it browned a bit in the summer, but that just meant less mowing for me

stogie1020

You sure she didn't water at night? I would think the seed needs to get SOME water, no?

maharajamd

iTrader: (1)

Is it common practice to overseed fresh sod?

And a lot of cool types grasses go "dormant" in the high sun / high heat summers. You either have to keep up with regular watering or you have to just let it do it's thing. If you randomly water it or water after it browns and goes dormant you'll only end up doing more harm than good.

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

We had some bare spots since it was a dry summer and the sod didn't take in a few small areas... so we seeded in the fall and again this spring (along with fertilizer and weed control). It's nice and lush now. No watering since it was originally laid... all mother nature.

doopstr

I never saw any evidence of water. I can't explain it. I think she's a wicken
Her next door neighbor had sod put in and it died

I put down some seed earlier this week. Giving it some water every day.

SamDoe1

Watering deep and infrequently is better than shallow and frequent. Grass likes a deluge of water once or twice a week more so than a light sprinkle every day. Forces the roots to grow deeper and into more naturally moisture rich soil.

chill_dog

Watering every 12 hours is insane...way too frequent. Once a day for about two weeks, then let nature take its course. Only water after that if there are prolonged periods of drought. Also, it's best to plant grass in the fall, not the spring.

maharajamd

iTrader: (1)

That depends on your location and the type of grass you're growing.

97BlackAckCL

iTrader: (6)

hmmmm, I'm definitely going to need one of these if/when I ever get my grass planted.

CCColtsicehockey

I am not watering the entire yard that often. Just the freshly seeded areas that originally were completely bare. It is working too cause it is almost perfect coverage on the first try. Fresh seed needs frequent water. I only water the rest of the yard once a week.

CCColtsicehockey

I will let you know how this one works.

97BlackAckCL

iTrader: (6)

What kind of seed did you put down?

CCColtsicehockey

I put this Scott's Turf Builder Southern Gold Mix. It is funny to see it has terrible reviews on their site cause I have been having great results with it. I have a before and after picture that I will have to find but pretty much any bare spot I had I put it down and covered it with hay. In about 10-14 days I started to see it sprouting through the hay. I let it grow to about 6in tall and then cut 2in off a week ago and it is already back to 6in again. I seeded the area once and then again about 4 weeks later. That stuff is just starting to come in but filling in nicely.

I have very consistantly watered it twice a day though to get these results. Even with the dogs running on the new fresh grass it has not pulled out of the ground so I assume I can getting rather deep roots from it.

Scotts Turf Builder Grass Seed Southern Gold Mix for Tall Fescue Lawns - Grass Seed - Scotts


When I started this spring I put two bags of Lyme down over the entire yard front and back. Then I put down fertilizer front and back as well along with the seed. Typically they tell you to seperate this and leave time between each thing. My dad told me he has always done it all at the same time so I did that and it has been working great.

I fertilized the front yard a second time as I was using weed and feed and had some more weeds I wanted to kill in the front yard. I didn't want to have to deal with keep the dogs off the back yard again so I didn't do a second round of fertilizer on the back yard.

I think one of the reasons I had such good luck is my temps the first three weeks were at the lower end of the recommended temps. The first seeding I also raked into the dirt down about two inches deep. The second seeding I just put the grass seed down in a fairly thick coating by hand.

CCColtsicehockey

Ok so here are a couple pictures I have of the yard.

Here it is before we started in late March. Hickory is standing in one of her holes she had dug. Thankfully she has not dug any new holes since I have seeded.



Here it is the middle of April. We had layed down the Lyme, fertilizer, and seed about a week before we got this really heavy rain. Everything with hay covering it was pretty much completely bare or pretty close to it.



One week after that picture I was finally starting to see some growth. This was with only one seeding and probably about a week or two before I seeded for the second time. Little man watching daddy. He loves to follow me around right now while working. It is making training him off leash right now super easy. I am sure he will get more bold though as he gets older.



I will have to take a new picture tonight to show you what about 5-6 weeks later has turned into.

CCColtsicehockey

By the way the timer arrived yesterday and I set it up last night. So far it works great. I checked on it this morning and it worked great. I installed some new rubber washers for each hose connection when I set it up and it is completely leak free right now. I need to put new washers on each sprinkler now cause both of those are leaking.

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

I feel bad for the people who's pool just got done near us. They just planted a bunch of bushes, trees, and grass. This is the worst time of year for that stuff... especially if it stays hot and dry. Hope they installed a drip or something!

CCColtsicehockey

Yes it definitely is. I got mine in right at the last chance of where it would still work without needing to wait till the fall.

CCColtsicehockey

The yard is finally starting to fill in.

maharajamd

iTrader: (1)

I can tell just by looking that you are in need of an aeration treatment. Hire someone to come and plug your lawn. It will make a world of difference, especially in density. I do it twice a year and it only costs me something like $30 a pop.

Also, ever tested the pH?

97BlackAckCL

iTrader: (6)

With my landscaper running off and not completing my yard, I've been extra pissed because I wanted to have my grass seed planted and rooted by now

maharajamd

iTrader: (1)

^DIY brother. Most of the hard work is already done, right?

97BlackAckCL

iTrader: (6)

I've been DIY'ing myself, but I already paid dude for fence materials

maharajamd

iTrader: (1)

Oh. Man people are lame. It's so hard to find good service these days.

We had our exterior trim repaired, replaced, and painted last year. $2600. I've seen issues lately and I'm finding out they only replaced about half of what they said they did.

chill_dog

Well aware of that, but he lives here. And from his previous pictures, he has cool weather grass.


What I suggested always worked for me, too . It's filling in nicely, but I would be concerned about the roots going deep since they haven't had to search for water. And it's turning into a rough time with this drought starting. It helps that your backyard is shaded as much as it is.

CCColtsicehockey

I am curious from just the pictures how you are able to tell that. Not disagreeing just wondering what makes it obvious.

No I have not pH tested. Is that something AI can do myself or I need to have someone come do for me?

chill_dog

The soil looks compacted in the first picture.

Buy a soil pH kit. You can get one at Lowe's for $10.

maharajamd

iTrader: (1)

Just years of working at a golf course I guess. But in general, when a lawn has thinned out and takes the full brunt of the weather, it will usually be compacted. Word of caution though, if you have dogs, getting the lawn plugged is a PITA. They'll track that shit everywhere. It's probably a little late in the spring season to do it now...so have someone come mid-late fall to plug it. A week or two after you put down any winterizers. Edit: Or several weeks before you over seed in the fall.

The pH is probably fine as the grass there has a great color. But it is cheap and easy. In my experience most lawns need a little bit of lime. When the houses are built they don't put down proper soil. It's usually just the rocky junk construction stuff. And it usually needs a boost. Especially if the grass type is nitrogen hungry.

Hope that helps! Nothing better than a lawn that feels like carpet.

CCColtsicehockey

I had put down lime early on this year when I put down new seed. Yeah the soil does seem really dense. The areas I planted new seed at I dug up the top 3-4in before planting the seed the first time to hopefully help allow the roots to go deeper in the soil.

Not looking forward to doing that with the dogs since you said they will track if everywhere.

maharajamd

iTrader: (1)

If you've already done it then you are good to go. Like I said, the grass has good color.

Yea, I mean they plug your entire lawn and the plugs sit there until nature does it's thing and they crumble away. So the dogs will run around and get mud all over their paws, especially if it rains. All that extra loose soil on top makes it a great time to over seed.

CCColtsicehockey

How late into the fall can I do it? October/November?

maharajamd

iTrader: (1)

http://www.turffiles.ncsu.edu/PDFFil...e_Calendar.pdf

SamDoe1

You can run them over with a mower after the fact to help speed the process up but it won't completely solve the problem. Just make sure you sharpen the blades after.

I need to aerate and dethatch this year...

maharajamd

iTrader: (1)

Yea you can rake them out or use the mower too. I just let it do it's thing. A few rains and they are gone.

maharajamd

iTrader: (1)

We need a straight up lawn/grass thread.

Sorry about going off topic OP

CCColtsicehockey

No problem at all. I solved the original problem and appreciate the extra knowledge. I have not even had my house a year yet so this is my first go around with all this stuff.

maharajamd

iTrader: (1)

Hah, there isn't much of a learning curve don't worry. Really as long as you keep up on it, even just a little, year after year it will get better and better.

SamDoe1

Start it up, I could use the input too. My yard looks awful right now and needs a good application of fertilizer and weed killer. It has been raining here for days so I haven't been able to put it down yet.