Who doesn’t want to have a great looking lawn? I mean we all do, right. The thing is, great lawns don’t come easy (or cheap), and sometimes the road to achieving that lush green expanse can be problematic to one’s marriage too. I’m Nikki, and here’s my story”¦.
Fixing a Bad Lawn
Our lawn was a holy nightmare! For whatever reason, the previous homeowners or landscapers decided to plant willow oaks in the front lawn which, so happens, is a huge slope. First of all, did you not pay attention to the monstrous size of these trees once reaching maturity? And like willow trees, this particular oak species enjoys water too (but also tolerates drought). Mistake number two. Then there’s the whole slope thing – water runs downhill.
Fast forward years later when these small trees have reached enormous heights, the grass that was once there has all but slowly disappeared. Now it’s nothing more than a bunch of roots to trip over and one big dirt hill turned mudslide whenever it rains. UGH! Not an attractive view, hence my obsession in creating bed after garden bed just to compensate for this ugly dirt lawn.
So, after much debate, we finally decided to fix the problem. No, we didn’t remove the huge trees. We did, however, get them professionally pruned to allow more sunlight into the area. We then had the lawn removed (what was left of it anyway) and new topsoil added, along with regrading the slope. And then came the grass seed, kept in place with netting in the steeper areas and straw in others. My husband religiously kept it watered and when the grass starting popping up, this was an exciting moment for us. FINALLY, beautiful green lawn! But it didn’t last long.
Watering the Grass – Too Much Can Be a Bad Thing
To water or not to water – that is the question. Now, I’m the first to admit that lawns aren’t really my thing (as my hubby would most certainly point out), but it seems to me a little common sense must come into play when watering the grass, especially newly planted. While my husband has made lawn maintenance HIS forte, that doesn’t mean he knows it all, though he’d likely argue about that. I’ve been told to stick with growing plants because that is MY area and not to worry about the lawn. Sorry, not happening!
I love my husband (truly I do) and respect his viewpoint BUT when it comes to watering the grass, we simply don’t see eye to eye. I feel he waters way too much and he, of course, doesn’t feel watering the grass for hours on end is enough. All that pretty young grass quickly died and it was, of course, blamed on the landscaper, though I feel it was overwatering the lawn that weakened the already fragile grass.
Sure, you need to irrigate the lawn, especially when new, but once it’s up and growing, this should be cut back. Too much only weakens the roots at a time when they should be getting stronger. And, oh my goodness, don’t water once the sun has gone down, dear! I may not be a lawn expert, that’s a given, but I do know plants, and watering too much or in the late evenings isn’t a good thing. Grass, by the way, is a plant too!
I’m happy to report that after redoing it a second time, we now have that lovely green turf back – hubby just needs to calm down on overwatering the lawn.
