A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion Plant pests and problems Lawn care problems Lawn...what are we doing wrong.

I have to reseed the lawn every year, I'm not talking about patches, 3/4 of the lawn is gone. I work like a dog every year removing dead roots and roughing up the soil before I add soil, put seed down, soil over and peat...we end up with a lush green lawn for one measly summer, then comes the winter, and in the spring just the edges of the existing lawn comes back but all the new growth doesn't come back and looks awful. Granted we have 2 small dogs that go all winter long, but even the parts that they don't go on are a goner.
Every year I use a grass mix annuals mixed with perennials. Could it be that they are jipping us on perennial grass? I've had it. Must be a better way.

I don't have to deal with your temperatures here. But a lawn takes a lot of work and a lot of time and money even here. I decided to forgo a lawn altogether and just have plants. A cottage garden, sort of. I feel for you. I hope you find a solution that appeals to you.

one time my cousin used annual grass to afford them grass quickly for the short term but then they planted perennial grass seperate.
I am thinking that you are correct in thinking that you are being shorted in the perennial seed area. why not buy 2 kinds of grasses, each seperate from one another. then you would KNOW that you had enough perennial grass seed.

I must ask though why even buy the annual grass at all. There would just be one season of little/thin grass in your yard. Once the perennial took hold I would think you would be good to go.

also: we have a member here from Canada--she may have a better idea with which to help you.

Daisy you need a good grass seed with no annual seed in it. I am from Canada as well..you need a hardy seed..what province are you in?

By the way..I use the cheap All-purpose grass seed from Canadian Tire..It's in a green bag..item #59-6303-6 for $8.69 it's a 1Kg bag.

Thanks maybe I will try just the perennial seed alone but our warm season is for only a few months so would like to see some green before that time. My other options is to try sod, but I have to wonder if they grow annual sod, hee hee and that would be just as bad?. Either way, it's going to be a lot of work to pull the dry roots out and prep the soil?
We are in Manitoba, we have cold winters here, but our last winter was mild, so I think it's because the grass had too much annual. The mix is so we can enjoy the green grass quicker, until the permanent comes in, but once it's nice and green it's hard to tell if any perennial is growing in there?

Our backyard isn't that big, so I would love to put in a patio area and have less grass, problem is the dogs need a place to do their business so that is out of the question?

about the annual sod--I think you would do well to forget the word "annual" when it comes to starting ANY grass in your yard--annual grass will only last 1 year---so you do it all over again the next year and teh next year--costly I would think---
why not plant perennial grass seed, or sod & ignore the looks of the yard for 1 season.-- that is not so much time.--

about the dogs---they do not need to much room--just leave them a place--back & out of the way as far as possible from the placwe where you would be setting, & it will be all good.


Manitoba you say.....

Your on the complete opposite end of me, I'm in new Brunswick. Yup no matter how mild your winter is an annual is still an annual and will not grow back.

The best time to try grow lawn seed is in the spring..instead of scratching up you ground..it might be easier to rake out a thin layer of topsoil..spread your seed and lightly rake again..water lightly..cover with some hay or straw(just to cover the seed very lightly) and water well.

I had a bad place on my lawn that just got worse every year due to moving snow away from it and getting cold kill..I then had enough and planted a hay..timothy mix..grows perfectly now.

Many baseball/football fields use heavy tarps to protect the grass from heavy rains and winter snow. Can you do the same for the grass in your yard?

Hmmm...never thought of tarping off our lawn? It may work but does sound like a lot of work getting the tarp down just before the big snowfall come winter. I will keep this in mind, even saving a section of it would mean less work.

Nope, if you tarp it it will kill EVERY piece of grass you have. We tarp pieces of lawn here before winter that we want to kill off to make it easier to till in spring.

Thanks for the warning(laughing) I probably wouldn't have noticed a difference with my dead grass and may have thought the darn tarp didn't work? I do appreciate all the advice.

yup, then you would be saying..the perennial grass didn't work either.

Now I'm really confused. I went to the store today and they sell all sorts of grass seed (some very expensive) but no straight kentucky blue. I went home and checked what I have here and according to the bag instructions it's supposed to be perennial grasses? One is a premium of creeping red fescue, kentucky blue, and turf type perennial ryegrass. The other seed I have is an all purpose which does contain kentucky blue as first ingredient, fescues and ryegrass.

They sound okay, don't they? and they grow awesome and lush as well for a season that is, but why aren't they lasting more than one summer season???

I wonder if we sodded and seeded together, if that would help to avoid the winter kill?

Do you get much snow cover..

Depends on the year but around 2 to 3 feet deep, sometimes more. This year it was only about 2 feet, maybe a little more, we had a mild winter.

That's so strange..it's just like your grass isn't making a good rooting system...

Tamara--would her soil have anything to do with this ?? I know we have a hard time with trees. Would testing her soil be of any help to her???

Hmm, not sure..wondering if the ground has clay.

When we first moved to this house, I had a very hard time with a garden because the soil was very heavy when wet and would crack like cement when dry. I added a looser soil to the garden. Our lawn seemas to have the same type of soil but when I prepare it, I always add looser soil and peat. The lawn does grow nice and green but doesn't last. One year we did a couple of piece sections in sod. We lost that as well but the following spring I was able to lift the sod piece up in one piece without a problem. I was surprised at this because the piece was green all summer so I would have thought that some roots would have grown deeper and attached??? I know it seems to be getting more complicated.

my ground has clay-(I suspect teh builder took the very top layer of topsoil away & sold it. Yet I have plenty of grass.

in 2005 we planted a 4 or 5 seed, mix of perennial grasses & we did not have to reseed anywhere. of course we watered several times a week in the dryer months for 2 seasons.

I think there may well be a problem with the soil (??)---and I think she needs to have her soil analized, and a knowlegable perosn consulted. and while this could get costly so is re-seeding every year.

but whatever you do, stay away from annual grass seed.

Honestly that's all I can think of also..the soil is missing something that is preventing the grass from setting a deep rooting system.

You can buy a soil testing kit from your local stores for a few dollars.

Thanks I was thinking too that it may have something to do with the root system.
I suspect my 2 dogs peeing on it over the years could be the cause? Dog pee travels downward so even if I'm turning the soil, it's probably still in there. I wonder if it would help if I mixed some lime in with the soil? I don't know what could be done outside of that other than to remove a good portion of the soil in the back yard! There use to be a lawn there at one point that always came back but I was seeding the patches and every year the patches got bigger so I would seed a little larger area, now I have it where it's most of the yard.

Thanks for the advice, you tried to help and I do appreciate it.

Is it expensive to get a load of topsoil delivered in? That might be easier than tearing up the whole lawn.

Thanks I will see if my husband wants to go this route and will check into what a load of soil will cost?

she could always try 1 small area with new topsoil for 1 season & if that worked they could think about the feasability of puting new topsoil over the rest of the yard.

I still think to have the soil analyzed by say a farming facility (a soil lab for farmers). they would be able to then tell her what she would need to do to rectify the situation???

Thanks JunieGirl.

you are welcome. I hope something we told you will help/

you'll keep us posted won't you???

Thanks I am sure it will help. I will keep you posted but I probably won't know if anything I try this year will survive come next spring. Guess I will have to wait until then. Thanx again, you all have been most helpful.

I will say "your welcome" for us all.

again, good luck.---& come back soon

Thanks all, just an update. We went with double the cost for CIL Golf grass seed. First ingredient was kentucky. Took a long time to fill in but finally once again we have a lush green lawn. I can throw more perinneal seed on it, but would like it to be all Kentucky but need to find it alone, as they all seem to be mixed or maybe they were just sold out? Is it too late to be topping it off now? Our first frost usually comes in September or October. I know that kentucky can take several weeks to appear? Please, please lawn survive the winter?