The Plant Man column
for publication week of 03/19/06 - 03/25/06
(742 words)
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The Plant Man
by Steve Jones
Reader needs help with forlorn lawn
QUESTION: "My husband and I ripped up our yard a year ago, put in a
sprinkler system and put down sod. It looked great for a few months and
then in August we went away for a week and didn't water the grass. When
we returned, our yard looked fried. I must say that we were not the
most diligent about watering except for the first month or so after
putting the sod down.
"Nor were we great about cutting the grass. It got pretty high at
times so that when we would cut it, it looked brown after the mowing.
So here we are a year later with a yard that looks worse than last
year. I read your article about seeding this time of year and realize
that we should have attempted to fix it last fall. Is there anyway to
salvage the sod now or do we need to start over?
"I should tell you we have quite a few oak trees in our yard but it
still gets tons of sun. Any help you could provide would be greatly
appreciated." - Laura
ANSWER: Frequent watering, such as daily to every other day, doesn't
grow a deep rooted lawn. Plants, including grass, need to stress a bit
to develop deeper growing roots for survival, which is probably why it
looked bad when you returned from your trip. Once a week or every 4-5
days is certainly enough to water. The blade setting on you mower
should cut no shorter than 3 inches. Many people set their mower blades
at 2 inches and less which scalps a lawn and doesn't give any shading
to the grass to protect it from the heat.
Even sod needs to be reseeded seasonally (at least annually) to keep it
thick. You aren't too late to seed over your lawn. Use a rake to
scratch up the soil in any bald areas and then reseed. If you don't
have rainfall within following few days, you will definitely want to
run the sprinklers on it and then continue watering every 4-5 days or
so. There may always be problems with the grass near the oak trees, but
that is normal. If it continues to look bad, you may want to think
about groundcovers or other alternatives. Good luck!
QUESTION: "Hi, we are looking to landscape our yard this year. We
have a half-acre of land and are looking to plant some fast growing
trees and evergreens. Do you have any suggestions? We would like trees
that have beautiful fall color." - M. Wood
ANSWER: There are many factors that enter into landscaping. Overhead
utilities, existing plants, and the color of the house's exterior
(red brick, yellow vinyl, etc) are a few things that can affect a
selection of taller growing trees. Most of the extremely fast growing
trees will still grow quite tall and wide as well, even though some are
short lived.
On a half-acre lot you may want to consider trees that are tall and
slim such as slender silhouette sweetgum, first lady cherry, Japanese
red maples, bald cypress peve minaret, lavender twist red bud, weeping
higan, crape myrtles, sourwood, kwanzan cherry, emerald green
arborvitae, jane magnolia, and degroots spire arborvitae.
Some of these plants are faster growing, but those like the arborvitae
are only moderate growers. Select trees that compliment your house
color. A white blooming tree in front of a white or cream vinyl will
not be as striking as if you had a dark red brick home. Lots of shrubs
and perennials with seasonal color can also add interest to your
landscape.
QUESTION: "I am looking for a small shrub to make a thick row around
a driveway to act as a border. I'm thinking maybe a boxwood might work.
I want it to be thick but not too high, maybe 18" or so, in half sun
and half shade, zone 9. Do you have any suggestions?" - Emmett
Robichaux
ANSWER: Although boxwood is a nice plant, it is very slow growing. Here
are a couple of other suggestions you could think about as
alternatives: Crimson pygmy barberry, Forever Pink hydrangea, or
perhaps a flowering quince. For an unusual option, consider bamboo.
The Plant Man is here to help. Send questions about trees, shrubs and
landscaping to steve@landsteward.org. For resources and additional
information, or to subscribe to Steve's free weekly e-mailed
newsletter, go to www.landsteward.org
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