State of the Grass Address

It is about that time ... time to give an update on our attempts to re-grow grass this Fall.  We did a ton of yard work on September 21st and 22nd - if you missed that, you can read about it here.  In order to get the best results, we decided to spend a little bit more money and put a timed sprinkler system in the front and backyard - 3 zones for the front yard and 3 zones for the backyard (a total of 6 hoses and sprinklers)

And, ta da ...  green grass!

Backyard - Left Side

Backyard - Right Side

Backyard - Behind the Patio

Front Yard

Front Yard - Side Lawn (it looked abysmal before ... all moss and dirt and rocks)

 Looks way better, considering this was what it looked like in August!

Growing Grass, The Fall Edition

We grew grass in the spring {read about it here}.  It went well and survived until we stopped watering in July and the intense heat got the better of the little seedlings and us.

So, we are back at it and working on that lush green lawn we dream about. 

First, Hubs had a professional lawn service come out and analyze our yard, for free!  If the price was right, we would have probably left it up to the pros.  But, we were looking at about $2,000 using a pro.  So, as it typically goes, we came to the conclusion that we could totally do this whole lawn program they gave us ourselves and save plenty of money!

What we found out:

1) Our yard is sparse and seeding is needed

2) We have tons of weeds.  Luckily they are controllable chickweed and clover

3) We have uncontrollable bent grass

4) No insects or diseases were found

5) Our soil is full of clay and loam.  That stuff is tough!

6) We get about 60% sun and 40% of partial shade

Our recommended lawn program:

1) Lots of weed and crabgrass treatment

2) Use lime to raise the pH (we had tons of moss which tends to indicate a very acidic lawn)

3) Alleviate soil compaction to improve air movement and water penetration.  Basically aerate with overseeding

4) Slide seed which plants new seed directly into the soil and eliminates the need to till of strip.  It helps the lawn grow thicker and allows it to tolerate stress conditions better.  This however requires a commitment to watering 2 times a day

We did our weed control (basically killing the yard) a couple of weeks ago.

Then, on Saturday, we decided to take on our fall yard work, in a reduced timeframe due to company that was to arrive at 5 PM.  Who says a little stress isn't good for the body.

1) Aerate - we rented the machine for $40 for 1/2 day 

All the little holes punctured in our yard

2) Slide Seeder - used to implant the seed

3) De-thatch the yard

3) Lock the dog on the porch for subsequent steps

4) Fertilize

5) Lime - to raise the pH of our acidic yard

6) And then stare at all your seed

What we used ...

Then, when all is said and done, your super tired and do a lot of this

Back from the Past ... again

Lots has been going on!  I had a week off and accomplished all the projects below within this short time frame.  Lets get to it.

1.  Patio - Regular sand just wasn't working out as a joint filler.  We didn't have too many issues with washout, but when it did rain the patio had a thin random layer of sand everywhere.  It just 'splashed' on everything and was quite annoying.  So, we decided on adding a polymer sand.  I must say that I probably didn't install it 100% correctly.  To do so would require that I remove the full depth of the existing sand joint filler.  But, I did use a leaf blower to get about an 1" out.  Then, I brushed in the polymer sand, used the leaf blower on idle to remove and sand from the top of the pavers, wet the sand on shower three times, and ooed and awed at my final product!

2.  Patio Decor Tweaks - I gave a facelift to some planters (that came with the house and had seen better days) and our fire pit - this was pretty simple.  I just hosed these items off, let them dry, and spray painted them.  For the fire pit, I did use a high heat spray paint (it says it on the can).  It brought so much life back to these things!  

3.  Planter Bed Edging - We have tons of plant beds and it is hard to keep them tidy.  So, we got a commercial edger and got to it.  It leaves the crispest line.  Once that was done, we lightly re-mulched all the beds.

4.  Cabinet Painting - Now this, this is what I have been wanting to do for several months.  I removed all doors and their hinges (I kept the drawer faces on), sanded the doors/drawers/trim, primed all items (I did both sides of the doors) with 2 coats, then painted all items with 2 coats of paint.  Note, I tried using a deglosser but either I was too impatient, doing it wrong, or it just didn't give me the results I thought I should get.  I am going with the latter.  I also probably didn't let the coats of paint dry enough, but I was on a tight deadline - my week was about to end.  I will probably pay for it later, but oh well.

I color matched BM Kendall Charcoal and Dove White in Behr Paint.

I still have so much more to do - I haven't even painted the upper cabinets yet.  

5.  Mirror Making - Did you see my mirror inspiration in the last post?  So, I bought some 1x trim and a 6 pack of 12"x12" mirrors.  The mirror will be 10" in diameter and the trim about 15" long.  It won't look exactly the same, I would have to taper every single piece.  So, instead I am going to layer the trim.

So, nonetheless, I have been pretty busy!  Hubs and I have the reno itch ... again ... so even more projects are in the works!

Flower Bed Clippings

It has been so much fun watching all our plants bloom throughout the spring/summer.  I have been hesitant to weed for fear I will pluck a 'soon to be' flower out of the ground -slash- I have preferred sitting in the sun to weeding right now.  

I have a love for hydrangeas, they were a main flower in our wedding, so I am ecstatic these beauties are in our flower beds and just bloomed.  I even took my first clippings and put them in a vase on our table!  Go me.

The Grass is Always Greener...

...In my backyard! I have been an absentee blogger.  Sorry.  I am not sure why I blog in spurts, but after a while of not blogging, I want to blog.  So, here I am, making up for lost time.

As you know, we were trying to grow grass in our backyard.  I will say we were very successful for the first year!  It took lots and lots of watering (every night, 5 spots, 15 to 20 minutes per spot), a little anxious re-seeding by hand when I didn't think anything was growing, and lots of waiting.  There is definitely some patchiness and a long run of no grass where we ran Grouper,  and we do have a nice little brown spot where we let the grass grow too long before watering.  Oops.  But, overall, I will take it any day of the week.

Take a peek.

Hubs mowing some longggg grass

Grouper playin gin our nice green grass

Some of our fab plants and flower beds!


 And, in case you don't remember what we started with ... look at how horribly brown it was after we got rid of the all the moss!

Grow Grass Grow!

We have spent the past 2 weekends tending to the grass we are trying to grow in the backyard.  We weren't sure if the grass was really growing, but lo and behold, after analyzing progress against the post mossing pictures we really are growing grass!

Nonetheless, our days and nights are full of watering, re-seeding (courtesy of me ... I think it helps, especially when you see 40 birds eating away our seeds), and praying to the grass gods. 

Setting up the Sprinkler

Water, water, water

Our local Home Depot Garden section knows us very well.  We always ask Thomas for help - he seems to know exactly what will work.  What he has told us to use:
- Rebel Shade Grass Seed
- Scott's Starter Fertilizer
- Water, water, water

Since we cannot water the frequency required during the work week, we decided straw was a must.  We also thought some peat moss (although there are mixed reviews) would help.  So, we put 2 things of peat moss down and 2 bales of straw down over the brown areas.  There are a lot of brown spots.

In other growing news, Spring has Sprung.  I love all the shrubs, trees, and flowers we have. They all bloom at different times and being our first Spring in our new house, it is fun to see what pops up next.

Not sure what this tree is, but it blooms nicely!

Our Hydrangea Bush

Tulips

Moss Away

I may have mentioned, I may have not, that we have TONS of moss in our yard.  It is the one thing our yard needs major help on.  Shrubs and flowers - we have plenty; Grass - we have none!

During our last Home Depot trip, we found the Lawn and Garden expert who recommended a product to treat moss.  I am pretty sure it is called 'Moss Out', but I will update if not.  We put 2 bags of 'Moss Out' in the fertilizer machine and treated the yard.  You are then supposed to water the lawn so that the granules dissolve and begin treating the moss.  We just waited for it to rain that night (that was planned). 

So, this weekend, we were ready seed and fertilize the backyard.

First, we raked up the moss.  Because we had soooo much moss, we literally had to rake every square inch of the backyard.  Even in places where we had some decent grasss we found out that there was a nice moss undercoat hiding out.

Moss Piles

Next, we built a compost bin so we could spare sending these clippings to the dump.  I don't have pics yet.. oops

It was amazing to see just how brown our backyard is.

Brown Yard

Then we headed to the Nursery and bough 1 yard of topsoil to spread thinly overtop the yard.  This fills in holes and gives the seed something to 'grab' (right?  I will have to ask hubs).

After brunch on Sunday we headed back to the backyard and spread about 1.5 bags of Rebel Shade Grass mix.  Topped it off with Scotts Starter Fertilizer.  And spent the rest of the evening watering every square inch of the yard.

We now have to attempt to figure out a watering schedule - the mornings are going to be tough, but I am pretty sure this is a requirement if we have any hopes of growing grass.

Oh, and trying to keep the dog off the yard.  Bonus tough.

Oh, and we bought 2 more colorful adirondacks chairs!