Seeing green

Green grass that is. After struggling for 6 years to grow grass here, this fall I'm making yet another attempt. We're surrounded by woods and the trees suck the moisture out of the ground. Add to that the compacted Virginia clay and it's a "tough row to hoe." In some spots the ground is so hard it doesn't even make mud after a rain! After a moderately wet start to fall, I was able aerate thoroughly. Just over two weeks ago I put down seed, and very heavily at that. Wouldn't you know it, no rain since and none predicted for the next week. I've been running the sprinkler daily around the house, and the seed has sprouted. Seeing green out there instead of red clay is cool, but I wonder if I can get it established. I've not been able to water out to the easement along the street. All that seed in those areas is a bust. The street easement is bare dirt, and has been for 6 years. Somehow the developer was able to get one over on the county and never properly established grass along the street. And the pathetic part of the story is that our HOA pays a service to drive mowers over it once a week and blow dust clouds down the street.

We've also put down some organic fertilizer from Gardens Alive. We used this stuff at our previous house and it did wonders for the Virginia red clay "soil." I'm hoping a few applications here will have the same effect.

The seed has germinated well in the areas we can water regularly. It's a thrill to come down the drive and see green grass rather than bare dirt. Of course, it's still too early to tell if it will stick. Check back next Spring to find out if we succeeded in establishing grass.