Gardening Articles
Q. I have seed left over from last year. Is it still good?

A. As a rule, yes, but to find out for sure, fill a paper, plastic, or Styrofoam cup three-quarters full of water and add a used tea bag for a minute or two. Then sprinkle a teaspoonful of seed on top of the water; set it in a window that gets a lot of light. In a couple of weeks you should see grass.

Q. What can you do to keep the birds off new grass seed until it sprouts?

A. Adopt six or seven cats. Seriously, though, cover the seed with one quarter inch of topsoil, pat down or roll gently. The faster it sprouts, the more you keep and the less the birds eat. You can also slit an old tennis ball and force it over the end of a six- to seven-foot piece of old garden hose. Draw two mean eyes and a nasty mouth, and place yellow strips of tape like Xs down the hose. Let this lie on the seeded area until the seed sprouts. Why? The birds think it’s a snake. Eagles and hawks won’t be fooled, but then, they don’t eat seed.

Q. Which blend of grass seed is best for a play area?

A. Plastic, concrete, and iron, none of which is available yet. In the South you can count on U-3 Bermuda grass, and in the North, Kentucky 31 tall fescue. I want to caution anyone who is planting a play area not to be tempted to add clover seed to these areas to fill in spots as it can cause injuries. Clover is slippery, and when running feet try to stop quickly, clover won’t cooperate.

Q. Which grass seed is best for a shady spot?

A. None, really. That’s not exactly true, but then they haven’t developed an Astroturf seed yet. There is no true shade grass; all grasses like some sun. However, the best of the bunch that can get along with less sun than the rest is Poa trivialis. Kentucky 31 tall fescue, Zoysia, Japonica, Zoysia matrella, Astoria bent, Highland and Penncross bents, as well as creeping red, Illahee, and Chew-lugs fescue, all will tolerate light shade.

Q. Which grass seed do you recommend for a really steep embankment?

A. As a rule, none. It’s not that many grasses won’t grow and hold on hillsides; it’s your safety I’m concerned with. More accidents occur from falls and severe cuts from mowers on hillside maintenance than anywhere else. For your own safety, I would prefer that you plant any of the low- or no-maintenance ground covers.

Q. What’s the toughest grass seed you can think of for a family of five boys and three dogs?

A. Inverted wire brushes set in concrete and painted green. For something softer, you can depend on Kentucky 31 or Alta, coarse, or Meadow coarse fescue.

Q. Can I grow a bent grass lawn from seed or must I use plugs?

A. Positively and without a doubt you can grow it from seed. Be my guest. Astoria, Highland, Penn-cross, or Seaside bents all can be grown from sown seed. Before tackling a bent lawn, though, make sure you understand that they take a ton of work and a special mower.

Q. What’s the difference between all the different rye grasses?

A. What do you mean all? There’s perennial or annual. If you’re talking about brand names; they’re improved varieties of the same two.

Q. It may sound funny, but can I have a different type lawn—backyard, retreat area, and putting green all at one home?

A. Sure, why not? Just remember—sex knows no barrier, and if clippings or seed are transferred from location to location, there’s going to be some hanky-panky, with the possibility of a strange lawn born out of wedlock.

Q. How often do you water new seed?

A. Enough to keep it damp (moist), so that depends on where you live and when you plant. Remember, I said damp, not soggy wet.

Q. When do you feed a new lawn?

A. Before you plant. With a cheap lawn food, set on the lowest spreader setting and till into the soil when you prepare for seed. I feed with a weak liquid solution of lawn or plant food—just enough to change the color of the water in the container.

Q. Can you sow grass seed in the winter?

A. Why not? Remember, just before a snow, top dress with a light sprinkle of soil so the birds don’t think you’re a horticultural philanthropist.