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Grass wont grow?

briden
16 years ago

I have a 10'x10' (approx) section on my front lawn that will not grow grass.

When i moved in there was a front deck and we recently removed it but the section underneath that was shaded and had no growth.

We put down new topsoil and grass seed and watered it lightly twice daily but after 3 weeks there was not one blade so i added more grass a different kind and still nothing.

This area gets plently of sun and all other areas ive re-seeded have taken.

What could the problem be? ,i thought maybe the old owner had sprayed weed killer or something under the deck but i dont know.and if it was a week killer ,what could i apply to counter it?

Comments (3)

  • ianna
    16 years ago

    If you had just recently reseeded, it would have been too late. Seeds germinate at a comfortable below 25C - or something like that. Use seed mixes are made specifically for sunny locations. The grass growth you would have seen early in the year are mostly rye grasses. These start to go dormant in summer and although we aren't officially, summer, it already feels like summer. Too hot. The next set of seeds that come out our the bermuda and other types. Again germination temps are below 25C (or so). Must be cool temps. Now is also the wrong time to apply any form of fertilizers (too hot & it will cause burns), even composted manure (will cause heat)

    Add new topsoil is a good step but go further. YOu will need to aerate it - like till it into the existing soil layer. I cannot say about contaminants but if a weed can grow in the area, it's safe to say, it's not contaminated with weed killers. I even go further. I would add a very thin layer of brick layer's sand. It helps keep the moisture, prevent birds from eating the seeds and creates a porous layer for future growning. And close to fall or fall itself, I would add yet again a small layer of topsoil and reseed it.

    You'll have to be patient. It will grow eventually but if you can't wait. Buy sods but do apply it only when the weather is forgiving. too hot and it will die.

    Ianna

  • Judy_B_ON
    16 years ago

    If there were no weeds under the deck and no weeds have grown where the grass won't grow, it is quite possible that the previous owner used a soil sterilant or seed germination inhibitor under the deck to prevent weeds.

    If so, those chemicals take about a year to break down and you may have to wait that long.

    Try planting a few bedding annuals in the space. If they grow then you should be able to add sod as it was likely a seed inhibitor that was used. If they die, then don't try sod as a soil sterilant was likely used.

  • ianna
    16 years ago

    If there is a powerful herbicide preventing the growth of any plants in that area, then you'd need to do a little experiment before proceeding with a larger and more expensive job of applying sod. Plant anything (an annual for instance) in a small area. If that dies within a few days, you can assume the soil has been contaminated. I certainly hope it's not the case.

    On the other hand, I recently applied topsoil in my backyard since it's relatively new garden space for me. I had moved to this place and so have only recently started to do any work in the backyard.(concentrated on the front yard first) With that I have reseeded teh area approx. the same time you did. Since the weather had been pretty hot at certain times, seeds that have been applied some 2 weeks ago have yet to germinate. Like I said, they like it cool. The seeds that fell in semi shaded areas have germinated. The ones in sunnier and hotter areas have not.

    Ianna

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