A Lawn In The Woods and Mountains?

Okay, I didn't listen to anybody including the experts on the Internet. Summer is NOT the time to plant grass. But, I was so tired of looking at an ugly back yard. Had I waited until the proper time to plant I feared it would become a jungle much like my return in October of 2007 (photo below). Prior to the tree cutters in June, the area was shaded with no weed growth.

Tall Fescue is the grass suggested for this region. It apparently does well in shaded and sunny areas. Considering the area will only get a half day of sun it sounds ideal. Once the morning mountain haze burns off we generally start seeing sunshine around 10AM in the summer months. It will reach the planted area from that time until 4PM when the southern tree cover (across creek) brings in the cooler shade.

Everything went well for ten days after the planting. With the drought concerns watering was done via the creek with a small 3/4 horsepower sump pump I picked up at Ace hardware. That little bugger works well but there's not enough pressure to put a nozzle on the end of the hose, nor a sprinkler. All watering had to be done by hand. Darker matted area in the background is the layout for a flagstone walkway and patio next to the creek. Covered, so no seed grows in the area.

A cistern is probably the best method for pumping from any water source. Tom the handyman assured me all I needed was a flat rock, away from any muddy or silted water. A cistern allows for cleaner grit free water to be pumped, otherwise it can clog or ruin the pump. However my creek offers very clear mud free water except during heavy downpours. Photo is not a good illustration. It was taken for example purposes only.

An extension cord was run from the new storage area for powering the pump. The pump itself was ready to go... attach an ordinary garden hose and plug it in. It did need an adapter fitting as it was manufactured for a larger diameter hose. I used two extension cords. One from the storage and the other attached to the pump in the creek. Once the pump was stationary in the creek the two cords were connected on dry land. I personally thought vibration from pumping would not keep it stable on the rock, but no problems occurred.

So much for all the time I spent grading when the first considerable rain hit. I suppose I had a few low areas that became places for excess rain water to travel...along with some seed!! A good portion was coming from the roof that have no rain spouts.

Lawn after 10 days...

Coming soon...the lawn needs a doctor