Fighting for a green lawn!

By Jay Warren
WSLS10 Anchor
Published: June 10, 2008

It just seems to me that everyone is out to get my grass! I am a somewhat obsessive gardener when it comes to my lawn. I dream of a lush, bright green turf in my front and backyard. And, trust me, it’s a dream. I have been fighting to make it a reality for three years now.

When I moved into my house, the front yard was in terrible shape and the back wasn’t much better. But, it was August and there was no need to try and save it in the middle of the hottest month of the summer.

By spring, I had sod put in the entire front yard and half of the back. I watered and watered in the hopes that it would live. But, I ended up with only moderate success, the backyard performing a little better than the front. Last year, I had the yards aerated and seed put down. This too was met with only moderate success. In the fall, I reseeded some patches myself. And again, I watered and fertilized.

By spring, much to my surprise, my grass was looking pretty good. In fact, I was hopeful that this would be the year. Mother Nature was providing plenty of rain, the seed was taking hold, as was the sod. I thought this would be the year for my lawn. Greener days are ahead, right?

Not so fast, My Year of the Lawn appears to be doomed by just about everyone else. First, I had a yard sale, which left my front grass wilted, stomped, and tired. Then AEP dug up the utility pole in my front yard to see if it was rotting. It wasn’t, but now I’m left with dirt, no grass, around the pole. I had some contractors at my house for most of May and while they did a terrific job on my house, their truck tires left a bit of an impression on the side of my yard.

And now, to add insult to injury, Mother Nature has taken back what she gave so freely in early spring. We have the hottest beginning to June on record with NO RAIN! It feels like August and my yard looks like August… dry with brown spots popping up. Will our lawns survive three months of August?

So, through workers, weather, and sales my high hopes for a green summer are fading. And every hot day makes the forecast even more grim. The good news… with the heat I don’t want to be outside watering, mowing, and edging the yard anyway!