blue grama
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- Posts: 3871
- Joined: January 3rd, 2009, 2:28 am
- Location: Utah (Wasatch Front)
- Grass Type: Western, Streambank, Crested wheatgrass in front (with blue grama added in the heckstrips), sheep fescue in back; strawberry clovetr in both
- Lawn Size: 3000-5000
- Level: Experienced
blue grama
I debated where to post this. I live in more of a cool season area and KBG is king here.
But I'm trying to conserve water, so my lawn is a mixture of the traditional cool season grasses that are predominant here and a bunch of native/naturalized grasses that do well here.
My lawn is about 4k sq ft. About 1k is dormant or dead. So I just ordered some blue grama seed. I'll be planting it in the dormant/dead areas as soon as it arrives. I've been watering once or twice a month for the past 10 years or so, but I'll need to water several times a day to get this to establish. In the past, I've dormant seeded, but I want to get better establishment this time.If the blue grama takes off, I'll stop watering altogether and let it take over (seeding as needed, but hoping for natural spreading).
But I'm trying to conserve water, so my lawn is a mixture of the traditional cool season grasses that are predominant here and a bunch of native/naturalized grasses that do well here.
My lawn is about 4k sq ft. About 1k is dormant or dead. So I just ordered some blue grama seed. I'll be planting it in the dormant/dead areas as soon as it arrives. I've been watering once or twice a month for the past 10 years or so, but I'll need to water several times a day to get this to establish. In the past, I've dormant seeded, but I want to get better establishment this time.If the blue grama takes off, I'll stop watering altogether and let it take over (seeding as needed, but hoping for natural spreading).
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- Posts: 6837
- Joined: September 14th, 2012, 10:53 pm
- Location: CT (Zone 6B)
- Grass Type: KBG, TTTF, TTPR, and FF (various mixtures)
- Lawn Size: 10000-20000
- Level: Experienced
Re: blue grama
How long until the blue grama establishes itself to where it won't need supplemental watering? Is that period shorter than with KBG or Fescues? (You know how, for example, they say to water KBG more often for the first or even to some degree the first two years.)
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- Posts: 3871
- Joined: January 3rd, 2009, 2:28 am
- Location: Utah (Wasatch Front)
- Grass Type: Western, Streambank, Crested wheatgrass in front (with blue grama added in the heckstrips), sheep fescue in back; strawberry clovetr in both
- Lawn Size: 3000-5000
- Level: Experienced
Re: blue grama
In the wild, it drops seed in the fall, and since it's a warm season grass, it won't germinate until it gets warm enough, so it's basically dormant seeding. And there's a pretty short window between warm enough to germinate and basically no precipitation. Seeding now with watering should give it a pretty good jump start so I don't think it'll need any water next year.
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- Posts: 3871
- Joined: January 3rd, 2009, 2:28 am
- Location: Utah (Wasatch Front)
- Grass Type: Western, Streambank, Crested wheatgrass in front (with blue grama added in the heckstrips), sheep fescue in back; strawberry clovetr in both
- Lawn Size: 3000-5000
- Level: Experienced
Re: blue grama
I had one sprinkler head break. It was gushing water into the gutter and none of the other heads in that zone had any pressure until I discovered it and fixed it.
In the rest of the lawn, I've got pretty good germination. That section is a little behind, but I'm seeing some germination there, now, as well.
In the rest of the lawn, I've got pretty good germination. That section is a little behind, but I'm seeing some germination there, now, as well.
- Dchall_San_Antonio
- Posts: 3341
- Joined: December 17th, 2008, 1:53 am
- Location: San Antonio, Texas
- Grass Type: St Augustine
- Lawn Size: 5000-10000
- Level: Advanced
Re: blue grama
That's a common problem. Is that why you have so much dead/dormant grass? Do you know which of your grass varieties went dead/dormant?
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- Posts: 3871
- Joined: January 3rd, 2009, 2:28 am
- Location: Utah (Wasatch Front)
- Grass Type: Western, Streambank, Crested wheatgrass in front (with blue grama added in the heckstrips), sheep fescue in back; strawberry clovetr in both
- Lawn Size: 3000-5000
- Level: Experienced
Re: blue grama
I think the dead grass is mostly some of the remaining KBG and/or tall fescue.
- Dchall_San_Antonio
- Posts: 3341
- Joined: December 17th, 2008, 1:53 am
- Location: San Antonio, Texas
- Grass Type: St Augustine
- Lawn Size: 5000-10000
- Level: Advanced
Re: blue grama
Wasn't that your final objective, 10 years ago when you started this conversion project?
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- Posts: 3871
- Joined: January 3rd, 2009, 2:28 am
- Location: Utah (Wasatch Front)
- Grass Type: Western, Streambank, Crested wheatgrass in front (with blue grama added in the heckstrips), sheep fescue in back; strawberry clovetr in both
- Lawn Size: 3000-5000
- Level: Experienced
Re: blue grama
Yep. Looking back, I should've just killed the lawn and started from scratch.
- Dchall_San_Antonio
- Posts: 3341
- Joined: December 17th, 2008, 1:53 am
- Location: San Antonio, Texas
- Grass Type: St Augustine
- Lawn Size: 5000-10000
- Level: Advanced
Re: blue grama
Do you see progress in the germination department over the past 2 weeks?
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- Posts: 3871
- Joined: January 3rd, 2009, 2:28 am
- Location: Utah (Wasatch Front)
- Grass Type: Western, Streambank, Crested wheatgrass in front (with blue grama added in the heckstrips), sheep fescue in back; strawberry clovetr in both
- Lawn Size: 3000-5000
- Level: Experienced
Re: blue grama
Yes. There are still a few spots with no germination, but I'm still seeing a little germination going on, so I'm still running the sprinklers a couple of times a day.
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