QuestionHello. I live in Tucson, AZ and I've been trying to get grass to grow all winter and all spring. I started out with only dirt and sectioned off two 8' x 20' areas where I would like to have grass. I've tried generic grass seed and fertilizer, pennington one step seed and finally scotts ez seed. nothing grows. ...well I shouldn't say NOTHING, but 99.5% of the seeds don't grow. I have a few patches but most is still dirt....Most of the grass i do have is grass that grows wild in the area. I water the grass every day..usually more than once a day, and it gets sun all day long. I did loosen up the dirt before applying seed. The temperature has been anywhere from 50 - 80.
The only thing i can think of at this point is the dirt isn't suitable for the seed, but i have no trouble growing wildflowers from seed in the same dirt. ...and the ez seed is supposed to grow even on cement! The dirt is typical SW dirt and probably not very rich soil.
Any tips would be appreciated. I'm about to give up and put in fake grass!!
Answer The label on grass seed will give you two important percentages -
Purity (how much of the seeds is really the named variety) and
Germination (how much of the seed will germinate under the given conditions).
You seem to have done the important things right; and I am at a loss to explain why the results have not been better.
<u>There is one critical period when watering is vitally important.<u>
It is when the seeds have sprouted but not grown roots as yet. If the seedlings are starved of watering at this stage, 100% failure is not uncommon. Mother Nature seems to have packed that tiny seed with all the ingredients necessary for germination. And the sprouts seem to shoot to the surface for that life giving force - sunlight!
Light, Chlorophyll and
Carbon dioxide are present;
Water may not be! And here is where we help out the tiny seedlings. We provide water because it is not yet the natural season for rainfall. And it will not be for long. The seedling quickly grows its own roots and will fend for itself - Admirably!
