We got a new question in this week:
“I live 1 mile from the beach and have very sandy soil and a very sunny yard. I can’t grow grass, keep grass or prevent grass from burning. Help!”
Is it safe to assume that you’ve tried out different watering schedules, primarily avoiding watering between the hours of 10 a.m. and 5 p.m? If not, try that first. You may need to water more often for shorter periods of time, depending on the type of grass you have, so that the water stays near the root zones, instead of washing out past them. You would also want to avoid using harsh fertilizers and manures that can burn the grass.
Choosing the right grass for your soil and growing conditions is the most important starting point. There are many sources for lawn care out there. I recently purchased a great book called The Organic Lawn Care Manual by Paul Boardway Turkey and Nell Newman, which I highly recommend.
They discuss how to care for your lawn after they help you chose the best kind of grass for your climate. There are also some good resources for lawn care info on the web. Here are a few:
http://doyourownlawncare.wordpress.com/2007/01/04/how-to-select-the-right-turfgrass-seed/
https://turf.purdue.edu/extpub/maintaining-lawns-on-sandy-soils/
http://www.extremelygreen.com/lawncareguide.cfm
You may want to do a soil test to find out if the pH is too alkaline or acid. Your local nursery sells soil test kits and can most likely recommend solutions based on test results.
If all else fails, look at this as an opportunity to replace your lawn with drought tolerant plants that require little to no irrigation. There are some beautiful ornamental grasses and shrubs that require very little attention once established. Check out High Country Gardens for more info on Xeriscape and low-water plants.
