Can I grow grass lower than a swing that doesn't capture much sun anymore? There's a spot in my backyard that used to have grass growing...
There's a spot in my backyard that used to have grass growing but a couple of years ago I put a free-standing swing within. Now it blocks most of the sun during the day under the swing and the grass have stopped growing and has been taken over by clovers, which are presently infiltrating the rest of the yard. I'd like to bring rid of the clovers and have grass growing again. Can I do this and keep the swing within it's place?
Grass wishes sun to grow. Swing is in the way of the sun.
No sun, no grass.
- Stuart
First point is definately get rid of the clovers before you do anything. I believe as long as the grass is getting watered and some light, it should be fine. You may want to research different types of grass to see which ones would be the sterdiest for your situation. I would add mulch beneath the swing. It kills weeds and give kids a somewhat soft cushion to land on. If you really want grass, check out this link of choosing the best grass for your situation.
http://www.allaboutlawns.com/grass-types...
Answers: Yes, you can do this. For starters, the area under the swing is probably the hardest and most compacted soil contained by your yard because it gets frequently trampled by the users of the swing. You should follow this route...
1) Wet the soil thoroughly to fashion it as soft to work with as possible.
2) Start pulling the clover.
3) Buy or rent a soil aerator. You can usually rent a machine to do your full yard for about $75 a daylight (share the cost with neighbors, so they can use it too) or you can buy a $19.95 hand-aerator at any garden supply or hardware store. A hand-aerator is just an open-ended sharply pointed pipe that allows you to verbs plugs of soil from the ground (about 1-2" deep).
4) Use the aerator to loosen the soil and leave a few holes.
5) Re-seed the soil or for a faster solution, use plugs or sod squares to fill contained by the bare patch.
6) Keep the new kernel or sod watered thoroughly for at least 1-2 weeks.
7) If this area get very little light, you might also opt for a shade-tolerant grass contained by this area.
Finally, if you haven't fertilized in more than 2-3 months, afterwards I recommend fertilizing your grass with a high nitrogen fertilizer and giving it a thorough watering.
You should kill the clover stuff first,then till up the dirt a bit and use Scotts sun and shade mix grass seed.Make sure you water it valid good too. I doubt very much that grass will grow here, you might consider tho, of placing brick pavers on the area where swing sits as all right as a place where the grass was. Would look nice!
Look into artificial turf for your swing. There are closely of varieties that look real. It will blend into your grass if applied right. Ask your local home restructuring store about this or professional landscaper. There are some grass seed for shade, but sitting on the swing and swinging wear the grass off. I keep moving my swing so as not to hold bare spots in the grass.