Im not worried about the dogs wrecking the garden, the garden beds are raised. The problem is growing some sort of lawn. The sod I laid died and I'm looking for some other way to have green groundcover.
Did you already get an answer to this? This post sound very familiar, and didn't want to repeat an answer if you already got one or a few good ideas. Still need help?
it was meant to be a reply. I got some ideas though. I think we're gonna try kentucky bluegrass and keep the dogs to one side of the lawn to give it a chance to grow. Thanks
kentucky bluegrass wont survive the first winter in vancouver. it doesnt tolerate long term cool, wet conditions from what I have seen., Consider a few factors for lawn survival with trafiic; surface drainage, species variety (avoid a monoculture by reseeding annually), drainage, soil fertility, pH and soil texture (clay = bad, gravelly or sandy = good (or at least better)).
ok, thanks. The lawn does seem to have some drainage problems which we will try to fix in the summer, with the help of an engineer friend who thinks he can find the drainage pipes or whatever. Then I think we're gonna have to take some inches off and put down sand and soil then re- sod or maybe seed one half at a time and let the dogs have the other half. Any seed variety you would suggest for Vancouver that is quite hardy?
I probably would not expect a big benefit by putting sand under sod consider the latter has denser soil. If sod soil compacts, a porous layer beneath it not a big help. Did you mean more of a "sandy" soil than just sand? It would be nice to be able to seed a lawn over 6" of sand, but then something has to be done with the dogs until the grass establishes. The fertilizing would be no real issue, even it it did need more frequency at lighter rates.
Yes, I meant adding sand to the soil underneath, not just sand. Or perhaps a gravel layer then sandy soil for a few inches. I plan to keep the dogs on one side by fencing it off until it is established. Perahps till the following summer and then doing the same for the other side.
