Thursday, February 4, 2010

The Grass is Not Always Greener

Since moving to Arizona, I've discovered that the grass is not always greener...it was much greener in Michigan. However, I've discovered that it is not impossible to have green grass here. It does take some work (and luck) though. During the summer when it is 110+ degrees during the day, the only thing that will grow is bermuda grass which is pretty much indestructable.

During the winter the bermuda grass goes dormant/turns brown so if you want a green lawn during the winter, you have to plant it every fall. We decided to try it. Here's what you do:

1. mow your bermuda grass really short
2. put down winter grass seed (and hope it doesn't get eaten by birds)
3. cover it with dirt

It has taken some time, a lot of 'tending,' getting rid of some pesky gophers (knock on wood) and a really good week of rain, but we finally have a nice green lawn in our backyard (nevermind that the yard is totally devoid of other trees or shrubs...those will come when we own a house). There are still some bald spots and yellow patches, but I'm pretty proud of our work.