Very Sandy Soil

[Streetcar]

Hay will have many grass seed types that are not good for lawn.
Perfect time to plant a fescue lawn

 

[rustyshakelford]

Please enlighten me, if the op is concerned about being able to grow grass, how are rye or oats going to grow . THey are similar plants to grass

Just because he concerned doesn't mean there's anything wrong with it. No offense to the op but I think he's concerned for nothing. Throw seed out now to hold the ground before erosion messes it all up. Add nutrient as needed in the spring. This is an excellent example of over thinking things. If you don't want to do rye, use fescue (I know nothing about it but have used rye a bunch on freshly cleared sandy soil and it does great)

Brett

 

[lzicc]

Rusty, correct. I mainly would like to give the dirt some substances and to be able to hold some moisture which current it does not. The Fescue/rye seems to be the best way to go. That would at least root into the dirt I would think and keep it more together in a sense.

 

[Egon]

Put the wood chips in a pile mixed with dirt and cover them with a tarp. They will mulch much faster. Later spread the mulch"

 

[ch1ch2]

You use hay or straw? Doesn't hay have weed seeds in it? I did think about getting hay/straw and over it with the mower to chip it up.

Depends on the quality of the hay but yes it has weeds. How are you going to keep weeds out?
A weed is just an unwanted plant. There are many good weed killers out there.

I use the hay to get growth started where it does not grow. It works for me.

 

[lucky llama]

I live in south Mississippi. My soil is very sandy and I believe is sandier than yours. While we do get alot of rain here, grass grows just fine. I would be more concerned with the shade that I see in your pic.

 

[jar06896]

I would also reccommend a soil test. It should tell you all you need to know about the soil, and what potential amendents you might need. I would seed in perennial rye, if you are going for a lawn. It will effectively grow on the side of a rock, and will establish in Sandy soil. I did it myself years ago, seeding in subsoil and sand, and got a great lawn out of it. Don't be over concerned about trying to fix the soil. Although you could change the top layer, and it might hold more moisture, the lower level will still be sand and water will still move right through it. Same goes for fertilizer you apply. It will leach out very quickly. You just have to work with it. Eventually as you mow and clippings break down, you will have better soil.

 

[orezok]

During my career, I built 2 championship golf courses. A Pete Dye and a Joe Lee. Most people don’t know, but legacy putting greens are about 12” of almost pure sand with some peat or rice hulls mixed in. Newer greens are now using inorganic amendments that better retain water and nutrients.

Of course it takes a professional superintendent to keep it properly fertilized and hydrated.