Ya gotta love Mother Nature

[TCBoomer]

As some of you know, I'm putting in the other half of my new lawn. About 50K sf. It's been a stressful ordeal. Bad enough I had to deal with heavy rain a couple weeks ago. That left quite a mess, besides cutting a 6" deep X 18" wide canal across my steep driveway.

Here's a couple of pics of what I had to deal with today...

 

[TCBoomer]

and another...

It wasn't that dry or dusty til the nasty winds started.

 

[TCBoomer]

These shots were just the mild blasts. Some were as bad as it gets in AZ and CA. Trust me, I know...I've lived in both places /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

I wasn't quick enough to capture any of the brutal ones and I surely didn't want to carry the camera with me on the tractor.

 

[KennyV]

I have seen that look around Kansas in places… not good.

Is it a little late in the season to start a lawn? Will you get a grass covering before winter is here? Hope the snow isn’t blowing like that for you soon, although that would hold down the dust. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif KennyV.

 

[rockinmywaypa]

Tc While it is probably too late in the season this year some people I know plant a grain crop along with the grass seed. The oats or barley pops up quick and holds the soil in place while shading the grass which helps it get going. The lawn looks green sooner and then as the grass grows in the grain crop dies out. It might help in your situation but I don't know anything about your growing season so it's still your call.

 

[Gatorboy]

You may already have done so, but have you tried putting down Rye seed. It germinates quickly, which should help ease your dust problem while you wait for the rest of your grass to grow.

 

[bandit67]

Wow, that dust storm looks like what we see out here on a regular basis.

It's getting awefully late to put down seed, but I just put rye down 2 1/2 weeks ago, and it began to break the surface in 7 days. I'd still probably try if I were you, but you may need to reseed a bunch next spring. Depends on when the snow hits as it can kill the new grass (but if the grass has matured enough, the snow is actually a benefit). Just keep a close eye on the water come November - I remember CT Novembers years back being butt-cold and dry - everything brown & dead & dreary - man, I hated Novembers before the snow came. But then, it seems like the climate around the entire country is different than it was 10 & 20 years ago, so maybe now you guys have nice falls. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

 

[joes_427_vette]

OK... Where you hiding the rocks? In Wisconsin we don't have dust storms because the boulders hold the soil down. The only problem is mowing around them. I have a 1 and a half acre area for lawn on a hillside. When it rains it pours washing the seed and top soil to the base of the hill. Got to try seeding it again in spring... the rye grew but the grass seed left the area. I wouldn't know how to act with such fine soil. Screened topsoil here brings about 20 bucks a yard.

 

[TCBoomer]

Lesson #2...I just learned not to post 'non tractor' pics in the tractor sections. Maybe if I had my tractor parked there and changed the subject title to "My Poor Tractor", they would have left it at the NH place. Oh well, no harm done. You learn something new everyday. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[GregJ]

The attached picture shows what it looks like at my place when the wind blows. This was a freek storm that hit last spring. We had two unexpected storms like this last year. One sank a 60 foot commercial fishing boat in front of my place. These were both 60+ mph storms.

I think the people who are out on the water at these times don't exactly "love Mother Nature", but they sure get a new respect for her.

Greg