Freeman 101 Posted March 20, 2009 Report Share Posted March 20, 2009 Hi. THis is a really dumb question, but I thought there is no better place to ask other than the Border collie board! I moved into a new home in June. I designed the inside of the home with my dogs in mind....ceramic tile throughout the house and a mud room for drying out "the Border collie" (also named Freeman). I am, however, coming to the conclusion that having nice landscaping is a lost cause. My backyard is really, really flat and water does not run off as it should. Needless to say the Border collie stays muddie when the weather is damp. I've also been trying to grow grass with little success. I compete in agility and I like to use my backyard for practice. I actually chose the flat yard, becasue I thought it was perfect for agility equipment set up. However, our agility practice has killed off the grass. My backyard looks like desert scenary, and I live in Missouri! Is there anyone here that's managed to grow grass and still own a Border collie while doing it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Journey Posted March 20, 2009 Report Share Posted March 20, 2009 Bahia! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freeman 101 Posted March 20, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2009 Bahia! I had to Google that one. My first hit came up as a state in Brazil! I found it though, and am going to do some more research on it. Thanks for the info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Journey Posted March 20, 2009 Report Share Posted March 20, 2009 Your welcome. I forgot that's the slang term we use in the South Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theshine Posted March 20, 2009 Report Share Posted March 20, 2009 I have the same problem, my yard is a mud pit after the rainy winter we've had. The dogs are dirty, they have worn a path from the door to the "poop spot" in the yard, and they're working on killing off what grass is left. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweet_ceana Posted March 20, 2009 Report Share Posted March 20, 2009 Our Rye grass held up pretty well in the back yard. We only have the grass for the dogs since playing frisbee on rock would not be safe. (We have what looks like a grass runway for the pups). We are planting Bermuda for the hot upcoming months, I am not sure how that will do. I live in a much different climate than you do, so I am not sure if those grasses will even work for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theshine Posted March 20, 2009 Report Share Posted March 20, 2009 I have bermuda right now and it's pretty torn up...it's dormant though, I'm interested to see how it comes back in the spring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afrancis Posted March 20, 2009 Report Share Posted March 20, 2009 This slight veering should probably be in Coffee Break, but thought I'd follow-up here. There is a relatively new product on the market called Eco-Lawn. Link below: http://www.wildflowerfarm.com/index.php?p=...CFQKJxgodZCp_6A Its a fescue mix, meaning its very fine and equally tolerant of full sun, part shade and even quite significant shade. Its low maintenance, meaning requires very little (if any supplementary) water, fertilizer and mowing. It grows very densely, so weeds are often not a problem, and it stands up pretty well to a lot of action. However, in terms of major foot traffic (dogs and humans!) with agility and running around, you might need to topdress and overseed regularly to repair the damage. Doing this in the spring when its still cool and moist is the best time. But it means you'll have to keep everyone off the lawn until its germinated. And also remember to keep off the lawn in the very early spring while its still saturated to prevent more serious permanent damage. I wouldn't resort to bentgrass (what's used on golf courses) because although it is ground-hugging and apparently very tolerant of constant foot traffic, it is extremely high maintenance (i.e. watering, fertilizing, mowing, etc.). I believe bahia grass is a warm season grass and doesn't grow where winters are below zero. Not sure how cold you get in Missouri! Ailsa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freeman 101 Posted March 20, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2009 I looked at the Eco Lawn. WOW! Is it ever pricey! It was $35-$40 per 5 pounds. I'll be seeding a half an acre, so although it really sounds great, I think it's not affordable for me. I'm afraid of putting too much money into it, just incase it really doesn't work (money down the drain). Maybe it's a lost cause? I'm now thinking about putting up hedge to block out my neighbor's view of my lawn. This won't help my grass situation, but at least they won't see how bad it looks and hopefully won't file a complaint to the "landscaping committee"! Thanks for the advise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afrancis Posted March 21, 2009 Report Share Posted March 21, 2009 the "landscaping committee"! Yikes!!! I live in fear of those people It does sound like you have a big property -- I guess that is more for postage stamp sized lawns! I don't know how much space you give your agility area but maybe you could put it in a separate area from your lawn and dress it with crushed stone or something benign. Dogs won't mind. That way you have a dedicated area that you won't be struggling with in terms of keeping it green. Good luck! Ailsa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bordercentrics Posted March 21, 2009 Report Share Posted March 21, 2009 Since you have so much yard area, I like Ailsa's suggestion of separate areas for lawn (pretty) and agility (practical). You could perhaps use a fine bark as ground cover in the agility area. That would give the dogs some resilience when they land, look decent, and if thick enough, resist weeds. No Mowing! It is a real pain to mow around agility equipment. Kathy Robbins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobbieBurns Posted March 21, 2009 Report Share Posted March 21, 2009 Since you have so much yard area, I like Ailsa's suggestion of separate areas for lawn (pretty) and agility (practical). You could perhaps use a fine bark as ground cover in the agility area. That would give the dogs some resilience when they land, look decent, and if thick enough, resist weeds. No Mowing! It is a real pain to mow around agility equipment. Kathy Robbins Good idea! We had a lawn that looked terrible, both because the roots of 2 trees prevented grass from growing in some areas, and due to foot/bathroom traffic from our four dogs. We covered this area with pathways and river rocks. It is very peaceful. Now the dogs like to lie on the pathways but they leave the river rocks alone. We have reclaimed the area as a human area. The dogs don't suffer, as they have all the acres of our ranch to keep them busy. I'll try and remember to take a photo and post it. This has been a good solution for us and our 4 dogs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMack Posted March 21, 2009 Report Share Posted March 21, 2009 Ecolawn is great! It's a little work to get in going but wonderful once you do (NO MOWING!) It has a 9-inch root structure so once you get in going, most weeds can't grow up through it. And it only grows to a height of 4-5 inches then flops over. It grows slowly so if you want to mow, you only do so infrequently. But I never mow mine at all & it looks great. I hope to transform my entire yard in time, but am doing it 1/3 at a time. The first third is in and thriving. Good for dogs, for more free time, and for the planet. This slight veering should probably be in Coffee Break, but thought I'd follow-up here.There is a relatively new product on the market called Eco-Lawn. Link below: http://www.wildflowerfarm.com/index.php?p=...CFQKJxgodZCp_6A Its a fescue mix, meaning its very fine and equally tolerant of full sun, part shade and even quite significant shade. Its low maintenance, meaning requires very little (if any supplementary) water, fertilizer and mowing. It grows very densely, so weeds are often not a problem, and it stands up pretty well to a lot of action. However, in terms of major foot traffic (dogs and humans!) with agility and running around, you might need to topdress and overseed regularly to repair the damage. Doing this in the spring when its still cool and moist is the best time. But it means you'll have to keep everyone off the lawn until its germinated. And also remember to keep off the lawn in the very early spring while its still saturated to prevent more serious permanent damage. I wouldn't resort to bentgrass (what's used on golf courses) because although it is ground-hugging and apparently very tolerant of constant foot traffic, it is extremely high maintenance (i.e. watering, fertilizing, mowing, etc.). I believe bahia grass is a warm season grass and doesn't grow where winters are below zero. Not sure how cold you get in Missouri! Ailsa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freeman 101 Posted March 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2009 JMACK: how large of an area are you doing? It's just so expensive.... $40/5 pounds. YIKES! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freeman 101 Posted March 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2009 I'll try and remember to take a photo and post it. This has been a good solution for us and our 4 dogs. When you get a chance, please do post a photo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMack Posted March 22, 2009 Report Share Posted March 22, 2009 I'll try and remember to take a photo and post it. This has been a good solution for us and our 4 dogs.When you get a chance, please do post a photo. I am working through my yard bit by bit & have not yet used up the bag (in fact, I'm only about 1/3 of the way through). The website says a bag covers 1000 sq, so it would take quite a bit for you. You might think about converting it 1000 ft at a time (esp. since you'll need to keep foot traffic off it while you're seeding it anyway). I'm figuring 3 years to convert my entire backyard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Posted March 30, 2009 Report Share Posted March 30, 2009 Since you have so much yard area, I like Ailsa's suggestion of separate areas for lawn (pretty) and agility (practical). You could perhaps use a fine bark as ground cover in the agility area. That would give the dogs some resilience when they land, look decent, and if thick enough, resist weeds. No Mowing! It is a real pain to mow around agility equipment. Kathy Robbins This is what I'm doing with my yard, about 80% of it will be mulch covered agilty area, fenced off from the rest of the grassed yard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BCAndrew Posted April 1, 2009 Report Share Posted April 1, 2009 Sorry that I can't help, but we're sorta in the same situation. We live in Missouri too, and have just over a half acre yard. Part of our yard is fairly well shaded with some nice full trees, so that gets a bit muddy when it rains. We looked into Zoysia grass, and might still consider it... but that gets pretty expensive too. If I ever come up with anything, I'll be sure to let you know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freeman 101 Posted April 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 1, 2009 Sorry that I can't help, but we're sorta in the same situation. We live in Missouri too, and have just over a half acre yard. Part of our yard is fairly well shaded with some nice full trees, so that gets a bit muddy when it rains. We looked into Zoysia grass, and might still consider it... but that gets pretty expensive too. If I ever come up with anything, I'll be sure to let you know. --------------- Hi. Where are you in Missouri? I'm in the Jefferson City area. We had Zoysia in the front yard of our other home, and it was awesome. We put in plugs every year, and over time the zoysia took over the front yard. The grass was very thick and carpet-like. Not sure how it would have held up to "the Border collie" though. It's risky putting that amount of money into Zoysia sod and then testing it out on the BC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BCAndrew Posted April 2, 2009 Report Share Posted April 2, 2009 ---------------Hi. Where are you in Missouri? I'm in the Jefferson City area. We had Zoysia in the front yard of our other home, and it was awesome. We put in plugs every year, and over time the zoysia took over the front yard. The grass was very thick and carpet-like. Not sure how it would have held up to "the Border collie" though. It's risky putting that amount of money into Zoysia sod and then testing it out on the BC. We live in St. Charles county just outside St. Louis. I'd be worried about the cost as well, nobody wants to put that much money down just to have the yard destroyed. Zoysia does feel really nice though, and we still might try a small section just to see how it does. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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