New Homeowner & Not so good with plants and stuff.

13 years ago

Hello all, my forewarning--I'm about tell you practically my life story (just kidding) and my gardening ambitions... I hope you'll all bear with me!

I'm a new homeowner who has a full time job and never seemingly enough time to do anything else. I recently finished renovations and landscaping so now I'm toying with ideas about how to make the front and back lawns nicer.

My front yard consists of two decent sized patches that I want to grow some grass on. We've dug up all the old roots and (dead) grass that was already there, and have toss some Kentucky Bluegrass seed on top. I've watered it fairly religiously, as I read that grass seeds should practically be drowned.

The issue: Birds have eaten away a lot of the seed. I do see some grass sprouting here and there, but there are large patches where I see either a) nothing/dirt, or b) clover shaped green plants which I assume are weeds. I tossed the seeds in probably mid August, so I am happy to see that some have grown out (nearly 6-7 inches tall!), but only a few strands here and there. Should I just dig everything up again and start all over in hopes that I will have a nice green lawn by next Spring? Is there anyway to fix it now?

I am very much against planting any bushes/trees/flowers, etc.. into the actual soil, because I am very busy and have no experience in gardening--so I am hoping to decorate my outdoor space with potted flowers, potted trees, and stuff like that.

Are there any trees that could withstand an NYC winter? I can move plants indoors if needed, but of course it would be greatly convenient if I didn't have to. Also, I'd like to plant some flowers for a prettier color, but don't want to worry about having to water them more than 2x a week. Can anyone suggest any easy to maintain but gorgeous flora for me?

My last question of the day is in regards to an Aloe plant that I had acquired late April. It has actually grew a lot since it's first days in my home. Unfortunately, it took me a while to get it into a bigger pot; it's original leaves eventually grew so long! I believe I finally got a chance and repotted it just a month ago, I hope I didn't wait too long! I noticed (even before I potted it) that a couple of the newer leaves (the ones sprouting out from the center) are droopy and not as vibrant green as I remember it to be. I also noticed it hasn't grown any pups yet, and am not sure how long before that's supposed to happen. I've read that these plants thrive on neglect, but still I tried to water it 2-3 times a month. I gave it cactus soil when I repotted it. I sit it in my brightest room during the day, but it never gets direct sunlight. Also, in case it matters, it went from a flower shop plastic pot into a Ceramic pot with the drain hole on the bottom. Can anyone tell me if I'm doing anything wrong? I never thought I'd grow a sentiment toward a plant, but I really want to save this thing, assuming it needs/can be saving/saved.

Thanks in...

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Comments (3)

southerngalinnyc
13 years ago
Hi Bbnjl,
First of all congrats on your new home! Hope you are finding time to enjoy it.
I feel your pain on working full time as well and trying to keep up with a house and yard but it can be very rewarding.
I will start by saying that I am not a grass expert, but here are some things that I would suggest.

Can you provide some more information on your outdoor spaces in terms of the approximate size and shape of the space and how much light they receive (which way do they face, i.e north, south east west)? WIth this type of information the really great folks on this site will be better able to help you.

I don't think you should have to start entirely over.

In my experience anytime you put down grass seed understanding how much sun your lawn will get is important in the seed selection process. I'm assuming that you took this into consideration. You also need to prepare the soil correctly and once you've put down the seed you need to put a thin layer of topsoil or straw in in order to protect the seed from the birds and provide warmth for it to germinate.
You're correct that you need to provide appropriate water, but you also need to be careful not to overwater as that can cause issues as well.

I am going to post your question to the lawn care forum to see if we can get some more experienced people to help you on your lawn.

I would not give up on planting small, easy to care for bushes, trees and perennials that will give you character and color throughout the seasons without requiring a lot of maintenance. Plants have a tough time outside in pots in the winter and its challenging to find space to overwinter potted plants inside, particularly in the NYC area where space and appropriate light can be very limited. Also, just keeping up with watering the pots (they need water more frequently that plants in the ground) can be more time consuming than you expect.

For your aloe question, I would suggest that you post that on the house plants forum for help with that.
southerngalinnyc
13 years ago
Here's the link to the post I tried in the other forum

Here is a link that might be useful: Here's the response
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Thank you for that helpful bit of info, will depend on how leafed out, don't know what to expect. I always water potted plants and let them sit a bit before I put them in. I tend to overwater, and the soil around here gets so dry so FAST these last few years! The new batch coming is going on the east side of the house, oh yes, I got Veilchenblau and 2 Gruss which are supposed to do well in part shade; it won't dry out quite so fast, but it does get dry, and I have to watch it. Next year I may not have to water so much as it seems the roots on stuff I put in last year have gone deeper. We've got rain on the way so I put off watering most stuff except scattered some poppy seeds. Now I have to keep that moist continually. I found a pretty pink columbine at HD and went and planted it out by the garage. The soil looked dry as a bone, but when I got down about an inch, it was nice and moist. Thanks for mentioning spreading out the roots a bit. I wouldn't have thought of that but do always try to dig a little bigger holes than I need and then fill back in to where the plant will be even or just a slight bit deeper. That gives the plant a little better start, chops off competing roots, and loosens the soil around them. My Austins look kind of pathetic but I have high hopes for some of them at least. What must the neighbors think, sticks poking out of the ground with funny shoots on them? Then I have seeds to plant to fill in, hope that works out ok. I will mulch around the roses and leave the bare soil until the seeds get going, if I'm lucky. Thanks again, you are a wonderful help and have been on other threads as well. I fell in love with these purple poppies, so will have to plant those, just came in the mail, so much to do. Those aren't the ones I scattered earlier today. I don't know whether to mix them in with the roses or the yellow and white lilies I have coming or find another spot for them. Here is a link that might be useful: Purple poppies
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bpgreen
13 years ago
Congratulations on your home.

Just out of curiosity, where in Queens? I was on a project at the foot of the Queens borough bridge for a while.

LI has pretty mild winter weather, so you can get away with a lot of things that others wouldn't.

For watering, you don't want to drown the seeds. You want to keep them damp. That may well mean watering 3 times a day for 3 weeks.

If birds carried off a lot of the seed, there's nothing to be done about that (I feel your pain--I saw my grass sprouting from ant hills in the sidewalk several doors down).

On the bright side, KBG is a sod forming grass. It fills in bare spots via specialized roots called rhizomes. So if it's patchy now, it should fill in next year.

New Homeowner & Not so good with plants and stuff.

Comments (3)

southerngalinnyc

southerngalinnyc

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