Got a couple lawn and garden questions.

[Demon-Xanth]

Lawn question:
The soil around my house is really sandy and doesn't hold water well. So the grass has been drying out during the summer. Is there any way to get it more dirt like without digging it all up and replacing it?

Garden question:
Can you use seeds from store bought peppers (either fresh or dried) to grow peppers in a pot indoors? I'm talking about cayanne, arbol, or habenero variety peppers. Not bell.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: Demon-Xanth
Lawn question:
The soil around my house is really sandy and doesn't hold water well. So the grass has been drying out during the summer. Is there any way to get it more dirt like without digging it all up and replacing it?

Garden question:
Can you use seeds from store bought peppers (either fresh or dried) to grow peppers in a pot indoors? I'm talking about cayanne, arbol, or habenero variety peppers. Not bell.

I would think you could use seeds from fresh peppers but I'm not sure how you go about that. It's really too late in the season to try to start growing peppers though unless you're going to use special lights to raise them indoors.

A friend of mine is growing peppers, she bought seeds of specific peppers she wanted to grow and she started them back in April.

 

[jemcam]

Where do you live? When I lived in Florida I put in St. Augustine grass which holds moisture better because the roots are so thick.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

Originally posted by: jemcam
Where do you live? When I lived in Florida I put in St. Augustine grass which holds moisture better because the roots are so thick.

Sacramento.

 

[Scarpozzi]

One thing you can do is aerate your lawn. Then get a lawn spreader and put topsoil and fertilizer in it...then spread the soil around your lawn....water it down with a hose or sprinkler afterward.

Repeat this process once a week for a few months and get some aerating shoes to wear when you mow (if you have a walk-behind mower). After a few months of this process, it will work the soil into the sandy soil and help it hold nutrients better. There are some grasses geared more for low water situations. As mentioned, you can get a St Augustine or Bermuda grass and they'll handle sandier soils. There is also a few blends of blue fescue that are good for high heat/low water areas.

When you mow, never cut more than 1/3 of the blade of grass at a time. Doing more than that can damage the grass and cause it to die since the blades are where it keeps its moisture when it's not available to the roots.



I don't recommend planting seeds from peppers, but it can be done. To do it, it's just like getting other seeds to germinate. Here's a guide I found from a quick google search specifically for peppers.
http://www.pepperjoe.com/articles/one.html

 

[runzwithsizorz]

Buy a 2 inch dia. auger at the big box. Put it on a heavy duty 1/2 drive drill, (low speed), a 3/8 drive would probably burn up after about 20 min. of use. Drill holes aprox. 8 in. deep, and apart. Back fill with Miracle Gro planting mix, it is the best I've found for this application, and it has nutriments added. You may at this time, also overseed with a more draught tolerant variety of grass. All good looking lawns are a blend.

Question #2; just buy the damn seed?

<------- master gardener

 

[Demon-Xanth]

Originally posted by: runzwithsizorz
Buy a 2 inch dia. auger at the big box. Put it on a heavy duty 1/2 drive drill, (low speed), a 3/8 drive would probably burn up after about 20 min. of use. Drill holes aprox. 8 in. deep, and apart. Back fill with Miracle Gro planting mix, it is the best I've found for this application, and it has nutriments added. You may at this time, also overseed with a more draught tolerant variety of grass. All good looking lawns are a blend.

Question #2; just buy the damn seed?

<------- master gardener

How far apart should I space the holes? 6-8"? (I'm going to need to borrow a drill for that...)

And as far as the seed question, was just thinking since I have seeds pour out onto the counter when I cook, why not toss a couple in a pot.

 

[Modelworks]

Originally posted by: Demon-Xanth


Garden question:
Can you use seeds from store bought peppers (either fresh or dried) to grow peppers in a pot indoors? I'm talking about cayanne, arbol, or habenero variety peppers. Not bell.

Yes you can use them. You need to dry them first.
Better link:
http://www.thechileman.org/guide_seedsaving.php

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: Demon-Xanth
Lawn question:
The soil around my house is really sandy and doesn't hold water well. So the grass has been drying out during the summer. Is there any way to get it more dirt like without digging it all up and replacing it?

Sandy soil is not the problem really...I have mostly sandly soil here in S. Florida. What you need to do though is keep it adequately watered until the grass has taken hold.

Fertilize and water the hell out of it. Then you can cut back to once a week of 40mins a section. It may dry out on some days, but the next watering will bring it right back.

What kind of grass and location?

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: Scarpozzi
One thing you can do is aerate your lawn. Then get a lawn spreader and put topsoil and fertilizer in it...then spread the soil around your lawn....water it down with a hose or sprinkler afterward.

Repeat this process once a week for a few months and get some aerating shoes to wear when you mow (if you have a walk-behind mower). After a few months of this process, it will work the soil into the sandy soil and help it hold nutrients better. There are some grasses geared more for low water situations. As mentioned, you can get a St Augustine or Bermuda grass and they'll handle sandier soils. There is also a few blends of blue fescue that are good for high heat/low water areas.

When you mow, never cut more than 1/3 of the blade of grass at a time. Doing more than that can damage the grass and cause it to die since the blades are where it keeps its moisture when it's not available to the roots.



I don't recommend planting seeds from peppers, but it can be done. To do it, it's just like getting other seeds to germinate. Here's a guide I found from a quick google search specifically for peppers.
http://www.pepperjoe.com/articles/one.html

sandy soil is usually pretty aerated.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: Demon-Xanth
Lawn question:
The soil around my house is really sandy and doesn't hold water well. So the grass has been drying out during the summer. Is there any way to get it more dirt like without digging it all up and replacing it?

Sandy soil is not the problem really...I have mostly sandly soil here in S. Florida. What you need to do though is keep it adequately watered until the grass has taken hold.

Fertilize and water the hell out of it. Then you can cut back to once a week of 40mins a section. It may dry out on some days, but the next watering will bring it right back.

What kind of grass and location?

No clue what type of grass, I moved into the place in February. I've been watering it for about a half hour a second every three days or so. The grass near the house is doing great, but the stuff towards the street (where there's a slope) is gone. It is a mix though, with a bit of it I think being crab grass actually.

Given that the house was unoccupied for atleast 6 months before I moved in, I might just have to overseed and spread miracle grow when the rains start coming in. The previous owners had a dog and I think a couple of the struggling spots might be from dog pee.

 

[alkemyst]

I'd bring a sample of the 'good' grass you have to a lawn center and get the name and type.

Grass is harder to maintain near the street as it gets cooked by the asphalt and everything washes off the road to that area.

My swale is finally coming in nice after about a year of maintenance...the previous owner's didn't maintain their sprinklers so the swale had no water at all for months as well as a side strip area.

I have St. Augustine. My neighbor has the better variety (it's about 3-4x the cost)...he can water less and get a better lawn.

I stuck with 40min watering's sometimes daily in the beginning and hitting the grass with Weed and Feed and then / currently 'turf builder'. I also bought some spray atrazine to attack trouble spots directly (sand spurs).

I have a strip of carpet grass I will probably have to end up resodding. It's down to about 2/3's it's original size after a year now. I used baking soda directly for this.

 

[rudder]

Get a lawn gnome. They will handle things while you sleep.

 

[IGBT]

..sounds like it may be perfect for cactus and succulents.