Need some help growing grass.....

[Young Guns]

Ok, I need some info/help/tips on growing some grass in my backyard. Our house was built brand new in '06 and came with sod. We watered it like we were supposed to and it mostly took root. It never really became completely established. Now about half of my backyard is dirt. I have a large tortoise that grazes on grass (yes, he is part of the problem, but not all of it) and I need to grow some good thick grass for him to graze on. Is there anything I can do except for tilling up my whole backyard and seeding it? I will do that if I have to but as a last resort. I really don't want to do sod again, because they use that stupid plastic netting in it and i have to constantly pull that stuff up where the grass no longer is. The tortoise gets into it and I don't want him eating it. ANYWAY, any info from you people with the green thumbs would be appreciated. OH, and it doesn't have to be any kind of special grass, bermuda would be just fine for me and MR. T!

 

[dennishoddy]

Use asphalt.

Your time at the range, hunting, fishing will be quickly reduced with grass....Trust me on this

 

[DutchWrangler]

Use asphalt.

Your time at the range, hunting, fishing will be quickly reduced with grass....Trust me on this

But the tortoise isn't gonna like it. Pissing off a tortoise can't be a good thing. :unsure:

 

[Young Guns]

yeah, he aint gonna eat asphalt. as for taking time...my grass takes ZERO time from me. i don't mow...Mr. T eats it.

 

[jtischauser]

I gotta see a picture of this Mr. T.

 

[Young Guns]

I gotta see a picture of this Mr. T.

not unless you tell me how to grow grass.....

:41:

 

[jtischauser]

Rough the soil up with a rake, spread seed all over, rerake lightly to sow it, water the piss out of it. I am trying my hand at it from seed for the first time myself as I type. I went with some Rye grass this go around. You are proabably still a little cold on the ground temps for Bermuda.

 

[Young Guns]

Rough the soil up with a rake, spread seed all over, rerake lightly to sow it, water the piss out of it. I am trying my hand at it from seed for the first time myself as I type. I went with some Rye grass this go around. You are proabably still a little cold on the ground temps for Bermuda.

Rye grass? Is that pretty hardy stuff? I will check it out. Thanks.

Here are some pics of Thundernuts, our sulcata. We call him "Mr T" because I don't particularly want the kids running around saying Thundernuts all the time. He is around 9 or 10 years old and has a lot of growing to do still. He will end up being around 3o" or so long and about 150 pounds. We are in the process of finding a girlfriend for him, hopefully we will have another by summer.

 

[DutchWrangler]

Is your yard shaded? I know that bermuda doesn't do well with shade which was one of the reasons I got rid of all my grass when I still had my house. Big ol' American Elm shaded most of the back yard and the other trees I planted pretty much finished off the bermuda when they filled out. I turned my entire yard into a garden plot, allowing Monkey Grass and Periwinkle to take over as ground covers. I had a couple of Terrapene carolinas and orantas roaming the back yard then but they weren't grass eaters.

 

[jtischauser]

Bermuda needs or likes like 8 hours of sunlight per day. The rye is that stuff that is green all winter. You see it on some fairways at golf courses around the city. It won't creep like Bermuda so you will have to reseed or over seed every spring to keep it full. If you can grow Bermuda go with that its much easier. You could do both so you can have green in the winter too.

We bought a 50 lb bag at Atwood's for like $50.

I don't even want to know what just happened in that 2nd photo. That is a cool pet though!

 

[Young Guns]

the backyard gets full sun all day. i think my biggest problem is probably our lousy dirt.

that second pic is him crawling on my lap. we don't have dogs, but he acts like one. he will follow me around the backyard and if i get on the ground he will climb in my lap. he's the best.

 

[Young Guns]

you think i should wait a bit before i try seeding and fertilizing again? like april or so?

 

[dennishoddy]

Amazing that tortoise will follow you around like that. Do you have any problems with wanting a little fresh meat from the tip of your finger, or are they vegetarians?

 

[Young Guns]

strictly vegetarian. however, if you hand feed you have to watch the tips of your fingers....

 

[jtischauser]

I am not an expert but fertilizing right after you seed or even right after the grass starts sprouting can burn it. The fertilizer should only be used once its established. Water is a good thing. wet it down, let it dry out, then wet it down again. You don't want it wet enough to cause mildew or rot. You don't want water late in the evening either. It needs to dry out before night time or it can get fungus or rot.

 

[jtischauser]

I would wait to spread more bermuda until the 10th or so.

 

[DutchWrangler]

that second pic is him crawling on my lap. we don't have dogs, but he acts like one. he will follow me around the backyard and if i get on the ground he will climb in my lap. he's the best.

The terrapenes I had could spot me from the furthest point of my backyard which was about a hundred feet from the backdoor of my house. They'd actually come running (if you could call it running) because they knew I usually had some food for them. They loved cherry tomatoes. Mostly though they'd feed on earthworms, grubs and whatever else they could scrounge up in the backyard that was covered with a thick mat of groundcover.

Hope you can solve the grass issue for Mr. T's sake.

 

[Young Guns]

thanks for the info everyone. it is greatly appreciated. i have never been good (or interested) in planting things, until now it seems.

it's funny also, most people don't want weeds in their grass...i wish i had more! he loves dandelions and other weeds also....

 

[Mitch Rapp]

ok....Your turtle makes my attack gecko look lame. what do you do in the winter? was he expensive? and any other details!


Go with bermuda when it warms up, has to be over 50 at night consistently for it to start though. Once it gets going it will dominate an area, took over my garden last year......

 

[Young Guns]

ok....Your turtle makes my attack gecko look lame. what do you do in the winter? was he expensive? and any other details!


Go with bermuda when it warms up, has to be over 50 at night consistently for it to start though. Once it gets going it will dominate an area, took over my garden last year......

during the winter he goes in his shed. it's insulated and heated.

you can get a baby sulcata for around $65. adults are much more. we're looking at spending between $400 and $600 for a female for Mr T. tortoises have a lot more personality than people give them credit for. they are my favorite. my snakes, tarantulas and lizards come and go, but my tortoises are like family to us. i'll start a new thread with pics and info of all my tortoises....