my yard is 100% sand, lots of sticks and weeds, very little grass. I want grass. Can anyone help?

Question

I live in hot, humid fort worth texas

Answer 1

you're going to need organic materials.. lots and lots of them! Peat Moss and compost are good examples. Sandy soil needs to be modified to held moisture better.

Add your organics, sow seed, fertilize and water.. you should be able to get some good grass growing.

The sand will still drain water, so watering will become a regular part of life for you, but you'll have grass!

Answer 2

Rake out all the sticks and weeds, and get some top soil. You'll have to get enough to cover your entire lawn and have it be around 3-4" thick (for the roots of the grass)

If you want instant grass, go for sod. If you have patience, go for grass seed.

Make sure to keep it well watered, and you should have grass in no time.

Answer 3

Pool salt sprinkled on weeds will kill them, even if it rains after you sprinkle it on. Meanwhile, rake up all the sticks. Dig and stir the soil. Sprinkle grass seeds and water regularly. This may sound silly, but it works. While you are waiting for the grass seeds to do their job, buy a large bag of cheap Budgie food (not parrot as it has corn seed in it ), sprinkle it around and water. This rapidly grows into very soft grass.

Answer 4

I would start with top soil with a mix of peat moss. Buy lots of earth worms, and earth worm castings, if you don't then by next year its just sand again. Those earth worms will start digesting and making good rich soil. Look up www.dirtdoctor.com He lives in Dallas I believe, so he knows what we go through down here in texas...I'm from weatherford, and have the same problem. But little at a time I've been doing these things and its helping so much!

Answer 5

Amending sandy soil is an ongoing process as every year the rains leach soluble nutrients away and the organics continually break down. How much will depend on the soil specifics of your site but a general recommendation is: Add as much composted (rotted) organic material as you can afford. It is almost impossible to add too much.
Amending sandy soil texture: Sandy soil is easier to amend then clay. The goal in amending sandy soil is to add sponge like organic matter in the form of peat, composted bark dust, manure and/or compost to help it to retain more water as well as provide nutrients.
*4 to 8 inches of organic material dug in 12 to 24 inches
Optional and expensive additions include:
Vermiculite 5-25% of amendment
Hydrosource 1-4 lb/100 square feet
Soil, even in Texas, has a complex symbiotic relationship with its inhabitants the edaphon. During the growing season plants fix carbon dioxide by photosynthesis into carbohydrates and oxygen. Some 10-25% of this fixed carbon finds its way back to the soil through the roots, as carbohydrate exudates. This exudate feeds the soil’s edaphon that in turn digests organic detritus, supplying essential nutrients the plants cannot make for themselves. Soil microorganisms are the essential link between plants and the soil’s mineral reserves. The edaphon creates humus that structures the soil to support plant populations and is a symbiosis where plants capture energy from the sun to feed themselves and exchange this food for select nutrients and water retentive, humus rich soil. Your goal is to provide the organics the soil lacks.
Your soil's texture is sand, now you want to build a structure capable of retaining water to make plants and their symbionts happy.
Compost alone is not enough. You will need to feed the entire biota, all the plants and soil animals. To this end soluble fertilizers will not aid you. You need to amend the fertility with organics the edaphon can use until the plants take over feeding them.
The Edaphon consists of:
fungi/algae 40%
bacteria/actinomycetes 40%
earthworms 12%
macrofauna 5%
micro/mesofauna 3%

To grow grass you want to restore the entire edaphon specific to a grassland. Fungi called AM mycorhizae specifically. High levels of chemical fertilizer can cause mycorrhizae to shift from beneficial plant associations to harmful ones. But In nutrient-poor or moisture-deficient soils like you have, nutrients taken up by the mycorrhizae lead to improved plant growth and reproduction. The mycorhizae aid plants in drought tolerance & defense against pathogens.
Organic lawns
http://www.richsoil.com/lawn/index.jsp
Organic Lawn Care Guide
http://www.extremelygreen.com/lawncareguide.cfm
http://www.dirtdoctor.com/ lists regional organic specialists.
Organic Lawns
2909 Morton St, Fort Worth, TX
[phone]
http://www.soilsalive.com/
Organic Lawn Care Forum
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/orglawn/
Grass seed section
http://www.lawnandgardenmagic.com/
http://www.lawnandgardenmagic.com/Grass/

Answer 6

No. Not even close. Weed (as in the drug) is a Nickname for the cannabis plant. Cannabis, when eaten or smoked, causes a high, or a changed state in perception. Smoking yard weeds willl at most cause respiratory problems.

Answer 7

Level it out, cover with about an inch of top soil, then lay sod. You might want to put in a sprinkler system, though.

Answer 8

Soil and water-thats all it needs.
Sand can not hold moisture or nutrients.

Answer 9

Buy a bag of grass seed and thrown it down...water each day..GRASS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 10

fake grass.