MONKEYING AROUND WITH THE LAWN or The Grass is Greener...Where I Spilled Something

                             During the summer, I reuse water from a lot of sources. I pour it on the grass. But a couple of weeks ago I had a mystery on my hands; I had one patch of healthy, green grass amidst the sad, drought-stricken lawn.

(Comparisons...the left really turned green and healthy)

I had used water with bleach (ok), water from cleaning the chicken coop (it didn't burn the grass when used in dilute amounts), water from the bathtub, and water from the air-conditioning drain.

But none accounted for this patch. Until I remembered an injury. I had cut my foot and had to soak it in Epsom salts. Voila! Normally, I only use Epsom salts on Plumeria and Palm trees. So, did it also work on lawns?

 I tried it on all the lawn.

This is the lawn one week after sprinkling it with 3 pounds of Epsom salts. Epsom salt contains magnesium and is considered an organic soil amendment(by most). For some reason, adding Epsom salts to a lawn allows a rich uptake of nitrogen and phosphorus by root systems. I don't use any other fertilizers on my lawn. I also water sparingly and hardly mow during droughts. Longer grass is more hardy and shades the soil.

PART 2: But the drought goes on and on and on.....

This part of the lawn (by the street) will be converted to small, rounded river stones mixed with small aloes. This area is blasted with 5 hours of afternoon sun AND is on a slope.

The lawn is unsustainable without daily watering and I can't do that for three more months.

This was once unsustainable lawn and is now going to be converted to an aloe and small agave groundcover mixed with airplane plants (Chlorophytum) throughout the pebbles. All can take the xeric conditions due to the slope and the myriad of tree roots sucking up the water.

This area was also unsustainable due to tree roots taking all the water.

Its second purpose is for my son's car while back from college.

Hope this post gives you some ways to fight back during this drought.

Thanks for stopping by.

David/ Tropical Texana :-)