A friend has asked for help -- can folks on the LIST come up with an answer
to this problem?
"The grass always grows greener on the septic tank" goes the saying, but I
have the opposite problem. My grass always burns out or shrivels up in
various patches over the tank. I know the tank is buried at least 8 inches
below the ground which may not be very deep, but grass can surely grow at
that depth. And I amended the soil there with compost. And I water a lot.
This is a weekend house, not used very much at all. The tank is concrete,
installed 1989. My question is, could something be leaching from the tank?
Could the concrete be leaching lime? I would turn the grass there into a
raised flower bed (I did for a while) but it is in the middle of the lawn
near the house and a bed wouldn't look right in that spot. Any thoughts?
Thanks.
and thank you from me, too
Karen in NJ
Could it be that the soil there is drying out too fast since it's only 8" or
so deep? Even if she waters, if it's only a weekend house it might dry out
between visits. Or maybe she could try a different species of grass there
this fall.
Lee Ann
A friend has asked for help -- can folks on the LIST come up with an answer
to this problem?
"The grass always grows greener on the septic tank" goes the saying, but I
have the opposite problem. My grass always burns out or shrivels up in
various patches over the tank. I know the tank is buried at least 8 inches
below the ground which may not be very deep, but grass can surely grow at
that depth. And I amended the soil there with compost. And I water a lot.
This is a weekend house, not used very much at all. The tank is concrete,
installed 1989. My question is, could something be leaching from the tank?
Could the concrete be leaching lime? I would turn the grass there into a
raised flower bed (I did for a while) but it is in the middle of the lawn
near the house and a bed wouldn't look right in that spot. Any thoughts?
Thanks.
and thank you from me, too
Karen in NJ
HI Karen, I grow mints over mine and several large pots, which grow more
mints in lazy years, other herbs or flowers if I get to it. I think I
have tansy in the biggest pot, which manages to overwinter without my
help. I always thought it was just the heat that dried stuff out and
the mints are tall enough to shade the ground better than grass. But I
could be wrong on that.
Esther
karen swaine
Sent: Monday, July 28, 2003 10:54 PM
To: GARDENS@LSV.UKY.EDU
Subject: Re: Why won't grass grow?
A friend has asked for help -- can folks on the LIST come up with an
answer
to this problem?
"The grass always grows greener on the septic tank" goes the saying, but
I
have the opposite problem. My grass always burns out or shrivels up in
various patches over the tank. I know the tank is buried at least 8
inches
below the ground which may not be very deep, but grass can surely grow
at
that depth. And I amended the soil there with compost. And I water a
lot.
This is a weekend house, not used very much at all. The tank is
concrete,
installed 1989. My question is, could something be leaching from the
tank?
Could the concrete be leaching lime? I would turn the grass there into a
raised flower bed (I did for a while) but it is in the middle of the
lawn
near the house and a bed wouldn't look right in that spot. Any thoughts?
Thanks.
and thank you from me, too
Karen in NJ
Oh yes, foxglove have reseeded themselves in the mints, too.
Esther
eczekalski
Sent: Tuesday, July 29, 2003 8:46 AM
To: GARDENS@LSV.UKY.EDU
Subject: Re: Why won't grass grow?
HI Karen, I grow mints over mine and several large pots, which grow more
mints in lazy years, other herbs or flowers if I get to it. I think I
have tansy in the biggest pot, which manages to overwinter without my
help. I always thought it was just the heat that dried stuff out and
the mints are tall enough to shade the ground better than grass. But I
could be wrong on that.
Esther
karen swaine
Sent: Monday, July 28, 2003 10:54 PM
To: GARDENS@LSV.UKY.EDU
Subject: Re: Why won't grass grow?
A friend has asked for help -- can folks on the LIST come up with an
answer
to this problem?
"The grass always grows greener on the septic tank" goes the saying, but
I
have the opposite problem. My grass always burns out or shrivels up in
various patches over the tank. I know the tank is buried at least 8
inches
below the ground which may not be very deep, but grass can surely grow
at
that depth. And I amended the soil there with compost. And I water a
lot.
This is a weekend house, not used very much at all. The tank is
concrete,
installed 1989. My question is, could something be leaching from the
tank?
Could the concrete be leaching lime? I would turn the grass there into a
raised flower bed (I did for a while) but it is in the middle of the
lawn
near the house and a bed wouldn't look right in that spot. Any thoughts?
Thanks.
and thank you from me, too
Karen in NJ
Could it be fungus that is creating the brown patches over the tank?
(Fungus is a sign of too much fertilizer during the summer/warm season in
tall fescues, which are cool season grasses.) She might only see the dead
grass because she is there infrequently rather than seeing that fungus is
causing it.
Debbie
-----Original Message-----
From: Gardens & Gardening [mailto:GARDENS@LSV.UKY.EDU] On Behalf Of karen
swaine
Sent: Monday, July 28, 2003 10:54 PM
To: GARDENS@LSV.UKY.EDU
Subject: Re: Why won't grass grow?
A friend has asked for help -- can folks on the LIST come up with an answer
to this problem?
"The grass always grows greener on the septic tank" goes the saying, but I
have the opposite problem. My grass always burns out or shrivels up in
various patches over the tank. I know the tank is buried at least 8 inches
below the ground which may not be very deep, but grass can surely grow at
that depth. And I amended the soil there with compost. And I water a lot.
This is a weekend house, not used very much at all. The tank is concrete,
installed 1989. My question is, could something be leaching from the tank?
Could the concrete be leaching lime? I would turn the grass there into a
raised flower bed (I did for a while) but it is in the middle of the lawn
near the house and a bed wouldn't look right in that spot. Any thoughts?
Thanks.
and thank you from me, too
Karen in NJ
Karen,
Since this is a weekend house, not getting much use, the septic tank =
doesn't
process much liquid...and doesn't act as a water supply to nearby grass.
It's essentially a big rock between the water table and your grass. The =
8
inches is a minimal obstruction...compared to the radius of that septic
tank.
Your friend might want to look into a garden feature...a lightweight =
statue
might look lovely in the middle of all that lawn.
As to whether the concrete/lime hurts or helps...that depends on what =
their
soil is like. If the soil is generally acidic, the lime probably is a =
boon
rather than a bane.
Barb in Southern Indiana Zone 5/6 dorsettb@kiva.net
Gardening is an instrument of grace. ~Mary Sarton
> "The grass always grows greener on the septic tank" goes the saying, =
but I
> have the opposite problem. My grass always burns out or shrivels up in
> various patches over the tank. I know the tank is buried at least 8 =
inches
> below the ground which may not be very deep, but grass can surely grow =
at
> that depth. And I amended the soil there with compost. And I water a =
lot.
> This is a weekend house, not used very much at all. The tank is =
concrete,
> installed 1989. My question is, could something be leaching from the
> tank?
> Could the concrete be leaching lime? I would turn the grass there into =
a
> raised flower bed (I did for a while) but it is in the middle of the =
lawn
> near the house and a bed wouldn't look right in that spot. Any =
thoughts?
When Bombeck made that statement, she was certainly joking. While
the grass over the leach field is green, that over the septic tank at
our house is usually dead or weedy. It's a little like grass over
rock. My take on the reason here is the soil dries very quickly as
compared to the rest of the area. Then, too, the tank has to be
opened and cleaned every few years so it isn't worth the trouble of
doing much.
Depending on your view, how about a small bird bath... or one that
doesn't weigh a ton? I'm in the process (meaning it's on the
honey-do list) of bolting two brass-looking cranes to a large flat
rock and placing that on the side of the tank that does not get
opened for cleaning. The surface over the tank side that gets opened
will get mulch. I haven't determined which plants, if any, I'm using
adjacent to the rock. If I go to the very edge of the tank, I could
use smallish shrubs or large hosta or some evergreen that will spread
horizontally. I think it's on next year's list but everything is
here to do the job. Linda in NW Ohio.
"The grass always grows greener on the septic tank" goes the saying, but I
have the opposite problem. My grass always burns out or shrivels up in
various patches over the tank. I know the tank is buried at least 8 inches
below the ground which may not be very deep, but grass can surely grow at
that depth. And I amended the soil there with compost. And I water a lot.
This is a weekend house, not used very much at all. The tank is concrete,
installed 1989. My question is, could something be leaching from the tank?
Could the concrete be leaching lime? I would turn the grass there into a
raised flower bed (I did for a while) but it is in the middle of the lawn
near the house and a bed wouldn't look right in that spot. Any thoughts?
Thanks.
and thank you from me, too
Karen in NJ
Our pH is above 7, and I do not have dead lawn above the septic tank. Has
your friend tried to pull up the grass? Are the roots chewed off or are
they intact, the grass dead from bottom to top? If the roots are chewed
off, it could be billbugs or whatever you have in your region (provided the
injured party lives in your region). My lawn doesn't get the full 1" of
water per week either. Is this area shaded? Does it need aeration? There
are many reasons for grass to die. Margaret L
But the problem exists ONLY above that one area. I think it many have
something to do with the concrete leaching lime into the soil. How high a
pH can turf stand?
karen, NJ
karen
answer
tank?
Actually, if it were MY place, that's where I'd make a nice pea gravel
terrace/planting area and stick in some neat Alpines that like dry soil in
the summer... and stuff like thyme, etc. and then I'd put my outside table
and chairs there (instead of where they are now).
I think I'll make that suggestion - altho I'm sure they've already thought
of that themselves....
Karen in NJ
The grass is usually greener above the septic tank distribution lines.
The tank itself is generally either concrete or fiberglas and will
inhibit grass growth just from being an obstacle in the soil. Properly
made tanks are just a container to allow its contents to biodegrade with
the help of bacteria and then the liquid flows out to the distribution
lines to be absorbed by the soil. Watch out for trees over the lines
though, they will stop the action quickly.
Incidentally, in many parts of Texas and Louisiana, particularly those
with heavy clay soils only a little way down, it is forbidden to use
septic tanks. You have to install a mechanical sewer system with popup
sprayers to get rid of the water. Trees are nice if you one of those
systems as the tree will aspirate a lot of water and return it to the
sky eventually. Me, I'm just glad I live in town now and don't have to
fight/feed/fuss with septic systems anymore.
George
Deborah Green wrote:
But I thought the "greener" idea is that that area gets more fertilized than
the rest of the lawn...turf likes lime better than acid, and we have some
soil samples here from people who have limed their lawns every year (the
recommendation is every three years) so they are about as high as they can
get and the lawns are alive...
-----Original Message-----
From: Gardens & Gardening [mailto:GARDENS@LSV.UKY.EDU] On Behalf Of karen
swaine
Sent: Wednesday, July 30, 2003 3:38 PM
To: GARDENS@LSV.UKY.EDU
Subject: Re: Why won't grass grow?
But the problem exists ONLY above that one area. I think it many have
something to do with the concrete leaching lime into the soil. How high a
pH can turf stand?
karen, NJ
karen
answer
tank?
