Drought help

Dear Anne,

Help! We moved to a new home and we cannot water, so therefore we cannot sod. What can I do? Would you just throw out some seed and hope for the best. Or should I mulch the yard? I have dogs and the dirt and mud are about to drive me insane!

Kind regards,

Barbara P.

Anne's Response:

There are some landscapers who are putting down sod and using well water or treated sewage water. It is more expensive but it will help get the sod off to a good start. If you put down fescue sod there will be a problem if the watering restrictions are not lifted during the summer. It really is too late to put our fescue grass seed this year. If you want to put down a warm season grass such as Zoysia, Bermuda or St. Augustine you may be able to start them from seed in May if it looks like we will have rain on a regular basis. Using sod for warm season grasses would also be a possibility and they have the advantage of not needing as much water after they are established.