Last year I added seed I bought from Costco but over the winter the patches died again and moss has been taking over. I can't afford to do a new lawn but I need to satisfy the HOA so I don't get fined. Any suggestions would be great. I'm in Washington State. Photo 1 and 4 were good per HOA.
by Known_Magician_9442
40 Comments
Ask your HOA what they want. Because grass will not grow with that much shade.
Turf
Paint some pine needles and throw them in the bare spots. That’s too much shade for grass to grow
It doesn’t even look that bad
People in my HOA have yards 10x worse than yours and don’t get letters/fines. Then neighbors who have yards that look like a golf course get letters. Problem? HOAs. I agree with other comment – ask HOA what they expect considering the tree roots will continue to dominate.
Is telling your HOA to go fuck themselves an option? This seems like it should he an option in America.
your lawn looks great considering all the shade. Tell HOA to pound sand.
Be happy you’re not dealing with thistles
The cheapest option that is generally unpopular would be to throw down annual rye until you can put down something of better quality.
You know hoa got no better things to do
Personally if you’re fine with 2 and 3 I see no huge issues compared with my neighborhood
And do the guy who was like OP neglects lawn. I mean really like 2 and 3, really aren’t that bad
My neighbor has leaves from the fall still in their yard and do they get a letter hell no
Shoot once I saw a house in my neighborhood with plant growth covering the front door and from neighborhood sidewalk completely over house sidewalk and the growth was easy 7 feet high
So OP just clean it up a little and ask what else they want 10 to 1 you can find yards in your neighborhood worse than yours
rake the hell out of it and overseed with a shade blend of fine fescue
That’s ridiculous. Try lawn paint. Just spray it green once in a while.
Obligatory r/fuckhoa
You should verify with your county land records that the other side of the sidewalk with the tree is even your property. Else not sure why the HOAs thinks it’s your problem, is that part of your agreement?
Would love to see what the neighbors look like with similar tree coverage
Rake in some seed, cover with straw, water. Lawn fixed.
They’re complaining about *that*?! This looks like a perfectly normal lawn… It’s not picturesque or anything but it’s also not abhorrently bad.
Tell the hoa that youll fix that lawn issue after the fix that sidewalk. Spray paint isnt fixing a more important issue
green spraypaint
Aerate the spots that are bare, add some topsoil and some shade mix grass seed. You should be fine.
This right here is why I refuse to live in an HOA
Thin out your trees to maximize sunlight. Till, amend the soil, and seed. Fertilize, of course.
If the patches are consistently a problem, take a long screw driver and poke around in the patches. There may be trash and building debris left from construction. I’ve found some ridiculous crap in mine.
I’m on the board of my HOA specifically to stop BS like this. Call them and tell them you are trying and need time. In 4 years, I’ve allowed 2 fines, and they were atrocious yards. They need to get a grip.
Leave that place. HOA’s suck
Fine fescue is very shade tolerant. If it is still too shady for that then you can try growing Poa. Poa is normally a weed grass you don’t want growing in your lawn, but it will grow with very little sunlight. There should be a guide in the sidebar written by the lawncare mod. If not I can get you the link.
For a temporary fix/patch, I don’t know of any grass that sprouts faster than rye grass. Rye will die quickly in summer heat in zone 7a – I don’t know how long it will survive where you are. It usually sprouts in 3 days and grows vigorously. You might need to do some research on annual rye versus perennial rye to see what works best for you long term. It might be your long term solution, but you will need to do some research for your USDA zone to see what thrives there.
Under the tree I would recommend you add mulch out as far as reasonable.
Gotta be grass seed for densely shaded areas. But first you should tell them to fix the cracks because chances are they are putting new slabs in and they might ruin your lawn, which then makes it a little more on them to fix. Talk it out with them. Telling them to screw themselves like everyone else is suggesting isn’t really an option. If you don’t pay a fine it’s a lien against your house. No one wants that. Active communication and showing your taking steps to remediate goes a long way.
Honestly with your shade and favorable climate I think Rye is your easiest bet. Will pop a week after you spread and water it.
Try to find an actual distributor and not a big box store, because you’ll get quality seed meant for your specific area and won’t pay for filler/coatings, branding that don’t make a bit of difference. Google your city, county, state, whatever and “extension office” and they usually have a horticultural or university page that lists places to buy seed. Good luck!
Honestly with your shade and favorable climate I think Rye is your easiest bet. Will pop a week after you spread and water it.
Try to find an actual distributor and not a big box store, because you’ll get quality seed meant for your specific area and won’t pay for filler/coatings, branding that don’t make a bit of difference. Google your city, county, state, whatever and “extension office” and they usually have a horticultural or university page that lists places to buy seed. Good luck!
Spray the weeds then do some seeds
I honestly can’t believe people still buy houses in HOA areas, f*** that
Send a letter back to HOA saying, “Can you make grass grow because I sure can’t”
Theyre seriously sending you letters over this? Fuck HOA’s they are out of hand
Do what the HOA did, paint dead spot green instead of fixing, like they painted the lifted/sunk sidewalk
Makes its obvious where to edge and build up a raised bed shade plant garden
Tell HOA to find the nearest parking lot and kick rocks
Run for the board, change policy.
Step 1: I would respond saying that you are working on it
Step 2: Get a copy of the HOA charter and bylaws and see how much authority they actually have. A lot of times they don’t have the authority they think they have or it is vaguely written. Then if they press you, repeat that you are working on it and go from there.
In addition to seeding and watering, I’d make sure you are doing some sort of fertilization program as well.
Hoa sounds like an association with ppl who have too much time on their hands. I love a good lawn but im not gonna send letters out
It looks good for the light its getting, ask the HOA how you are supposed to grow thick grass in the shade. . . .
r/fuckhoa
This would unleash a fiery passion to make life hell for the HOA from here out. Giant 1980’s satellite dish in the front lawn included.
First mistake was living in an hoa