We've built a new house on some acreage in the country that used to be hay-covered pasture land. What we have now is a large area of smoothed out bare dirt around the house and driveway ready for sod or seed, and hay fields all around the dirt area. I'm trying to figure out the best way to turn this into something resembling a nice lawn. I'd welcome any tips or suggestions.
Right now my tentative plan is to sod the area immediately around the house, including a nice sized back yard. Then sprinkle grass seeds all over the rest of the bare dirt areas that aren't sodded. The result will hopefully be a nice sodded back yard, a larger area around the house with not as nice grass (but still not dusty or muddy) and the whole thing surrounded by the hay field.
Like I said, I'd love any thoughts or suggestions, but here are some of my main questions and concerns:
--How often and for how long will I have to water the sod and the seeded areas to get it established? I live in Oklahoma, so we should have a pretty rainy spring, followed by a hot, dry summer. I can handle watering the back yard every day or two for a little while, but the hose won't even reach to many of the seeded areas, and I don't want to have to water regularly at all after initially getting things established. I want the grass to keep the ground covered, but don't care if it turns brown in the summer, as long as it keeps coming back. This is a country home, not a neighborhood subdivision!
--The hay field starts immediately where the lawn ends. The hay is very tough and pointy when mowed down, not the ideal grass for my young kids to be rolling around in. Will the hay spread into my lawn area? Is there any way of preventing or at least slowing this? I don't suppose there are any lawn chemicals that will kill hay but keep the grass?
Thanks!
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