Caring for the grass

[tuck]

So this may seem trivial but does anybody worry about their grass when they put their haunts out. Last year I did not worry about the grass because 1. It was already all dead from the drought, 2. I only had a few headstones that were simply staked in the yard. This year I would like to have a couple of pillars for the cemetery. Obviously these will have a wide base and my concern is that since I put these things out towards the beginning of the month that I will have two nice dead patches of grass where the pillars stood. I know that after all the money I spent getting the yard back in shape this spring and summer the wife would be none to happy about me killing off small areas of grass.

I have thought about putting them on the driveway but then I'm worried the wife or myself would accidentally back over them.

[Bilbo]

Tuck, I'm up in northern Minnesota and have a number of columns I put out every year. My grass shows no sign of them being there at all. However, I only put them out for a couple weeks, not for the full month. If your grass is at all hardy you shouldn't have an issue.

[joker]

Put your columns up and leave them there year round. Problem solved:D

I had a few brown/yellow spots last year for a short period of time after Halloween where my tombstones were. They were up for the whole month though.

[Aelwyn]

Just Weed n' Feed in the spring. My dad has never had issues with yellowing lawn due to anything sitting on it for a period of time. He is the Lawn-King.

[pyro]

i want mine to grow out of control-been watering once a week ( we have a water ban :p ) last year my kid thought he was doing me a favor and cut it just before halloween :eek:

[tuck]

I will try putting them down and hopefully nothing bad happens. It's hard to tell the weather that time of year here in the midwest. It may be 90 or it may be snowing. Oh well if it does kill the grass then i have lots of practice from this year growing it again :).

thanks for the help all

[Dr Morbius]

Or you could buy some sod and fill in the dead spots if you have any. No one will know the difference if you get the same kind grass sod as your lawn.

[BRAinDead]

I rotate my tombstones every 5-7 days, by moving them just slightly away from their previous location. The grass gets a little yellow under the stones during that 5-7 days, but it recovers quickly once the tombstone is sitting somewhere else.

[lewlew]

Here in PA the grass may take a hit but we only have a few weeks before the snow begins to fly (sometimes sooner). By the time spring rolls around any yellowed spots green right up. I've left some stones and a few other things out for a week or so and never had any problems.

[JohnnyL]

Before I set-up, I always make sure the grass is very healthy, then I weed the yard, trim, clean-up etc. Why? Just because I think having a cleaner/groomed yard and garden makes all my work look more professional, otherwise the house just looks bad. I know that I should be making the house look unkept for, but I mainly do that by bringing in my own props and decorations (ie: shrubs, vines, trees, grass).

Afterward there's always dead spots, so I make sure to fertilize and fill in spots with dirt that I dug into.

[Front Yard Fright]

Hahahahaha
We had a 16x20 foot dead patch in our yard from our outdoor haunt.
Could care less about the grass.
;).

[SpectreTTM]

I hear ya.

Every yr I pretty much kill the Grass under my 8x8 Mausoleum.

Halloween :: Night Front picture by SpectreTTM - Photobucket

I havent figured out what to do yet. Wife always comments on the nice Square on the front lawn. :(

I think this yr I'm gonna throw some Starter Fertilizer after I take the Mausoleum. Down.

[dynoflyer]

Yes, last year I wore paths in the front lawn walking back and forth setting up and taking down. But, like LewLew says, in a few weeks the snow flies and with a little fertilizer in the Spring it's good as new. I like the look of thick piles of fallen leaves during the haunt and they cover up the wires and such. But, I think thick matted leaves does more harm to the grass than walking on it.

[slightlymad]

Grass HA! We only trim the edges in October I want the slightly negleted look plus it comes out nice and even after we take the props down and mow. Mind you in this part of Pa we mow the lawn usually until the end of november. The lawn is simply one more victim of my halloween obsession. And even the lawn nazis leave me alone.

[tuck]

Spectre, your mausoleum looks great, it is well worth the patchwork in the following months.

I understand the obsession thing and wanting the yard to look great for the month of October the problem is I want my yard to look great the rest of the year. I guess you have to pick your battles.