The Grass Doctor

How can I revitalize my dying patch of Wrigley Field grass?

Alright, here's the story. Last year when they replaced the outfield grass at Wrigley Field, they placed the old sod on the sidewalk to throw away and I picked up about a square foot of it on my way home. I decided to put it on my desk in a somewhat shallow pot (formerly a pie carrier) and under a grow lamp. After it stopped growing for a little while, I even added some red worms to help loosen up the compacted soil and to fertilize the grass (I put the grass trimmings back into the pot to feed the worms). It did well for awhile, there were some patches of dirt but they slowly filled in with new blades of grass. Fast forward to a couple months ago. I left town for a few weeks and left the grass in the care of my roommates. They under watered it and over trimmed it, and now I only have two blades of grass left. They both look like they're on their last leg. I don't want to add new grass seed, because the main reason I'm keeping this grass is that it's not just any grass, it's the grass from Wrigley Field, and I'd like to keep it that way. So, if possible, I want new blades of grass to grow from the two that I have left. For about a month I took very good care of them (including adding some miracle grow), with hopes that new blades of grass would shoot up. A couple blades came up, but died shortly after. As a last ditch effort, I recently moved the grass out of the shallow pot and into one that's about a foot deep to allow the roots some more space to grow. The new potting soil that I used is from Miracle Grow and has built in slow release fertilizer. The two remaining blades look slightly better, but they still seem like they could go at any minute and no new blades of grass have come up for at least a month. Sorry for the long post, but to summarize, my question is: Is there anything else I can do to help ensure that new grass begins to grow again? Or can I only wait and hope that it happens?

Public Comments

1. Keep the grass in bright light, but not in direct sunlight; a strong fluorescent lamp would be ideal. Keep the soil evenly moist, being sure it has GOOD drainage; don't allow it to dry out. Use the Miracle Gro SPARINGLY until you start to see new growth. Good luck!
2. Try setting it outside in the shade for awhile.Sounds like your doing the right things to keep it alive, but remember...plants and grasses are use to being outdoors..out of airconditioning...heaters...and other elements that come with "in house" conditions.Some of these conditions come at a slow pace and cause plants and grasses to stress, then we over compensate to try to correct...try a little fresh air...we all need it from time to time.
3. Stop fertilizing. Stressed grass does not need more fertilizer, it can make things worse. The deeper pot will help. If the roots were okay, it may recover. Grass naturally goes dormant if not watered, so don't despair. Grass needs at least 6 hours of full sun to grow well, that is about the same as 18-20 hours under a grow lamp. It also needs a cool, dormant winter. Do you know someone with an outdoor garden who would take on your grass? Ideally it would be growing outside, not indoors.