To establish a lawn in western Washington, choose a combination of turftype tall fescue grasses and turftype perennial rye grasses. A mix that adds up to about 90% of these two grass seed types will grow well in either sun or light shade in western Washington. Turftype perennial ryegrass takes full sun and stands up to traffic. Turftype tall fescues are adapted to shadier locations. In combination, the mix works for a lawn in average light conditions.

In this area the best time to put grass seed down is in the spring during the months of April and May and in the fall during the month of September. See similar questions...

As with coal or wood stoves, and wood pellet stoves, routine maintenance is required. Pellet handling and ash removal make this less convenient than fossil fuels. There are some emissions as is the case with burning anything, but nothing like the wood stoves of the past. See similar questions...

Why not? Remember, just before a snow, top dress with a light sprinkle of soil so the birds don’t think you’re a horticultural philanthropist. See similar questions...

Tall Fescue is the most popular turfgrass in the mid-Atlantic region. It is a very adaptable grass, which grows in full sun or part shade. It is also the most heat and drought tolerant of the cool season grasses. Merrifield Tuff Play is a Tall Fescue blend mixed with a small amount of Kentucky Bluegrass. This combination of grasses develops a dense, wear resistant lawn for sun or part shade. Merrifield Shady Lawn Grass Seed is for use in heavy shade. See similar questions...

Spring and fall are excellent times to plant grass seed. For Kentucky bluegrass, temperatures should be around 80 degrees F. For details on how to plant grass seed, see our How To section. See similar questions...

Adopt six or seven cats. Seriously, though, cover the seed with one quarter inch of topsoil, pat down or roll gently. The faster it sprouts, the more you keep and the less the birds eat. You can also slit an old tennis ball and force it over the end of a six- to seven-foot piece of old garden hose. Draw two mean eyes and a nasty mouth, and place yellow strips of tape like Xs down the hose. Let this lie on the seeded area until the seed sprouts. Why? The birds think it’s a snake. See similar questions...

None, really. That’s not exactly true, but then they haven’t developed an Astroturf seed yet. There is no true shade grass; all grasses like some sun. However, the best of the bunch that can get along with less sun than the rest is Poa trivialis. Kentucky 31 tall fescue, Zoysia, Japonica, Zoysia matrella, Astoria bent, Highland and Penncross bents, as well as creeping red, Illahee, and Chew-lugs fescue, all will tolerate light shade. See similar questions...

No company is doing this, but several are attempting to modify their stoves to better manage high ash fuels. See similar questions...

Most likely not. Average pellet stoves with a standard burn pot are not designed to cope with high ash content. In general, corn stoves will have more potential to handle grass pellets because they are designed to deal with a somewhat messy residue. This is no guarantee that corn stoves will burn grass, corn stoves sometimes have difficulty dealing with corn. See similar questions...

Not yet. The major advantage of boilers over stoves is that they provide hot water and central hot water heating. Commercially available pellet boilers are designed to burn wood pellets and possibly corn pellets. They have no means of dealing with high ash content. They can successfully burn grass pellets, but will generate a large clinker that would need to be removed from the burn chamber every 6 hours or so, in order for the boiler to continue functioning. See similar questions...

All grass species and mixtures. Legumes may not work quite as well but also may be acceptable. Grass crop selection should match the soil type, for maximum sustainability and productivity. See similar questions...

The Northeast. For many decades the Northeastern US has been officially labeled as the “Hay & Pasture” Region of the country. Like much of Europe, the temperate humid climate is not so hot for corn, but perfect for grass. See similar questions...

Not much. One “Proof of Concept” demonstration of a pelleting unit providing fuel for local clientele with stoves capable of burning grass might be all the jump start required. See similar questions...

At the current time, the Harman corn stove appears capable of handling grass pellets at least up to 5.2% ash content, without any modifications to the stove. See similar questions...

Routine (weekly) maintenance is recommended for burning any type of pelleted material (including wood pellets) in any pellet stove. Aside from dumping ash at necessary intervals, the heat exchanger and burn pot area will need cleaning at least once a week. The flue pipes should be inspected for buildup at regular intervals. See similar questions...

Grass has no political lobby. A grass roots effort is not enough. (Washington State has funded a project to burn bluegrass stubble in a downdraft gasifier). See similar questions...

Application procedures are covered in full on the UD SEED website - please see www.udel.edu/associateinarts/SEED See similar questions...

Only Google Gadget Venture grant recipients are eligible to apply for this type of funding. To apply, email us a business plan detailing how you plan to build a viable business around the gadgets platform. See similar questions...