We have a cruddy looking front yard.
The condominium owners never take much care of it.
Part of our front yard (which is small) needs grass.
Is it too late in the season to plant it?
Someone told me I should put peat moss on top so the birds won’t eat the seeds. Yes?
Also, Theres a huge tree in our front yard, so theres lots of shade.
Should I buy shade-favoring grass?
Remove dead grass and sod. Get a few bags of topsoil (40#) and get a good grass seed (like Scott’s Sun & Shade mix) and be sure to get some grass starter fertilizer (Scotts also) and some straw or grass clippings. Spread the soil over the areas, add a lot of seed and a little fertilizer, then add the straw or clippings and water it until it is soaked (this keeps the seeds moist so they will germinate).
Water it each day for the next week and you should have little green sprouts of grass. Water it every other day for another week and you should be getting close to needing to mow it by then.
Just throwing seed on top of dirt or dead sod will be throwing money away.
PERFECT TIME TO PLANT GRASS!
Where do you live? Has a bearing on the type of grass you will need!!!
Go with a shade mix for the grass (pending your answer to the above question)
Peat Moss sucks for covering grass seed. Use straw, or old grass clippings. Some grass seed will grow even when buried in soil…some seeds need light.
:)Tell me where you live and I will give you a GUARANTEED ANSWER!!!
This is easy!
The hubby adds his two cents to the good advice already given: look for a seed blend that has a good proportion of rye in it along with the “main” grass when seeding in the fall. Rye grows fast and will stave off weed growth while the “real” grass gets situated.
Hi Philster, I can see this evolving into a ask the Sod Guy sort of thing. Here are my problem areas:
-
There is a big patch in our backyard where the previous owners killed the grass with a wading pool. Idiots. This area is about 2 square meters. The backyard is approximately on the north side of the house and is shady at times, but this spot gets a decent amount of sunshine during midday.
-
There are lots of little dead patchs in the front yard that seem randomly scattered. The grass here looks as if it has dried up. This area gets more direct sunlight. Damage could have come from lack of watering, but since it is not uniform I am more inclined to believe some sort or root eating pest, or too much mulch build up, or something.
We live near Cincinnati, Ohio. It would be nice if the new grass could match the old grass. I am not sure what type it is. It is fairly long and medium blades. It also smells a bit strange when I cut it, not sweet like the normal cut yard smell.
Thanks for your help!
ShibbOleth:
You can pick up a quality turf type tall fescue blend which performs decently in the shade, and since it is a grass capable of handling traffic, it’ll do nicely in your back yard.
Dead spots have to be raked with a metal rake. Rake the soil so that the seed has a chance to contact the soil and if you could get some grooves in it, that’ll keep the seed in one place. Always add a starter fertilizer, keep wet and wait (fescue will pop up in 14-21 days. You can lightly cover with grass clippings, or a little top soil over the seeds).
The small dead spots out front sound like fungus issues. It’s not patch disease, so you can use the tall fescue blend there too (Scotts makes one, as does Rebels). Seeds are sold with the geography in mind. Your home store will have these tall fescue blends.
Always get the old rotting grass and grass roots (thatch) out before planting new seed.
The most aggressive grass that will grow with little care is perrenial rye grass (you can just throw the stuff around).
I favor the fescues because they are low maintenance, tuff and do well in full sun to moderate shade once grown. Smaller dead spots are a type of fungus that affects rye grass, but not fescue.
GO with the fescue blend.
A thousand thank yous, Sod Guy!
Is there any issue with planting the fescue say, this weekend. 14-21 days out we could be starting to have some light frosts here, IIRC. Every so often we get snow it late October, but it never sticks.
Get on it this week and you’re fine. Frost is irrelevant -really. It’s all about soil temperature, and that’s fine through November.
You want the grass to grow to 3-4 inches a couple of times and cut it. Then it’ll be ready for winter (especially if you put down starter fertilizer).
Do not use straw, use salt hay. The straw will not decompose fast enough.
Philster, I live in northern Ohio.
What happens if you don’t put fertilizer on?
Vanilla, if you skip the fertilizer, you won’t get the most bang for your seed buck. Not as much germination – not good germination when it happens.
Seeds need to get rooted, and get ready to be cut, to fight disease, temp changes, etc. ‘Starter fertilizer’ has the nutrients to encourage root development and to create a stronger grass overall.
When you plant, you’d be crazy not to buy fertilizer. (It should be a fall fertilizer or one labeled “starter”…do not use on with insectiside or weeed controls)
The plants will need some nutrient storage for the winter, and they will explode next spring, because they will have a storage.
Use fertilizer. If you fertilize once all yuear, make it a Fall fertilization! Plants are seeding and expanding and prepping for winter.
Ohio? Whoa, too late, forget it. YOu can of course, visit a plant store & ask them what to do…why plant if its just gonna be iced in a few months just when its strongest?
Philster (Sod Guy),
I have a summer place in North West Arkansas. I spend three months there every summer. Is there some variety of grass that would be considered slow growing and fairly drought tolerant, as July and August and blisteringly hot and dry? Last Spring I put down 4" of top soil (over mostly solid rock), and think maybe another 4" might be needed. What depth would be good? I am definitely not against sodding, if that would be best.
It’s not late. This is prime time! Soil temps, not air and frost, will drive the germination process. And northern grasses like fescue thrive in chilly weather.
plant now.
6" inches of soil is a must. Do 8 if you can.
I am kind of stuck on what grass you’ll need…I’m trying to figure out if Ark is southern or northern in terms of grasses.
Hmmm…I think I should refer you to your county exstension office to find the best grass type.
You are probably northern to transitional, in terms of grass…so a fescue could still be good. You can make any grass slow growing by only fertilizing in fall, and maybe early spring…and use an organic fertilizer…one with none or minimal water soluble nitrogen…check the bag.
Ringer and Milorganite are great organic fertilizers. Use them in fall and early spring, and don’t fertilize more than that.
SOd might be your best bet. Seed takes time and care. LOcally grown sod is usually the grass best suited to your native soil.
Ween it off fertilizers, water HEAVY when you water, and cut it real high…maybe at the highest mower setting.
Over fertilization will cause thatch, fungus and die off. Cutting low will do the same thing. Sod is susceptible to thatch and disease if cut short and blasted with water soluble nitrogen (common fertilizers at the Home centers).
See my post above about oraganic ferilizers.
Don’t forget, the OP said there was a big tree…grass doesn’t like trees…should have said what kind of tree too.
Baby Tears are cool, Im using them under my oak tree instead of grass.
Like someone else mentioned, don’t overlook buying sod. We re-did a section of about 125 SF and it was only about $25 for the sod. We had to haul and install, but that was no problem. Instant gratification, and it only took about 2 weeks to root. Everyday watering is a must, but less than if we had planted from seed. I had a chuckle (I’m mean…I know) at a neighbor who seeded a large area after some construction work. After the first heavy rainfall he had to re-seed the whole area, it all washed away.
Today’s varieties allow the home owner to choose grasses that do well in shade. Most people who have used poor agricultural practices often abandon grass in tough to grow areas. Shade is one of those areas.
Stop grasping, Handy.
Philster, did you read what I said? I said ‘oak tree’. If you have one of those not only do you have very little sun; but you have acid soil from those leaves & those leaves block out a lot of sun when they are sitting on the grass. There are other alternatives to grass.
OP didn’t mention the type of tree though.