Hi, I'm looking for advice on how I get a lawn. We live in Coquitlam - our backyard gets a lot of sun in the middle but the outer edges don't as we have quite a few large trees. We moved in last year and the lawn was not great - the middle of the yard has grass (although not a nice thick lawn) but the outer edges are pretty much hard dirt. I would lay down new sod but it's a big yard and we're just renters so I'm not looking to spend a lot of money. What's the best way for me to get grass throughout our yard? Just lay down grass seed? And if so, when should I be laying the seed - is it okay to do it now?
Seed might be the way to go, however, you need to address the question of why those areas are just dirt and not grass already. Is there heavy foot traffic? Total shade is not a good place to grow grass, so you will always have trouble if that is the case. If you want to throw down some seed now it would be fine. I worry that if the soil is too hard then the seeds will just get washed around by the rain, could that happen?
No, there's no traffic in the areas where's there's no grass (other then our dogs). It's just that the people who lived here before us didn't take care of anything so the yard is in bad shape. Right now it's pretty muddy so I don't think the seeds would wash away, they'd probably just sink into the mud.
I don't think it's quite grass seed time, it needs warmth or sun or something there is more of in spring. You'll want to protect the seeded area from your dogs for a while if you can.
Is the area that is muddy and bare in shade or shady a good part of the day? If that is the case, then you will need a different grass mix than for a sunny lawn.
The best way to have a lawn is to have good soil, sun and appropriate water. I would suggest you core aerate (best done in fall but you can do it in spring), topdress with an inch of compost and seed. Trees should be mulched to the drip edge. http://www.turfgrasssod.org/lawninstitute/northern_lawns.htm http://www.american-lawns.com/lawns/aeration.html http://www.homeandgardenmakeover.com/lawnaeration.html http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/knowhow/yardandgarden/article/0,16417,482229,00.html http://www.savvygardener.com/Features/lawn_overseeding.html http://www.toronto.ca/compost/organic.htm http://www.organicgardening.com/feature/0,7518,s1-5-18-142,00.html Tree info: http://www.treesaregood.com/treecare/trees_turf.aspx http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/Garden/02926.html http://www.treesaregood.com/treecare/mulching.aspx Maybe you could get the landlord to pay for the rental of equipment and some of the initial supplies since it's his property. Newt
Newt has good advice. Avoid aerating inside the dripline of the trees and definitely do not try to grow grass there. If you are unable to core aerate, then rough up the area with a garden rake before seeding, and use a thinner layer of compost when topdressing. I would choose a ryegrass blend, as it has good wear resistance, which is necessary for the hounds. Set some of the seed aside for spot seeing thin areas, and any ares the dogs might inadvertently dig up. Wait until the ground has had a chance to dry a little before doing any work if it is mostly soil showing. Established lawns can be worked on at this time as long as the soil is not too soggy. It may also be that the trees have changed the soil microorganism profile to a more fungally dominated state, in which case turfgrass may not be the best choice for a groundcover.
Thanks for all the advice - sorry for not replying again sooner...I lost the website address for the forum! Our landlord won't pay for any work we do. Really, there's nothing wrong with the backyard, it's just not the grass I remember having in my backyard as a kid. I was talking about it with my husband and he thinks that the reason there's no grass in the area is that it doesn't get any sun. I had forgotten about it since it's been winter but I believe only the middle of the yard gets sun and the outer edges receive VERY little sun. We saw bags of grass seed for 'shade' but will grass grow with no sun?
There is grass that will grow in shade. Actually, If I remember this right, almost all of our grasses in the Pacific NW are classified as C3's, and can't use any more sunlight than is available on one of the brighter cloudy days. It's warmth that really gets grass growing. But one, fine fescue, can survive with even less light. Grasses in the south USA are C4's and can use a lot more of the sunshine. But we don't really deal with those. There is not one reason why grass won't grow under trees. Lack of sun alone is not really the answer. Lack of sun reduces the existent of some grass, and can partially reduce vigour of fine fescue. But the pH can be wacky under trees if there are needles or leaves falling. And smothering from foliage dropping. Also, the trees are taking large quantities of water, plus some nutrients. Rototilling can be useful to break-up surface compaction form walking, etc., but rototilling is often damaging to tree roots, or the rototiller.
Amanda, you can set your preferences so you get an e-mail notification when there is a reply to your post. You can also get notification to replies to posts you just want to track. Look near the top of the page at the dark green line. Click on 'My Settings'. Then you can go to your control panel on the left. No, but some grasses will do better in shady conditions. All grasses need some sun. If you looked at this site I gave you you may have missed: http://www.turfgrasssod.org/lawninstitute/northern_lawns.htm You might be able to limb up the trees or have the crown thinned a bit to let in more light. Would the landlord pay for that since trees are so valuable? If not, I could give you sites showing how to prune or you could have a consult with a certified arborist and get an estimate. Do be sure it's a certified arborist and not someone with a pickup, a ladder and a chain saw. Pruning trees is more an art then a science, but both are important. Newt
