Rough Yard

[Magnum]

Hey guys it's been a while since I have had a chance to post, I've been swamped at work.

Over the winter my yard has become a total mess. I have two dogs that run my 1/3 acre and have wore down the grass in trails and paws print that are about 3/4" deep in the soft spots. One area of my yard is totally bare where I filled it in just before winter with a bunch of soil from widening my driveway. The yard just looks really bad to me. I've owned the house for about two years now (my first house) and only had to put a little seed down to cover some old trenches. I was debating on getting a roller or something but it's tough talking the wife into that kind of stuff with the small yard. Last night I spread 50 pounds of seed over the entire yard, hit it heavier at the bare spots.

Do you guys have any suggestions for getting a nice green full yard? I'm thinking if I can get the grass to come in full enough it might help things out.

[Magnum]

Here is a picture after I spread the dirt and got it as level as I could. It's on the north side of the house.

[Iowa Farmboy]

rake that seed in to the soil and water the heck out of it and by the 4th you will be the envy of the neighborhood. Water will help to level the soil some.

Good Luck

[Magnum]

Originally Posted by Iowa Farmboy

rake that seed in to the soil and water the heck out of it and by the 4th you will be the envy of the neighborhood. Water will help to level the soil some.

Good Luck

Thanks,

I tried to get in there and rake it before I spread the seed to loosen it up but it was a little to muddy. The soil I put down is 1-2" thick and has cracking all through it which I think is good because the seed was able to fall in I'm hoping I can get in there tomorrow to rake and tomorrow night they are calling for rain

[cdmintmi]

i dont know alot about cubs but grass i know a thing about thanks to NC state and my BS in turfgrass management. Im guessing in WV you went with a cool season grass like fescue or K31. A stater fertilizer will go along way to help young plants but nothing like water. Hit it three times a day with a sprinkler and keep the soil damp. If you dont have irrigation system or sprinkler atleast hit in the early morning hours and again in the afternoon but not too much before it gets dark. That will promote funal growth and can cause turf diseases. You can get a timer for your spigot from lowes for about 30 bucks and an impact stake sprinkler for like 15. That way you can program it to run when you out for the day. If it dries out the plants will struggle. Probably wouldnt hurt to throw some straw over the seed aswell. This will insulate the ground, keep some of the water from evaporating, and help prevent errosion while the grass is growing. Seed will grow up through it and you wont see the straw after a while.

[Magnum]

Thanks guys. I wound up getting a 50 pound sack of kentuckey 31 tall fescue. I hand spread it over the entire yard, the edges of my yard are not as bad from less foot traffic. I was able to get the seed raked into the bare spot last night before the rain, I've still have not wondered out today to see what it looks like.

On top of it all I found out a few days ago I will be hosting a party next month. I'm hoping I can get the yard looking a little better before then

[IAfarmer]

You'll need a cover like straw, or pine needles. You would be surprised how much that helps. Good Luck

[Magnum]

Originally Posted by IAfarmer

You'll need a cover like straw, or pine needles. You would be surprised how much that helps. Good Luck

Yeah I think I need to re-seed and cover. I was hoping that getting it raked in would have helped but it's not looking to good.... I think I can go count the new blades of grass I see about two inches tall on both hands. We had a warm couple of days with lots of sun and rain today, I'll see how it looks tomorrow and maybe get a bag of the turf builder coated seed and cover it. I have a big party coming April 16th and I am hoping to have nice grass there.