Bought a house in the fall and planning on redoing the lawn in the spring. Honestly not even sure where to start with this one?
We have 2 dogs and are right by the woods so preferably something that doesn't involve anything harmful.
by Extension-Ad-6578
7 Comments
4 hours with a rented tractor – front end loader – landscape box with “drop down” teeth, and you’d have a flat, clean easel from which to start. $250 $300 max. you could seed grass if you have irrigation, sod – but quality sod – because it will look like this by Fall with the dogs… enjoy!
Good luck lmao years behind
It doesn’t look clay heavy, and things are growing there so that’s good. What I would do:
1. Check for sunlight, trim tree branches as necessary. Amount of sun will determine what grass type I’ll be using.
2. Area doesn’t look too big, so won’t need to get heavy machinery
3. Buy an electric tiller
4. Bring in compost, about 1″. Till it into the soil.
5. Level soil, plant seed
I would start by setting up irrigation. A basic sprinkler with a garden hose and a battery powered timer at the hose bib would be fine. Rent an aerator and aerate the lawn aggressively. Re-seed the lawn by spreading a lot of grass seed over the prepared area. Use a rake to Spread a thin layer of top dressing soil over the seeded areas. Water lightly a couple times a day,depending on weather, to keep seed moist until it germinates. I would just live with the weeds if you’re in a forested area and have dogs, you won’t win that battle without nasty herbicides.
get some clover and grass seed mix and spread it then cover with a mulch of your choice like straw. bonus points if you spread compost too.
then don’t mow it for the first year and let it go to seed.
leave it standing through winter and once the ground thaws mow and then wait until its 4 or so inches high and mow to 3 inches.
Soil type ? Are there evergreens near or in the yard ? How much sunlight ?
Debris that’s left year after year will thing the grass out.
In my experience in the Midwest, evergreen trees and oak trees don’t mix well with grass.
If it were me, today, I’d pick one section I could fence off from the dogs. Clear the area of debris, leaves, sticks, needles, etc.. I’d spread some compost and seed, maybe some straw. The straw will help with erosion initially. As it breaks down, it’ll help the soil.
If you wanna keep it real easy, you can just seed. But with traffic, those areas may not germinate, hence the sectioning off.
It’s going to take time. In spring, you can fertilize but don’t use pre emergent. There’s eco friendly fertilizers out there. In spring, you’ll want something with higher nitrogen.
More isn’t better as far as the amount of fertilizer you’re putting down. Follow the label rate for your yard and area.
If the soil is compacted, consider further amendments like core aerating and/or further top dressing with compost. Don’t expect it to all fill in right away, or even the upcoming season.
Dormant seed will begin germinating when soil temps are high enough. So observe soil temps, not air temperatures for your area. Around 55 degrees.
Assuming you have irrigation already. Start with a rake and removed a lot of the top debris rocks, sticks. Rent a tiller from Home Depot or Lowe’s. Get all that dirt moved around. Grab a metal rake and start removing as much of the weeds you can. Find a pallet tie a rope to it, and add few weights, and drag that back and forth till the ground is leveled. It’s hard work but it’s cheap and a good workout. Once it’s leveled enough, throw your seed down. I did this exact steps for my backyard. It worked perfectly.