Hello lawners! I have my first lawn and was wondering what the hell I do. I’m in silver spring MD and have this big space but there is shade almost constantly. We have two dogs so we would like something that lets them play around without ruining plants, but getting native species would also be great.
Any thoughts or suggestions on how to get started?
by Sweaty_Fly_3965
28 Comments
Check out the [Cool Season Beginners Guide](https://www.reddit.com/r/lawncare/comments/fb1gjj/a_beginners_guide_to_improving_your_lawn_this/).
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/lawncare) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Lawn owner is being generous…you own land lol. Till the dirt, throw seed down and water! Good luck!
Fine Fescues would probably be your best bet on shade tolerance for cool season grass type. Use this summer to get everything together and seed in the fall.
Can you please post a picture of the lawn so that we can better assist?
Oof going to be tough with those huge root systems from surrounding trees. My bet is they’re toxic to the soil since there isn’t a blade of grass in sight. Best bet is to test your soil, and add what you need based on the results. Then test again until you’ve got to where you need to be, then tilling the entire thing up and starting fresh. Id assume it’s not great dirt so it also wouldn’t hurt to bring in some top soil to get a decent layer to start with to give seeds a chance.
If you want grass, trim your trees back to let sun in
I’m in Silver Spring, MD as well. The good thing is you don’t have to kill off any grass, you can start fresh. I’m sure you have huge trees so your grass is not getting direct sunlight and eventually died off.
I’ve got a bunch of lawn tools if you need help. I’d start with a rake and clean up all the leaves and dead branches. I used my tiller to turn over the soil, put down some grass seed, starter fertilizer then top soil.
First thing you need to get serious about pruning some trees/cut vegetation. Then, depending on how much sunlight per day you get then you can begin to select plant material. As an added bonus it’s too late to plant anything except Bermuda (summer coming on) so get the grunt work done when nothings growing.
Then, in the fall get all your seeding/planting done and autumn should bring adequate rainfall.
Not a first time lawn owner yet! But hopefully soon. Those trees may make it difficult. I had a back yard like this. Put sod down but there was flooding in the spring and the lawn slowly went down hill over a few years. Just digging it all up now to fix the drainage. My advice would be make sure you know about any flooding problems and have those fixed before you spend any major money.
Only going to get better from here lol
Bro I’m sorry to tell you but it looks like you’re surrounded by maple trees. Everyone’s mentioned the shade but no one has mentioned the roots. Look at all those roots on the surface, they’re going to suck all the water away from your grass. Maple trees especially do this. In my opinion it’s just not gonna happen and you should look for other ways to make this area kick ass.
You are a land owner, not a lawn owner. We’re here to help. It will be a long journey and the payoff will be huge.
Just knock on the neighbors door, introduce yourself, and ask to borrow some of their lawn
That’s a lot of trees and roots. You sure grass is capable of growing here?
Maybe better off landscaping in a different style
Hey. I’m in MD too. I work at trugreen.
I can get you a good deal on a spring aeration and overseeding.. But that’s that’s about all you can do right now. And.. You’re going to have to water it.. Real consistently. I’m guessing there’s not a lot of sunlight back there either?
Unfortunately I think this year is mostly preparing for next year. You’re on the marathon mode from what I can see and it’s going to take a while.
You can dm me if you want to chat.
How much do you like the trees? Serious question.
You can till, and add compost, and plant a shade tolerant species of grass. Or add sod. Or, a potentially a ground cover that doesn’t require mowing. But there is barely even a weed growing, which makes me wonder about soil health and ph level. You can prune the trees to let in more light.
If you like the trees, keep in mind that tilling will have to work around the very extensive, surface level root system. If you add soil/compost mix, remember that the roots grow on the surface for a reason – they need the oxygen and/or water. If you bury them under too much topsoil your trees will suffer, and if they live they will probably find a way to grow surface roots again. (Unless the roots are exposed because you have a persistent erosion problem back there, or some other external factor). You can cut some roots out, but the part of the tree nourished by the removed roots will likely die off. And of course, those roots also anchor the tree, so removing too many increases possibility of falling over in a storm.
Not sure how big your dogs are/how much room they need, but you could fence an area off to grow grass or other ground cover and once it’s established remove the temporary fence. If you do the whole backyard at once, you probably will want to keep the dogs out of the back yard for several weeks, which could be pretty inconvenient (depending on your dogs).
What lawn?
You’re not yet a lawn owner.
It has a lot of potential. And you can do a lot of stuff to it. I would probably get a couple truck loads of good top soil. Give you an inch or 2 over the whole yard. You can either throw down a bunch of seed of what ever grass grows well and looks good in your zone. Or you can do sod of what ever grass looks and grows good in your zone. Either way I would put down good top soil an inch or 2 should do
Do what you can but first week of September you should seed tf out of it
You ain’t no lawn owner yet!
So I’m not the only one wondering where the lawn is
Too many roots above ground! U are are going to have hell with that
Um, you do not yet own a lawn. You currently own a possibility of a lawn…
Not an expert but what do you guys think about tilling the whole thing and buying several squares of grass or going the seeding route?
Yep I don’t think you own one yet
Lawn??