Centipede grass in South Carolina on compacted clay.
My backyard is pretty beatup as a result of my kids and their friends playing back here almost daily. I love that my kids are playing outside everyday but my yard doesn't quite love it as much. I just fertilized the yard for the first time yesterday (15-0-15 mix) and the yard is off limits for the neighborhood kids and my own for 3 days so the fertilizer can do its thing. Is there anything I can do to salvage my yard without spending a crazy amount of money? Keeping the kids off for multiple weeks probably isn't totally feasible. But if keeping the kids off the yard for 2 weeks plus doing something else will save the yard, I can probably do that. What do you all recommend or is it past the point of no return?
My plan is to aerate in June and do a light fertilizer. But I fear that won't be enough.
by Pure_Use_6932
33 Comments
Ah I see your neighbor is the proud owner of a top of the line Scott’s spreader.
Neighbor drawing lawn dicks
Grass Dih 🥀
Aerate/till, 3-4 yards topsoil, and reseed/water. The soil looks pretty malnourished
maybe check over at r/FenceBuilding then come back here.
Give it 6 weeks and all the other guy’s fertilizer will be in your grass.
Your soil is dead. Aerate, dress with good quality topsoil, add a type of seed that would accompany the centipede grass, water, keep traffic low while it heals. Too many synthetic soil amendments can kill or inhibit your soil microbes, you need those top soil microbes for healthy grasses.
Your neighbors yard and the fact that this post isn’t about it is so unironically ironic and a perfect fit for this group. I laughed so hard when I saw this.
You better. You’re getting dominated.
Put a temporary fence – a tiny moveable picket or 4 posts with a cord around – around a 4’x8’ patch by the deck, & ask the kids to avoid it. Fertilize, seed, water: make that patch lovely. As the kids grow up, extend the fenced patch of yard. When they leave home, ditch the trampoline.
The yard on the background is making me laugh so hard right now
For a second I thought you were the yard with the Scott’s spreader 😅
Aeration, maybe top dress, plus some fertilizer is the go to answer here. It will take consistency really. Especially because of continuous high traffic.
Just remember to grow kids and not grass. The lawn will be there a long time. Watching kids have fun in the yard is a finite resource.
I think I’d rather have your lawn than that fucking disaster area in the background.
DON’T LET YOUR NEIGHBOR HELP!
As a person with kids who play outside… not sure you can have kids playing outside daily and also grass. 🤷♀️
I put down wood chips. I figure, in 4-8 years, I will grow grass.
Sell your kids
How does the front yard look before I pass judgment? Lol
No grass, might as well plant some fruit trees along the perimeter for shade, privacy, and homegrown food
Here in the midlands our biggest issue is lack of rain. We’ve had one wet day since early March. Going to be an uphill battle with temps projected for the 90s next week and no rain on the outlook.
Is it common in some places to not have fences separating you from your neighbors? I’d hate the lack of privacy
Why did your neighbor draw a penis in his yard?
Also in South Carolina. I just had someone aerate for $160. Then put down 4 yards of compost at $50 per yard. And 1 lb bag of Centipede seed from Supersod, $70. Side note, next time I’m just going to pay the $45 delivery fee instead of doing 4 trips and then having to clean out my truck.
Already have seedlings after just a week. The kids still have free rein. Any spots that don’t grow, I’ll just do again late summer.
Centipede doesn’t hold up well to heavy traffic.
You should probably look into something rated for heavy foot traffic in your area – probably zoysia or bermudagrass.
Or if you’re feeling adventurous – [https://www.atlasturf.com/paspalum-more-relevant-than-ever/](https://www.atlasturf.com/paspalum-more-relevant-than-ever/)
Seeding new grass will need to keep the kids off it for a bit more than 2 weeks.
Good luck. My yard was the spot for all the kickball and wiffle ball games, so every year was filled with reseeding in the fall and watching it all get torn up again the following year.
[https://lawnlove.com/blog/best-grass-south-carolina/](https://lawnlove.com/blog/best-grass-south-carolina/)
I wouldn’t over complicate it. It’s lawn.
Your soil is visibly compacted and clay based. There’s no loam to it.
Put down a layer for fresh topsoil, rake seed into it. Cover that with 1/4 of topsoil and some peat moss.
Water it.
If you choose something like perennial ryegrass it will germinate within a couple of weeks and you wouldn’t know it was seeded within 4-6 weeks.
Buy a spreader, and rent it out to your neighbor.
Replant as a food garden.
Grass is futile.
Anything can be salvaged. But holy shit what the fuck is going on with your neighbors yard
Fuck waiting, aerate it now. Rent a core aerator, don’t try and spike aerate it. After that do a soil test and possibly add some gypsum to break up the clay
Was it flooded?
Not if the kids are playing soccer on it
How does this happen? I thought this grass was basically a weed? Did op not water
ask neighbour for help