grass in backyard questions
We have a typical-sized backyard for an attached townhouse in Brooklyn. Our house is on the South side of the street. We want grass. A few questions: 1) sod or seed? 2) what type of grass should we get? 3) our yard was previously completely full of weeds that could reach shoulder-high. We pulled them out at the end of last Summer / Fall, and now through the winter it’s been bare soil with a few small patches of weeds. Any magic tricks to keep the weeds at bay? There’s a very large tree in our rear neighbor’s yard that provides a lot of shade, so the back half of the yard is almost always shaded, and the half closer to the house gets partial light. Thanks!
ps158
in Garden 9 years and 4 months ago
16
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16 replies
ejcarroll | 2 years and 5 months ago
My “money no object” neighbor had artificial turf installed in his brownstone house yard some years ago no doubt as had young kids that would be tough on a natural grass yard. I was skeptical but it still looks great even after regular heavy use by his kids.
bedfly | 2 years and 5 months ago
When it comes to installing a natural, native grass lawn, the decision between seed or sod will depend on your specific needs and preferences. Both options have their own advantages and disadvantages:
Seed: Planting grass seed is generally less expensive than sod, and it allows you to choose from a variety of native grasses that are well-suited to your area. However, it does take longer for grass seed to establish and mature, and it requires consistent watering and maintenance during the establishment period.
Sod: Installing sod allows for an immediate lawn, it can also be more expensive than seed and it is not as customizable as seed. But it establishes quickly and requires less maintenance during the establishment period.
As for the type of grass you should get, it’s best to research the types of grass that are native to your region and to consult with a local nursery or landscape professional. Some examples of native grasses in North America include:
Little Bluestem
Indian Grass
Blue Grama
Side-oats Grama
Switchgrass
Buffalo Grass
These are just a few examples, de pending on your area, there might be more options that are adapted to your specific climate and weather conditions.
bedfly | 2 years and 5 months ago
When it comes to installing a natural, native grass lawn, the decision between seed or sod will depend on your specific needs and preferences. Both options have their own advantages and disadvantages:
Seed: Planting grass seed is generally less expensive than sod, and it allows you to choose from a variety of native grasses that are well-suited to your area. However, it does take longer for grass seed to establish and mature, and it requires consistent watering and maintenance during the establishment period.
Sod: Installing sod allows for an immediate lawn, it can also be more expensive than seed and it is not as customizable as seed. But it establishes quickly and requires less maintenance during the establishment period.
As for the type of grass you should get, it’s best to research the types of grass that are native to your region and to consult with a local nursery or landscape professional. Some examples of native grasses in North America include:
Little Bluestem
Indian Grass
Blue Grama
Side-oats Grama
Switchgrass
Buffalo Grass
These are just a few examples, de pending on your area, there might be more options that are adapted to your specific climate and weather conditions.
bklyngirl | 9 years and 4 months ago
As an owner who also likes grass but cannot grow it because of 2 tremendous shade trees in 2 surrounding yards, I can only say good luck. We have seeded, sodded, babied, ripped out, put in new soil, drainage etc. Unless you can find miracle grass you will have patchy grass that is not useful for lying in or walking across. As for weeds, they suck any nutrients out of the soil and that is why they take hold and… well.. grow like weeds. Maybe you should consider plans B. – pavers or bluestones or plan C. fake grass because I think unless you get the Gardeners from Augusta you are going to be doing more work that enjoying your yard.
neweco | 9 years and 4 months ago
Artificial Turf gets my vote!
NeoGrec | 9 years and 4 months ago
Watering the backyard from late Spring through mid Fall effectively doubles our water bill. Bear in mind our yard is about 65 ft deep and heavily planted. We have two soaker hose circuits; each one goes on every other day for 90 minutes in the early morning. Not sure what kind of artificial turf our neighbors used but there are more and more options available. They wash it down regularly with a garden hose to keep it clean.
Lurker | 9 years and 4 months ago
I went through this last year and have had some success with drought and shade tolerant grass from Lowes and Depot, not using any fertilizer. We stripped what was there?weeds, grass, bulbs, plants?screened out a large amount of rocks (though rocks rae good for allowing water to flow), leveled it, then sprinkled seed that takes like a week or so to germinate. The issue is once the process starts with a seed you can’t miss a watering before it germinates or it dies. So half the grass lived and half died after I missed watering for a day when I was out of town. The advice of putting in a comprehensive sprinkler system is smart. Then I tried quick-grow grass, which is softer and meant to be temporary. It worked a charm, but it died off during the heat wave of last summer, however it at least kept moisture levels in the soil and dust down, which was a problem mid-summer–the soil bakes and blows away and water evaporates off in minutes. Then I reseeded at end of season with regular fescue/kentucky blue grass mix and it rooted perfectly and has lasted through the winter. There’s a couple thin areas which I’ll hit with seed early spring but the key was: lots of water, early and often. At high summer I watered for 10 minutes at least 3 times a day. After the grass grows and has rooted it’s much more forgiving, but those first several weeks you have to baby it, especially in the heat of summer, and keep your seeds wet. Birds are a hassle too. The nice thing is, with a postage stamp yard you can actually pull any weeds as they grow and really prevent their spread. I have almost no weeds at all.
ps158 | 9 years and 4 months ago
Thanks all for your great input. NeoGrec – Do you know what kind of artificial turf? August – Someone had suggested clover to us. Seems a good option. livingthedream – How much more do you think the auto sprinkler adds to your water bill in the summer? I like the sprinkler idea since it could potentially also keep the 3 stray cats that love our backyard away.
livingthedreamingreenpoint | 9 years and 4 months ago
Sod or seed will both work, but whatever you decide make sure to put in an automatic sprinkler system. We tried and failed with sod and seed, then my husband put in a sprinkler system himself for around $100-$200\. The timer allows you to control how many times a day and for how long it gets watered. Viola – perfect grass.
Augustiner | 9 years and 4 months ago
No sod, seeding is much better. But be aware that all the usual seed mixes are high maintenance. It’s like a new hobby: fertilize, cut, water, reseed and start over again. Not many people have the time and patience to do it. Traditional lawns also require a lot of water. I’ve been through sod and seeding last summer, lots of trial and error. My grass is nice and green even now in winter (for now). But all the work is bothering me, so I will seed a low maintenance lawn with micro clovers this spring.
anotherposter | 9 years and 4 months ago
I’ll add my experiences with a similar yard. We seeded one year and it went pretty well, but after a couple of years it was gone. Our yard’s pH is not great for much in one area due to a spruce tree (hardly even any weeds there either). We treated the soil and had sod put down. In the end, I think the sod was nice for instant green because we like for us and the dog to be able to enjoy the grass without much waiting. Keeping the pH right with the evergreens has been a battle. After our last sod installation, the biggest problem was the squirrels and raccoons digging it up. At night the raccoons were digging pretty deep holes and destroyed large areas of the sod–maybe 30% of the entire grass area (planted garden around the edges). Supposedly putting out blood meal under it will prevent this and I did spot treat some areas and it seemed to help, but not enough. I edged the planted area with a few different ground covers and am letting those that are tough enough creep out and mingle with the grass–I don’t care too much for a perfect lawn, but just want things to keep it less of a mud pit while having a planted area the dog can sleep in. Put a fair amount of shrubs around the edge helps deal with the shadiest areas and give you lower maintenance plants. The stores around here tend to have the seed mixes or sod that is best for the area. Both are going to take a lot of watering.
slopefarm | 9 years and 4 months ago
How hard are you willing to fight each year for a weed-free and not-patchy postage stamp lawn? The lawn will die out in full time shade. With lots of sun weeds will be back, if not the first year, then every year after. If I had to do it again, I would have had some informal blue stone areas for sitting and larger beds with perennials, small trees, some room for annuals, and no lawn.
NeoGrec | 9 years and 4 months ago
Seed is much better than sod. If you can baby it along, your lawn will be much better established and healthier as a result of seeding. Sod has a habit of just up and dying on the first hot day of Spring. Often the roots never really take anchor so it remains vulnerable even weeks or months after it has been laid. I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but growing grass is very very tough in the city. The shade you describe will be a huge and permanent issue — a bigger problem that the weeds. You will also have to commit to heavy watering throughout the warm season — and we all know how expensive water is these days. Would you consider anything else? Our neighbors have artificial turf which their three under-5s adore. We replaced our failed lawn with a gravel. We love the look and it provides a large dry well in the middle of our yard that helps tremendously with drainage after freak rainstorms.
fexleycb | 9 years and 4 months ago
Try solarizing the soil before planting seed or sod. Lots of information about this technique on the Internet.
daveinbedstuy | 9 years and 4 months ago
I’m basically in agreement with Steve. I had an awful weed problem in my vegetable gardens in the country. In lieu of the Roundup approach but also because i didn’t care if it was unusable for a much longer period of time, I laid dark tarps over the entire area FOR TWO YEARS. It worked.
thetinkerswagon | 9 years and 4 months ago
you will not like what I was told to do in similar circumstances. Mind you, I was told this in North Carolina in the 1990’s. since then and in NYC, the tide would be very much against this practice: we had an area of lawn – over an acre – which had become infested by weeds, etc. we called a landscaper to provide us with a bid to lay sod. this was his solution and at the time I confirmed it with others: remove all of the existing grass, let it sit for a couple of weeks to see what is left (what green comes back to life), and then spray the entire area with round up to kill what recurs. he suggested two apps of round up spread a week apart. then, after another two weeks of watering to remove the roundup, he said he would lay sod. the entire process would have left us with barren land for a month or so. in the end we chose not to do it (we spot weeded and seeded areas of the lawn). I realize that now, using round up in a residential setting (maybe it is not available here) would be thought of as bad. Sod works well. I now tend to use see on my postage stamp out back here. read a little about prepping the soil. also, when using seed, it is important it not dry out or it will not germinate. so it must be done early in the spring while cool out. I tend to by the seeds with the blue moisture wrap on it now in case I forget to water it. whatever you do, sod or seed, soil prep will be important. I would check to see that the soil is about neutral and work it well so you get lumps out. they have soil PH test kits in the garden stores. I could probably say a little more, but this is not my thing, so I will stop here. I will add that if you soil is acidic like ours in Queens, you would add lime. I notice that my neighbors add a lot of lime to their lawns here (fall and spring) and I have begun to do so; the lawn is doing better. Steve