Grass recommendation for shady backyard
I have a shady and muddy backyard. Looking for a grass, clover, or something that I can walk on that I preferably don’t have to re-seed every year. The soil isn’t particularly good, although I will amend it a bit. Moved in here November so have not experimented yet. Thanks for any help!

phoffy
in General Discussion 2 years and 6 months ago
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JohnHancock | 2 years and 6 months ago
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Don’t forget that your lawn with their tiny roots are no match for the giant trees in our backyards sucking your yard dry…

justinromeu26 | 2 years and 6 months ago
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@fin david: will the rye last all summer in NYC?
we used rye grass on the lawn of a condo complex i once managed on the carolina coast. it was used in the winter to maintain a green lawn year round (over the centipede grass that went dormant in the winter). In north carolina, the rye completely died off in the summer (new seed had to be put out in the fall). here in NY it may go dormant or die in the summer, i am not sure. so really what you will be relying on is the fescue that david mentions to take off in the summer. my guess is, if you plant the mix early in the spring, the rye will take off much quicker than the fescue and protect the fescue as it germinates.
rye grass is often spread over construction areas along road sides to get something rooted fast to prevent erosion.
getting perennial rye to seed is easy, when we over seeded with it, we did not do any soil prep. just tossed it out. these other grasses we use, they are the ones that are a pain in the neck to get going.
i still wonder that the shade is too much.

bedfly | 2 years and 6 months ago
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If you have a shady and muddy area in your yard, I would suggest planting fine fescue and perennial ryegrass. These types of grass are well-suited for those conditions and can handle wet soil with ease. They are also great for improving drainage in the area, making them a great option for this specific spot in your yard. Keep in mind that even though these species can handle shade and wet conditions better than others, it is still important to improve the drainage before planting to give the grass the best chance of success.

bedfly | 2 years and 6 months ago
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If you have a shady and muddy area in your yard, I would suggest planting fine fescue and perennial ryegrass. These types of grass are well-suited for those conditions and can handle wet soil with ease. They are also great for improving drainage in the area, making them a great option for this specific spot in your yard. Keep in mind that even though these species can handle shade and wet conditions better than others, it is still important to improve the drainage before planting to give the grass the best chance of success.

phoffy | 2 years and 6 months ago
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thank you!

ceci | 2 years and 6 months ago
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I can recommend Azalos Landscaping, Fernando, owner, tel#347-539-3938; he did a great job in my yard with leveling and installing bluestone and pavers.

phoffy | 2 years and 6 months ago
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Thanks for all the great ideas! Love the mazus & pavers. Leveling the yard … that’s the next challenge.

justinromeu26 | 2 years and 6 months ago
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We had trouble getting a lawn going here even after talking to other people. That is because each situation is unique. I think what gwan said, a gardener, might help. Short of that, i bought a test kit to check the ph and nutrients. But shade will always be a problem. What others are suggesting, creeping ground covers, might be the best. Out on long island my parents seem to use pacasandra (spelling?). It does well in shade.
Jh mentioned mulch. I think they still give that away at Socrates park.
Be careful with natural wood mulches close to the house. They can draw the wrong insects.

colonialrevival | 2 years and 6 months ago
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Creeping phlox or creeping rosemary works nicely as a groundcover with a root system that is easy to remove, should you or the next person decide to get rid of it. Both have nice flowers and would complement some pavers nicely. Gravel screening on the soil followed by a compacted sand base above it (beneath the pavers), without any mortar, will lock them in as well as allow for _fast_ natural drainage sans-runoff, too. Artificial turf contains many plastics, rubbers, and other byproducts that are harmful to wildlife and gets extremely hot in the summertime.

cate | 2 years and 6 months ago
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That mazus looks fantastic, as long as it’s not invasive. You could also add a path with pavers or brick and beds with shade plants such as hydrangea, boxwood, impatiens and ferns.

ceci | 2 years and 6 months ago
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Why don’t you put down pavers? This would work to keep area clean…

gwan | 2 years and 6 months ago
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I brought in a gardener to advise on the same issue on my (very) shady backyard, and she asked if I thought about artificial grass. Ended up installing Synlawn and have been thrilled (the drainage is fantastic, as a bonus).

JohnHancock | 2 years and 6 months ago
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You can get as much mulch as you want from Green Wood Cemetery. They offer it for free to all people who want it. Smells great, breaks down naturally into your soil, stops erosion and you can replenish anytime you want!

kassie319 | 2 years and 6 months ago
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I’ve used Mazus – it spreads quickly and will take a bit of light foot traffic and will do well in shade – bonus of flowers in the spring – >https://www.bluestoneperennials.com/MARE.html

phoffy | 2 years and 6 months ago
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thanks for all the advice. Another reason I want a plant is to deal with erosion –soil coming towards the house after heavy rains. Never want to go out because of tracking dirty feet back in! I always hate those concrete back yards but….. maybe a deck when it’s in the budget. The space is 20′ x 20′ .

RobertGMarvin
in General Discussion 2 years and 6 months ago
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RE: clover, I had better results when I mixed clover and grass seed. That was when the trees in and around my garden were smaller and I had more sun. Now it’s shadier and even clover won’t do well. OTOH my garden is cool in the summer.

stoopsitter | 2 years and 6 months ago
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My recommendation is don’t even try grass. I’m not being negative — this is based on experience! We laid sod twice and seeded once. All three efforts failed. Shade (and tree roots and poor soil and lack of water) are all the enemies of grass. Neighbors with young kids love their fake grass — a great surface for playing and easy to clean with a hose. We eventually put down gravel which turned out to be a terrific dry well (8-10″ of sand beneath the stone) during heavy rain.

phoffy | 2 years and 6 months ago
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Thanks, Bob. Has anyone every used clover and had any luck?

RobertGMarvin
in General Discussion 2 years and 6 months ago
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After growing sparse grass in my shady backyard for many years I
gave up and put down landscape cloth covered by natural color cedar mulch. I do have to top it off with an additional 10 or 12 bags of cedar mulch every other year.