Hi we recently bought a house and the previous owners were NOT big into lawn care. Right now since we've had a lot of snow and rain the backyard is soggy and covered in moss. Our biggest problem going forward is that we have a lot of very large trees that keep half of the lawn in almost constant shade. We also have dogs (one very large) so I would love any advice on which seed to choose for shade and high-traffic. Also, when is the best time to start seeding? Should we use fertilizer? Should we just leave the moss alone? Any advice on any of my many questions would be helpful.
Thank you!
The best time to seed and suggesting grass to meet your criteria both depend on the type of grass you are growing. There in Virginia, you could be growing a cool season type or a warm season type. So, I need to know what you have. Tall Fescue? Fine Fescue? Bermuda? Other? If you have cool season grass, normally tall fescue is recommended. It tolerates traffic and shade quite well, but I'd suggest fine fescue for very dense shade. Let me know.
For the dogs, you can create a path and area just for them. No grass can stand up to dogs on a daily basis. It isn't really considered traffic since they can scratch and tear up the grass.
Your moss indicates a soil problem, mainly compaction/poor drainage, and lack of sunlight. Trimming trees will help, but mostly you will want to aerate the lawn, or you can cheat and use a liquid aeration product like Nitron A-35 or Aerify.
For the dogs, you can create a path and area just for them. No grass can stand up to dogs on a daily basis. It isn't really considered traffic since they can scratch and tear up the grass.
Your moss indicates a soil problem, mainly compaction/poor drainage, and lack of sunlight. Trimming trees will help, but mostly you will want to aerate the lawn, or you can cheat and use a liquid aeration product like Nitron A-35 or Aerify.
Moss is a sign of Poor pH. you need lime your Lawn. pH should be between 5-7 6-7 is best, I'm thinking you're at 3 or 4 remove the moss spread lime 2-3 times a year, if fast acting 1-2 times a year. your trees are producing sap which lowers the pH even more. Pine trees are worst. bring a soil sample to your local agricultural dept, Whether it state or school or even Lesco supplier they'll tell you what the pH is and how much you should put down. You'll need to get the pH to at least 5 before you should even seed. it takes 3-6 months for regular lime to be absorbed into the soil and be useful so I hate to tell you this but I think you should see results in 2 years. if you bring in top soil it will look great for a year or two and then go back to what it looks like now. you have to create a healthy environment for seed to grown and that environment starts with good soil. you probably have enough humus and organic matter so no compost just lime and perhaps some fertilizer but LIME.