Need Help--redoing back yard-haven't started yet

17 years ago

Hi .. we are in Central IL and want to redo our backyard for numerous reasons. One, it wasn't taken care of and previously owners dog tore up. It also has little to no grass in alot of areas and what "green" there is ... is weeds. We also (don't know if this related but we seemed to have horrible mosquitoes the last two seasons .. more in back than front).

I have 2 younger kids and a swing set back there. We occasionally let the dog run loose but w/ the new yard will watch her and keep her in other area when we are not outside because she digs.

So .. here is our idea/plan. Let me know what is good, bad, and if you can give any other info .. it would be great.

We were going to get a big rear tine tiller from a friend and just till it up. We thought we should weed kill it first (roundup?) but I have seen contradicting info on this online. Then we were going to level it and get old stuff out with a rake and shovel (as it is uneven now). Then we were going to put some compost/top soil around and till it in. I guess we would then do fertilizer done? Then we thought we could use something (ladder) to pull around the yard to even it up. Then seed it with fescue/KBG? We know nothing about grass and the different types, what they look like, etc. We just know what we have researched and seems like that is a good combination of grass.

Bottom line is we don't have a lot of money so can't do a ton of compost, etc. We want to do the best we can with what we have and not waste money and have it not work.

My other bottom line is that I want to go out back and not hate my yard and tell my kids they can't go play. It's too muddy and too many mosquitoes .. so they never get to play out there. P.S. We also bought a fogger for the bugs and are hoping that does some good.

Sorry this was so long. I have never posted here before and wanted to give as much info as possible.

Jenny

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Comments (2)

bpgreen
17 years ago
I'd be wary of tilling. After you till, when you level it, there can be airs paces and so forth and as it settles, these can end up leading to uneven ground. Tilling in compost can exacerbate this, since the compost will continue to break down, and unless it's distributed exactly evenly, you'll end up with even more uneven spots.

The best thing to do is to have it graded, but if you don't have the money, that may be out of the picture.

Some people have done it slowly by core aerating the lawn and raking cores to low spots and/or spreading sand no more than 1/2 inch deep in the low spots.

Planting in the spring can work, but you'll often end up losing grass in the heat of the summer because it isn't well enough established. If you must seed now, you'll need to be more vigilant about watering in the summer. You may end up needing to overseed in the fall, also. If you use KBG and enough makes it through the summer, it can fill in as long as you don't have huge bare spots.

I know that a lot of seed mixes you see in the store are a mixture of KBG, fescue and rye, but I think you're probably better off going with just KBG unless you have areas that are excessively shady.

If you want to get the seed that will look the best, here is a list of KBG blends by state. If you want something that will look pretty decent, you can buy seed at a hardware store or garden center.
treelover1960
17 years ago
Seems like you creating more work than is needed.Just rake the bear spots with a garden rak to even it out.the seed.With dogs and kids you'llnever get a perfect yard but it will be usable.Overseeding and some water/fertilizer is all that is needed imho.It will take a couple years but you'll get there.BTW The dog is digging becaus it is bored.Hag somthing from a tree (if you can)it can play with and that may help.
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