In Ontario, sometimes a grub will get into the lawn and ruin it by attacking the roots. If this is your problem (a horticulturist should be able to advise you), you will need to completely tear up your lawn, fertilize and replant. Lots and lots of watering will also be required. By the way, August tends to be a good month for lawn planting - time to get the grass started before winter sets in but not too early so the new lawn will not be exposed to the harsh summer sun. You might also wish to re fertilize again in early spring. Good luck ...

After trying all sorts of "over the counter remedies" we gave up & called in Lawn Medic to suture it up. It's in the healing stage now...thank God for modern medicine.

This could be my front lawn (I'm in Toronto). I hate 'wasting' water on the grass, so I've thought about just putting in some kind of ground cover or expanding the garden to cover the huge dead grass area.

But I've decided to lay some sod, waste some water, and give it a try for another year.

Love the pic with the hearse -- seems appropriate considering the state of your grass. Good luck!

From what I can see that large tree looks like it is searching for water the roots so close to the top are a sign that it is not getting moisture from deep down as long as that is going on the lawn will continue to suffer you might try putting down a couple of PVC pipes near the tree so that you can run water down the pipe to get that tree some moisture deep down, not only a nicer looking tree but it won’t blow over in the wind if it has deep roots

That tree could go, grass doesn't grow well under a tree.

I really appreciate the help. I love having grass, as opposed to stones and landscape. I've been in contact with a few companies for estimates, as well as arborists, for some prices on removing the tree. I hate having the tree out front.

Grass does not grow under trees, think forest. In order to get grass to grow more readily, you will need to raise the canopy. I also recommend NOT trying to grow grass under the drip line of a tree. This is NOT an excuse to install a circle of death under the tree, but many people put edging that eXtends out to the drip line and then put mulch under the tree. In time you can plant hostas & ferns. The reason you do this is that it is bad for the tree to be mowing the tree roots. A circle of death is where people put way too much mulch in a tiny ring around the base of a tree and kill it.

It's not that I hate the tree, it's, that I love have a nice property. And it's used to be beautiful. I love cutting my grass, and gardening. But if the tree has to go...

Yes and no. The reason I say yes, is because the one root, that is sticking out of the ground, I used to be able to go right over with my lawn mower, no problem. Now, I have to go completely around it.

You should definitely put mulch under that tree. It would be better for your tree and your lawn mower.

I noticed the grass is mostly dead next to the driveway. Do Canadians use salt on the roads in the wintertime? That stuff can kill grass and it often happens next to roadways and driveways from cars and snowpiles.

Yes, we do use salt. I never thought about that.

There are plants that thrive in a salt environment and I suspect that there are multiple factors affecting the quality of the lawn. Most people don't understand that grass is the highest maintenance plant in the garden.

I would bite the bullet and get a landscaper out to your house. The front deck area badly needs landscaping as the entire landscape looks DOA.

HERE is a Canadian Gardening article about plants and salt. Hope you find some useful tips if salt is your problem.

Have you de-thatched and over-seeded? Any fertilizers? You might want to have your soil tested. You should have no trouble getting grass to grow under a single tree--we're not talking forest here. There are plenty of lawn you can see all around that have both trees and grass.

I'm just waiting on a few quotes, and to see what it's going to take to fix er up. I'd rather have it done right, the first time, instead of spending dollar after dollar on it, or at least get an idea, and go from there on weather or not it's an easy fix.

...Can it be soil erosion? Maybe some planting will help...

did the small, ornamentsl tree die as well? also, does that large tree provide your house with shade? please consider more than just your grass before you cut down that mature tree.

Yes, the small tree on the left, in the first picture, was dead. It had cracked right down the centre, so I cut it down, and then dug up the root.

Vstavay, I really like that concept you put together. Maybe I'll look into doing that.

The roots look like a maple. They have very shallow roots and it can be a challenge to grow anything over it, and pain to mow when the roots start to stick up. Lots of people just dig a circle around it and leave it bare.

I really like that idea as well. I personally don't think I have grubs, (could be wrong), but the grass isn't peeling up like a carpet.

Do you see crane flies in the fall? then you have grubs.

So, here is what I was thinking. Renting a sod cutter, and removing all the grass off the top. Getting a load of soil dumped in, and distributing it around the yard. I take it I would have to use a roller to flatten it down? and then seeding the hell out of it!

Couple of questions.

1: how would I measure how big my yard is, to find out how much soil I would need?

2: What type of seed would be recommended?

I really like the pachysandra idea that puremichigan60 posted, but will I have to replant it every year?

Or would it be better to use a tiller on the yard? (taking sod to the dump is expensive).

till the yard and add a few inches of top soil. the pachasandra is a perennial that stays green all year round. It is an excellent plant for under trees.

So, you think I just need a layer of topsoil, and no tilling?

vista any has got the right idea. Landscaping with groundcover around the tree would help. Less maintenance too. I would leave the tree....it adds value to your home and it doesn't seem to pose any danger to your home. Is it a type of maple tree? We had one in our front lawn, it had surface roots also and it was difficult to get something to thrive there. We ended up with pachysandra (groundcover), and grape hyacinths for spring color. Hope this helps.

Sorry vstavay, auto correct. And I see others are suggesting pachysandra as well. Worth a try.

In the grass areas, I suggested tilling and some top soil because hard pan and poor soil are often the reasons for bad grass performance. I owned a landscape business for 15 years. But yes, you will need to watch the grading

The thing about Pachysandra is that is so s...l...o...w growing. Mine took years and years to over. I'd suggest Vinca minor (it's not invasive in Ontario). My bugleweed was nice for a few years, but eventually it got moldy and ugly, and I was tired of spraying it with sulphur spray (mold a problem because of humid Ontario summers.)

My best success has been with golden moneywort also called golden Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia), although I do need to water one side of the bed in hot weather, where the south sun hits if from the side.

That's an interesting station wagon in the first photo. My husband once said the only station wagon I will ever get is one just like that. Just kidding. The other Houzzers seem to know their stuff, so my comment is unrelated.

I'd have to say, it was the so called "station waggon" that brought death to my yard!

Progress.

Next year, when I have more money lol. I want to have my driveway repaved.

Lawn maintenance needs a significant amount of care and attention. But for that, an expert is required. I personally know one such contractor named Landscape Structures & Designs Inc. who provides the best lawn care maintenance in the Ontario region.

Progress.

looking better already.

Thank you, RubyRoses. Weedman has come and sprayed the front and back, as well as fertilized.

The edging is a reused rubber, that I purchased on sale at home depot. Each piece is 4 foot long, and come with 4 steaks to hammer into the ground. It 7 feet out from the tree I used 3 yard of triple mix, and finished it off with a dark brown cedar mulch.

Grass comes back well, unless there is no light under a tree or you are dealing with pines. Good job!

Hi there, I have a plethora of information on grass lawns on my website: Lawn Mowers and Grass Improvement

It is a large website, so you can navigate to the lawn mowers section for advice.