The PIGG Pin

Sherica asks what kind of grass to plant in her backyard under some huge shade trees, with 2 dogs running all over it. There is not going to be good answer to this question. First off, dogs can usually wear out whatever kind of grass is growing, including Bermuda grass, which is tough to kill anyway.

So, let’s eliminate to dogs for a minute and talk about the grass type. The best grass seed for shade is creeping Red Fescue. This grass is usually included in a shade mixture grass seed. Most grass seed bags that are more than just Rye or Kentucky 31 have a good blend of several types of seed.

Now, Here is the problem with Red Fescue…It is a very sensitive grass. Because it will grow in the shade, it cannot gain the strength from the sun that other grasses do. For years I had a customer that we planted Red Fescue in his backyard and I could not use a mower to cut it because the tires would squish the grass into the ground. I would spot weedeat any high spots to keep it looking level. His yard looked great every year.

Something else with grass seed that most people don’t realize, is you should plant your seed in the fall, and plant EVERY year. Perfect yards take about 5 years to establish.

Sherica also asked if she is supposed to lay down hay/straw over the seed. Straw has its time and place, but if you can get away with not using it, DON’T! Straw brings in weeds that will haunt you for a long time to come.