Need some help with my yard

[lightsareout]

I'm originally from Wisconsin/Michigan's UP so I am still trying to figure out the weather patterns, soil types, and such. We purchased a new house in Murfreesboro in July. The builder had seeded the yard and covered with straw. But due to rain there is a lot of washout and the grass never took; the yard was green this past summer but it was 100% crab grass which is now dead so we have a total mud pit. The soil is clay (which i guess is to be expected?). It was very hard in the dry parts of the summer and a sloppy mess when wet.

I know in order to plant grass successfully I will have to work up and loosen the soil. Will I have a better yard with better drainage if I trucked in top soil and distributed ~2" and then plant grass?

Would I roll the soil to compact before seeding? When should I seed? What type of grass should I seed? Am I going about this all wrong????

I just want a nice green yard for my son and dog.

Thank you in advance!

 

[DaveB]

I moved to Memphis from Los Angeles. My yard was so green I had strangers stop their car to talk with me.

Where I live, you cannot successfully grow fescue. It develops a fatal mold and kills the grass in 72 hours. You need to be sure you can actually grow fescue and exactly which type to purchase before you can progress.

Yes, you need to truck in topsoil and rototill it into your ground, along with enough lime to get the soil back to a neutral reading. And you will have to lime annually, worst case every two years. I highly recommend an in-ground sprinkler system.

Right now I have Palisades Zoysia. It is a nice grass. Not fescue by any stretch but a nice alternative. Late to go dormant(My back yard is still slightly green) and early to green up. Loves fertilizer.

 

[Twinshooter]

I would plant Bermuda grass or sod it with bermuda, it is very hearty and torrent to adverse conditions, loves the sun and easy to maintain. I would not plant fescue except for pasture land.