We have four dogs, and every time it rains, they drag in so much mud. It’s getting unbearable. Do I need to completely redo my yard to get grass back?
The 2024 Lawn of the Year contest is open! Submit your lawn before September 30th. Submit your entry here.. If you’re proud of it, give it a shot!
I am a bot, and this was done automatically. Contact the forum moderators if you have questions.
Chamberbitter… good luck with that.
Merrill said:
Chamberbitter… good luck with that.
That stuff haunts my dreams. Whenever I see one, I rip it out and throw it in the fire pit.
If your whole yard is like that, then yeah. You might need to kill it all and start again. Get good quality seeds that work well for your yard’s sunlight. Healthy grass can handle dog traffic better. But keeping the dogs off while it grows is a different problem.
@Arlo
I use a temporary fence to work on half of the yard at a time.
Fraser said:
@Arlo
I use a temporary fence to work on half of the yard at a time.
This might be what I have to do. I’m in North Carolina, so now is probably a good time to start.
Not sure how big your yard is, but if it’s this overgrown with weeds, you’ve got a lot of weed seeds in the soil. Spraying herbicide will kill the current weeds, but new ones will keep popping up for a few seasons. I’d recommend killing it all and laying sod. The sod will bury the weed seeds and give your dogs grass to play on, avoiding the mud. If you use seeds instead, you’ll need to spray and water the dirt for weeks before seeding, and I’m not sure you have enough time before winter hits in NC. Maybe just deal with what you have and start fresh in spring.
Edited for typos and extra details.
@Hart
One more thing—if you choose sod, go directly to a sod farm. It’ll be cheaper, and you’ll have more options. There are several around NC.
Ripley said:
Celcius
Glyphosate and sod. Celcius is great, but too pricey for large areas. Spend $20 instead of over $100.
Ripley said:
Celcius
Glyphosate and sod. Celcius is great, but too pricey for large areas. Spend $20 instead of over $100.
If there’s no grass left, Roundup will do.
Ripley said:
Celcius
Celsius WG is good if you want to save existing grass. But since it looks like there’s nothing left, I’d just wipe everything out and start over.
If I were you, I’d think about starting over with the lawn. But it does seem like a big job.
I’d replace everything with nice juniper bushes.
I’ll trade you for my yard full of sticker burrs.
Yikes… Nuke it all. But you need to let it sit for a couple of weeks after spraying.
Looks like a great spot for critters to hide.
I know most people here will disagree, but if it’s just for your dogs to run around in, I’d just cut it down and let it be. It’s green and probably low maintenance, and the dogs can’t really make it worse. But if you want it to look nice and have real grass, you’ll need to start over and deal with yellow patches where the dogs pee. Just trying to help, even if this gets downvoted!
That sucks. I’d kill it with Roundup (not the extended control type) and then seed about a week later. Early fall is a good time for seeding. If you’re in the South, go with sod instead of seeds. Don’t use weed preventers—they’ll stop grass from growing.
The dogs are the problem, honestly.