Afternoon, my backyard has slowly turned into a barren wasteland. I have two black labs that love to dig and run, but I’ve noticed the grass is disappearing more and more. Any suggestions on how to restore it? I’m in Gulfport, Mississippi.
You need gutters and downspouts
Your dogs are running all over the place, and that’s where the problems are
You might want to change some habits to get grass to grow here
Aerate your lawn. It looks so compacted
I’m saying this honestly but your question seems a bit off! You’ve got a trampoline, swing set, wood chips, big trees, and two black Labs in a small yard and you’re wondering why your grass is dying? If you want a nice lawn, you need to make it more important
@Adi
Don’t forget about the vehicle parked behind the trampoline
@Adi
I get what you’re saying. Maybe he’s ready to change things
The soil seems compacted. If you can’t push a screwdriver into it, you need to aerate. Then top dress with compost for nutrients. Dogs, kids, and heavy use will make it tough to keep grass but it can be done with some care
@Ollie
I was really close to leaving this forum if one more person said it’s impossible or something mean
Don’t cut down trees just to have a nicer lawn. Just sharing my thoughts
Don’t cut down trees just to have a nicer lawn. Just sharing my thoughts
I completely agree. Many people have a lot of shade and still have grass. No reason to harm trees
@Yun
I prefer my yard without trees. I can’t wait to remove the rest
Your comment had incorrect information
You’ve got issues with water, erosion, and compaction there. Start by adding gutters and downspouts, and run some drain tile away from your home. Then properly grade the yard with topsoil and put down sod or seed along with starter fertilizer. Water it well
See that area near the fence? Fence it off and make it a dog run. You can put in some gates easily. That’s how I made mine. Then train your dog to go there. Once your dog knows that’s the bathroom, you can fix up your yard
Think about irrigation
Too much is happening and not enough sunlight. Time to add chips
Grab a soil test kit online first. Amend your soil as needed, it’s tough but necessary. With dogs, sod might be better than seed. You’ll have to deal with urine stains, that’s part of having dogs. Find a local lawn program for fertilizer and keep it up. Reseed in the fall as needed
Looks like your tree needs a trim. Aeration would help with the compacted soil. You need to add soil because of erosion and that will help with drainage too. Like the other person said, lay down sod. You could handle all this for a few hundred dollars