The area of our lawn where the kids play is pretty rough Any suggestions

Cool Season Grass Forum
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Lawn has both St. Augustine and Bermuda grasses I think. Right now I’m watering every other day for 20 minutes.

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Sounds like a great issue to have with your lawn Kids are having a blast

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Maybe don’t let the kids play outside. Don’t they have iPhones or something to use instead /s

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Ainsley said:
Maybe don’t let the kids play outside. Don’t they have iPhones or something to use instead /s

You make it sound like this isn’t advice people have heard before. My dad had the best lawn on the street and we weren’t allowed to play on it Ever Without shoes too One time we got a badminton set and I swear my dad didn’t sleep for three days I remember that badminton set disappeared pretty quickly.

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@Verne
Legit question did you ever ask him about this now that you’re older Does he have any regrets or is he still all about that perfect lawn

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Tully said:
@Verne
Legit question did you ever ask him about this now that you’re older Does he have any regrets or is he still all about that perfect lawn

Great question

To sum it up the grandkids probably won’t play on the lawn either I could share stories about his lawn rules forever I think he doesn’t regret it much because that was a big part of his life I do think he wishes he had more time back to maybe not spend so much time out there when we were growing up.

Time is something you can’t get back when you get home from work only to head straight into the yard Maybe if he had mowed once a week instead of twice he could’ve spent more time with us. He tried to spend time with us but yard work wasn’t much fun

Here are some wild stories about his rules that people can’t believe:

  1. Cut the edges by hand with scissors (even though he had gas trimmers and blowers)

  2. Owned three lawnmowers that he washed after every use with a hose Then used a blower to dry them All Green Lawn boys

  3. It was a big deal to park in the driveway and step on the grass edge as it messed up that perfect angle with the driveway

  4. Always raked before mowing

  5. He woke up at 4:30/5am to water by hand. (Installed a sprinkler system later but never used it due to hassle) Maybe also watered at night when it was hot

  6. He only bagged the grass and never returned the clippings to the lawn.

  7. Blowed off the yard every day

  8. Always cut the grass in different directions like horizontal then vertical but never diagonal

I thought it was crazy as a kid but I understand now I’m not traumatized or anything It’s okay to want a nice yard But don’t let it take over the time for more important things down the line.

Love my dad

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@Verne
Slip your dad a funny coin lol

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@Verne
Curious though did your dad realize or admit to having extreme OCD Any chance he’s got some behavioral tendencies

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Ainsley said:
Maybe don’t let the kids play outside. Don’t they have iPhones or something to use instead /s

Much better suggestion than mine I thought maybe they’d have to get rid of the kids /s

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@Murphy
This slide got by the mods since it’s not about dogs :joy:

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Ainsley said:
Maybe don’t let the kids play outside. Don’t they have iPhones or something to use instead /s

I would be filled with parental pride if I saw my kids wearing out a lawn like that You’re doing a fantastic job as a parent

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I recall seeing a post that suggested to enjoy the worn grass while you can because soon those kids will be out of the house and you can have a pristine lawn but you’ll miss these moments. That doesn’t solve your problem but it’s a good memory for me as a new parent with a lawn.

Hopefully someone here shares a more practical answer

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I’m in the far northern US dealing with a similar but worse situation I gave up and put down playground wood chips It keeps the mud inside down and looks intentional When the kids are a bit older and don’t want to play outside anymore I’ll get the grass back.

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@Jin
This sounds practical You could till the dirt which is too compacted right now Aerating might not be enough Putting down new sod or reviving the existing grass might just lead to more compaction and struggling grass There’s a reason people say stay off the lawn

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You’re raising kids not grass So let them enjoy it

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Try watering less often to promote deeper roots Best to water deeply once a week

Choose a time for watering when it’ll have time to soak before the kids run around

Aerate 3-4 times a year
Add compost after aerating

If you want it to look nice you could set up a temporary fence to rotate play areas letting portions of the lawn rest

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Enjoy what you have One day you’ll look back at this spot and think man I’d love to see that lawn worn down again

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I’m located in central Florida Any advice is appreciated

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Zephyr said:
I’m located in central Florida Any advice is appreciated

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Rory said:

Zephyr said:
I’m located in central Florida Any advice is appreciated