new home no grass in back yard

Hello, I'm a 1st time home owner and I need to put grass in my back yard but the ground is clay and durt but its super soft and stays muddy. Will the grass still grow or do I need to put something down with it. I need some help because I priced it and it's way too much to have someone else do.

Use local resources to find grass that will thrive in your area. When you sow the grass seed, lightly rake into the soil. Cover with a thin layer of straw, NOT hay (hay has a lot of weed seeds). Keep the seed moist and it should germinate in about two weeks. New grass needs to be free of foot traffic and the lawn mower. It needs to get a couple inches tall before you mow it. You shouldn't have a problem unless you have poor drainage in your yard that causes run-off.

Have you lived there long enough to understand how long it stays muddy? If it's rained a lot recently and it's muddy from that then you may be fine, but if it's perpetually really damp back there then you may need to install drains or something to channel the water away from there before you can be successful with grass.

Having grass will help soak up some of the excess moisture. DH and I started by putting out a thin covering of annual rye grass which sprouts very quickly. After it came up, we put out the grass seed we wanted for lawn and the rye grass served as a "nurse" crop. Keep the rye grass mowed high and it will die out when it gets hot. Hopefully by then, your other seed will have gotten a good start.

We haven't lived here long (about 5 month and it's been raining off and on) but I'll keep an eye out and see how long the group keeps muddy after the rains. The front of my house is St. Augustin grass so we might go with that in the back; however part of my back yard has a shaddy spot; will that grass grow good still?. Also how long does grass seeds take to grow? I was thinking of buying pallets of grass ( I was estimated about 6 - 8 pallets) would this way be hard to do?

I could be wrong but I think if you have the time and patience to wait a bit for your lawn then grass seed is better in the long run, but you need to keep kids, pets, etc off of it for a while while it grows and gets established. If you're in a hurry for the lawn then you can do sod, but I think for sod you have to take a little more care in the soil prep (need to make sure the ground is even so that the sod can come in good contact with the ground, etc. For your shady spot--it depends on how shady it is and whether there are a lot of tree roots around. Grass typically won't do as well in shade as it will in sun, and if you've got a lot of tree roots in the area they will tend to steal the moisture which will also not help the grass. So if it's very shady and a lot of trees, I'd consider doing garden beds or planting a non-grass groundcover in that area instead.

Welcome to Katy! About the only grass we grow for lawns here in the Houston area is St. Augustine. DO NO BE TEMPTED TO PLANT BERMUDA OF ANY KIND!!!!! Be sure that the grass you buy whether you decide to plant it yourself or have it done is one of the new strains that resists anything that attacks SA. We used to have to plug SA when we were young but everyone I know of now puts down long rolls of the grass. DO NOT ATTEMPT to ROLL IN Down!!!! It needs to be kept wet for a matter of 2 weeks or so so that the roots contact the soil in your yard. DO NOT FERTILIZE!!!!! until next year in the spring. It is shade tolerant to a great extent but no grass grows in dense shade such as under a giant oak. It will be needing to be mowed. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO USE A NON-POWERED LAWNMOWER - USE ELECTRIC OR PREFERABLY GASOLINE MOWER. You will be surprised at how soon you will need to mow. Also, since SA is a runner grass you will need to edge the walks, next to the house, around anything that gets in it way so BUY A GOOD WEEDEATER, WACKER, WHATEVER, BECAUSE IT WILL BECOME YOUR CONSTANT COMPANION IN LAWN CARE. It will be helpful to have a lawn blower unless you like sweeping the streets, sidewalks, driveway, etc. It is against the law to dispose of sweepings of this sort into the sewer system and it is enforced! DO NOT buy or use a grass catcher. The clippings from the mower should be mulched (mulcher usually comes w/the mower) and left to decompose on the lawn. You won't be sorry if you do this. Keep your grass cut high - 2-1/2" - 3" - as this shelters the roots and keeps them cool and you don't need to water as often. I don't know where you are coming from but in other parts of the country people sprinkle their lawns in the evening. DO NOT DO THAT!!! When you water, water deeply for 20 to 30 minutes per section of lawn until all is watered. This is usually not feasible to do by hand so you need1)a built in lawn sprinkler system that you install yourself or have done for you at a princely sum or 2) several hoses and sprinklers that will cover the lawn. Early morning is the best time to water (by 9 am is best). Do not stint on the quality of your tools and hoses unless you are into replacing this equipment every 6 months or so. Yes, we sometimes have to water in the middle of the winter.
That's all I can think of right now but if you have questions for me you can answer on this link or D-mail me. Good luck and happy gardening!

Ann

Don't plant any bermuda, huh? It may not be appropriate for shade areas, but I love mine...it's gorgeous, fills in quickly, is lush green with minimal water (after establishment, only 1-2 times for an hour or so every couple of weeks), and was far less expensive than St. Augustine. We do use an electric mulch mower, but I've heard great things about reel mowers, as well - they're sharp with regular maintenance and drop all of the clippings back into the grass to decompose. No electricity or gas to mess with - I have not used one, however, so I speak only of what I've heard/read. Between quarterly organic fertilizer (Texas Tee and sometimes some worm castings) and fairly regular watering, it's been a blessing. Of course, after using both synthetic and organic ferts, I'm a huge proponent of organics for any kind of grass/plants - it's far easier and worry free (no fear of burning grass or fertilizing with the wrong things at the wrong times).

It's your yard - do your research and plant whatever will make you happy in your new home (congratulations, by the way!). Definitely look for some local information and figure out the water/mud issue in the back - that should help you make your choice, as well. St. Augustine has it's good points, as does Bermuda. We have St. Augustine in our backyard and I far prefer the look and feel of the Bermuda (Sahara blend, by the way). It was super easy to throw the seed and grew quickly and beautifully without any top dressing or anything other than regular water for the first couple of months. If you have shade in the back, however, you'll probably want to stay away from Bermuda, but if it's deep shade in that spot and you fear no grass will grow at all, you may want to plant some shade plants instead (or, of course, there's just mulch!).

HTH!
Steph

Haywood there are lawn forums out here in cyberland, if you google lawn care for your area I'm sure you'll find some info. How do I know this...my husband is a lawn nut...he has even built his own rollers to give it that sought after striped appearance ;)