Question
Hi, I live in Kansas City, MO, and have recently moved to my first house. I have two dogs and they have torn up the grass in the backyard over the winter. The lawn is lumpy when you walk in the areas where the grass is most plentiful (middle, rear of the yard). I would like to know what kind of grass is best for high traffic areas and if I need to aerate the soil. Also, how do you keep the grass from being eaten by birds (I have heard this is a problem)? Also, when should I start planting the grass and when should I fetilize?

Thank you for your time!

Answer
Hi Susie,


>>"...what kind of grass ...?"
In your area, there is probably no better DOG RESISTANT or traffic resistant grass-type than BERMUDA GRASS.  U3 and Arizona cultivars are still the most common and the seed/sod is widely sold in most lawn and garden centers and places like Home Depot. A next-best choice might be a TALL FESCUE.

The seed can be planted in April or so, around the time you might set-out tomatoes. If you have bare soil areas, yes, it would help to get the seed or sod started to till-up the soil up a bit.  Unless your soil is high in clay and has drainage problems or is compacted from the traffic you do not really need to aerate the areas routinely.  Getting the grass to grow well so that it sends roots deep into the  ground and promoting earth-worms in the root-zone will do more for aeration than all the human-efforts combined.

Topping-off the lumpy areas with some sand, potting soil or added top-soil should level things out. You can cover new grass seed with one-quarter to half and inch of soil to help get it started and raking this level will fix the lumps if they are not so big.

>>"...being eaten by birds .."
In more than 40 years of lawn and garden experience, I have never heard of any reports involving birds eating turf-grasses,..as far as the vegetation is concerned.  Moose maybe but not birds!

The birds may come around for the bugs, worms or the SEEDS in the area.  And if you do seed to get grass-seed started you may have a problem with birds finding it and eating some of the seed.  Usually, in seeding events you will have some loses and will have to do some follow-up booster seeding events to get the density you want.  If birds do pose a big problem in eating your seed, write back for more information about how to scare them away.  It is still hard to beat a hound-dog or a scare-crow for this ancient problem. Garden centers sell plastic snakes and balloon owls that may work if the birds are'nt too smart.  City birds are not often scared by anything if they are sure they can fly away in a split second.
Unlike the heat and the drying winds, birds should not make getting grass seed started totally futile and impossible.  Covering the new seed with a shallow mulch or top-soil, as mentioned, will also keep the birds off it. Using SPRIGS or SOD will prevent any problems with having the turf-grass seeds eaten by space invaders.

>>"...when should I feRtilize? "
Fertilize newly seeded lawns AFTER they can hold-up to a mowing event or two.  Follow the directions with the fertilizer product to know what to expect.  RULE to remember when using the Salty Fertilizer Chemicals is this...

" ..too Little Is Always Better Than Too Much".

 Using too much chemical can destroy an entire lawn for months. Do not fertilize a heat-stressed lawn.  Applying the chemicals on cooler and cloudy days can be preventive of any problems.
Start to pay attention to the 'green-ness' level of the grass to help you know when to feed the grass.  Let the lawn become occasionally 'nitrate-hungry' to promote a deeper, less-spoiled, root system. This means you let the green visually fade a tad between feedings of  nitrate.  Do this and you will become proficient in judging when to use the fertilizer chemicals with less worry and  more efficiently.

Do not fertilize in late fall to avoid causing a fungus disease of the grass.
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With a good fertile-loamy well draining top-soil, best quality hybrid grass type(s), 1-3 inches of water per week, plenty of sun-light, ...almost anyone can have an excellent lawn with a minimum maintenance effort.
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I Hope this has answered your question(s)!

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