Question
I have a small backyard that is full of all kinds of weeds. I would like to kill all of the weeds and be able to plant grass. The yard does not get a lot of sunshine. Literally half of the yard gets SOME sunshine and the other half barely gets any. I wanted to know the best way to get this process done and what kind of weed killer, grass seeds and new soil should I use. Thanks in advance for your help!

Answer
First things first. If you want a lawn, you'll need more sunlight. It's that simple.

Imagine the following scenario:

A man enters a doctor's office. He explains that he will be taking a trip, where he will be crossing a desert in 120 degree heat for forty days with no clothing or water. He then asks the doctor to prescribe a medication that will allow him to survive these conditions.

Of course, no such medication exists. We need water and shelter from such brutal heat. Nothing can change that fact. Similarly, the grass needs sunlight and nothing can change that. There's no fertilizer or chemical, or special soil or seed that can change the fact that the grass needs more light.

Once you get more light on the subject, you can spray the weeds with a good quality weed control product, then re-seed a few weeks later once the weeds have died. If the soil is bad, you can always bring in good stuff.

In short, it seems as if you are focusing on the factors that you can more easily change, when you should be focusing on the 1 factor that will make a difference, the sunlight.

Good luck Rahaman,

-C.J. Brown
www.TheLawnCoach.com