Question
We have a sodded lawn (beginning of year 3) which was in place when we purchased the home.  The soil is very poor and there are numerous mid-sized trees in the front.  The grass looked beautiful the first 1/2 of year one and has gone down-hill from that point.  It is thin, yellow, even during peak growing seasons and gets ample water---on a regular basis---with underground sprinkler system.  We have fertilized regularly.  Would adding seed on top of the sod do any good and if not, what would you recommend?

Answer
No, seed on top of sod is pretty pointless. Here's what you need to do.

Topdress the lawn with a decent topsoil. Basically, this means that you should spread a 1/4 to 1/2 inch layer on top of the grass, then take some leaf rakes to rough it up a bit. The grass should be poking through everywhere okay. The grass will grow through and the topsoil will soon be down below the surface. This will add to and improve the existing soil.

You will likely need to do this each year for a few years until the soil layer has improved to the point where the lawn is looking good. Each year, you should see some real improvement.

Good luck Jan!

-C.J. Brown
www.TheLawnCoach.com