Question
We live in Chicago and have a nice size yard. 3 years ago when we move din we had sod laid all over - the first year it was all beautiful - the second year the side yard didn't come back very well at all and we went spot by spot (and there were ALOT of spots) putting down Scotts grass seed for shade and padding down top quality top soil over it ... the following year- same thing grass really didn't look nice at all.. looked pretty crappy actually. So again we did the the same thing... It's spring (well almost Srping in the mid west) and while the back yard looks pretty nice... again the side yead looks like crap. This side yard get's "about" 1 hour of sun per day and ALWAYS seems to stays pretty moist. I do not want gravel - stones - etc etc I REALLY want grass there... do you have ANY suggestions.

Much Thanks
Nina Chicago Illinois

Answer
Hi Nina,

Unfortunately, 1 hour a day of sunlight just isn't going to do it for you. It's a bit like asking what types of vitamins you should take if you don't drink water anymore. You need water, and no amount of healthy living will change that. Same thing with the grass. It needs a certain amount of sunlight, and nothing can change that.

"Shade Seed" is really more of a marketing gimmick than anything else. It is true that some types of grass can tolerate a certain amount of shade better than others, but even those need at least 3-4 solid hours of direct sunlight just to hang in there and survive.

Your options here are a) do some tree work (assuming the shade is from trees) or b) look at other non grass options. I actually think that a nice bark mulch can present a very appealing, low maintenance option.

Good luck. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful.

-C.J. Brown
www.thelawncoach.com