Question
QUESTION: I am looking for recommendations for the best type of grass to plant in the backyard this spring, where my large dogs have practically ruined it. When we had one dog it wasn't too bad, but we adopted another one in the fall and the 2 of them playing together has really torn it up. Plus the fact that we had a lot of freezing and thawing this winter didn't help matters. I live in N.Indiana. There are still signs of grass in the torn up spots,so that is a good thing that there are still roots there.
I am planning on fencing off the yard into halves, so that I can get half of the backyard established at a time. I plan on doing a bit of dethatching and overseeding. I would really like to know the best kind of seed to get. I want one that repairs itself quite nicely, and is suited to high traffic. A lot of the back is in the shade also. I have heard the a tall fescue is probably the best. Any ideas you have for establishing a hearty lawn would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Dave
ANSWER: I always say a house is not a home until you have kids, a dog and a piano.  Two dogs, even better.

But as you know, they can be torture to the grass.

You mentioned you have shade; is the rest full sun back there?  How much sun are we talking about?

Because without LOTS of sun, NO grass is going to be thick, lush, or child/dog-proof.

For the brighter parts of the year, you're right, Tall Fescue is the Intelligent Gardener's choice.  It won't mind the pitterpatter of little feet.  Your dogs can play Frisbee and chase squirrels all day and you won't be holding your breath the whole time.

You can't say that about Kentucky Bluegrass.  Or Fine Fescue.  Or Ryegrass.

People like Tall Fescue because it is a vigorous, sturdy grass.  Weed seeds don't have a chance against Tall Fescue.  This is a grass that takes no prisoners.

It's low maintenance, and it drought, heat and aggravation.

And for all this work, Tall Fescue makes only one request: A little bit of sunshine.

It loves full sun, but it will get by with sunshine/shade.  Something that is less than "full" sun but more than "shade".  Shade, no.

Which means those darker areas, if they are sun-deprived, will look better with a nice groundcover.

Hostas take a lot of space up and do very well on their own, with minimal attention, with the competitive roots of a tree.

Pachysandra is another choice.

Vinca, Ivy, pick your groundcover.  Your canine companions can't go ripping through a patch of Hostas like they can across a lawn until those Hostas are established.  After that, they can probably take whatever your dogs can dish out.

You might consider a deep bark mulch over some of those areas instead -- I can't see it from my house, so I don't know exactly what it looks like.

Finally, it sounds like you have done almost anything you could think of to make your grass grow big and strong.  Except for one thing.

I could be wrong.

But to me, it sounds like you are not taking your soil as seriously as you probably should.

This is not all about Grass.  That Grass has roots, and it will be going into your soil.  How rich is your soil?  How deep will those roots go and how many will there be?  Because if your soil is just plain, ordinary dirt, the Grass will never be as big and strong as its genes can make it.  It will never grow to its full potential, be as tough and rough as it will need to be when those dogs of yours stampede back and forth around the yard.

And since your dogs WILL be doing that, you don't want them to come in contact with any Agent Orange or other weed killer.  You want to build up your soil, so that when your grass is planted, your lawn can take whatever you dish out.

Before you sow anything, get a soil sample off to one of the local Extension services for a good list of what your soil has and is missing.  There's nothing like an accurate reading to give you the ultimate choice.  They will deliver a list of do's and don't's for your soil.  It's everything you need to know to fortify that soil for your new grass.

No big surprises here.  Sounds like you have everything under control, with a few tweaks and twists.  Keep me posted.  Thanks for writing.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks for the input.
This area gets maybe 2-3 hours of sun in the morning during the summer, so I think I should be able to plant some tall fescue without a problem. I am going to have the soil tested, and I am going to till it a bit (quite a lot of clay)and mix in some peat moss or some of my compost.
Thanks again.

Answer
Dave, my friend, 2-3 hours of sun is not Sun.  It's shade. Are you sure about that?  It's not much.

You may need Plan B here.  If you are serious about the 2-3 hours, you definitely need Plan B.  Groundcovers.

No amount of fertilizer, no fortified-luxury-rare-grass hybrid, NOTHING will be able to compensate if you do not have sun.

That's just the facts of life, my friend.