Question
We live in monmouth county, nj and have many trees shading both the front and back yards. We virtually have no grass now as the soil is a soft sandy/dirt consistency and we also live on a hill causing a lot of erosion.

What type of grass do you suggest we use to grow in the shade or ground cover instead, as we do not want to cut any trees down. Also, please let me know the correct procedure needed to start this process?

Thanks,

Chuck

Answer
Chuck, first thing tomorrow, send a soil sample over to your local Monmouth County Cooperative Extension Service (www.visitmonmouth.com/07050coopext/index.asp) to get an analysis by Rutgers University researchers.  That's the only way you're going to know what is and isn't in your soil.  So many people skip this step -- Chuck, Don't be one of them.  This is "the correct procedure needed to start this process" that you asked for.  

I know, sending a test out delays the real work you want to do and may seem more trouble than it's worth.  

It's not!

There may be a good reason nothing thrives in the soil under those trees, beyond the high shade canopy and dry ground underneath.  What exactly is that so-called "soil" made of?  There's only one way to find out.  

Once you have a solid profile of your soil, you're ready for amendments.  This is where your patience pays off.  You don't have to buy anything you don't need.  Peat moss, lime, organics, a whole potential shopping list suddenly becomes 2 or 3 items.  Sand I guess it's safe to say won't be on that list.  Now if you lived on Long Island, where clay is king, the list would be completely different.  

I admire your decision to keep your trees.  Happily, shade is not a problem.  The online retailer Gardens Alive (www.gardensalive.com) sells a proprietary shade mix that will grow beautiful grass on top of the rich earth you have carefully prepared.  Gardens Alive is also a good source for family-friendly weedkillers and fertilizers.  I find their Q&A staff to be a bit frustrating -- they oversimplify, and tend toward overly short answers while neglecting to mention some critical details, such as not mentioning that something may only be applied in the autumn.  But the products they sell are reliable and first rate.  And if later you need beneficial insects, you can maintain a complete but simple, successful Integrated Pest Management program with choices from Gardens Alive.   

Hydroseeding is becoming a popular way to sow lawns.  It is often unnecessary -- no one needs to hydroseed flat ground -- but for your property, it may be a perfect solution.   For hills and slopes, it rivals sod for effectiveness.  The process involves spraying the ground with a mixture of water, grass seed and growing medium, as though you were spray-painting the land.  Special equipment is needed; don't expect every landscaper you reach to be able to offer it.  I have a feeling that Monmouth being one of the wealthier counties in the country, several gardening services will be familiar with it.   

Sod is another choice you can think about but you have less control over the grass variety, and no control over the chemicals they use to purify their turf before it rolls out onto your yard.  

With sod, of course, you have an almost instant lawn.  But the ground needs to be carefully prepared just as with seed.  Understand that you must also babysit sod on a daily basis until it is established.  It appears to be mature and independent but it must be watered carefully and faithfully until it takes hold, and then mowed correctly.

Since you mention you would consider ground covers instead, I have to note that the decision is purely up to you.  Is part of the ground steep or very hilly?  If you think that mowing will be problematic, by all means, pick a ground cover. Where I live -- the North Shore of Long Island -- luxury Gold Coast homes overlooking steep hills fill sections in with striking non-grass alternatives.  

For groundcovers, well, I have ordered landscape plants for years from Bluestone Perennials (www.bluestoneperennials.com), an Ohio based nursery.  Some of my personal shade-loving favorites: Asperula odorata ("Sweet Woodruff"), known for its strong spring fragrance, and Lamium White Nancy, a groundcover which I sadly confess I have never been successful with that I first saw at the New York Botanical Garden.  Some people like Ajuga.  Most Ferns, Pachysandra and Ivy are foolproof.  Ivy can become unbearably invasive and refuses to leave once anchored, so if you do plant Ivy, don't let it get out of control.  Check the University of Illinois Extension website (www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/lawnchallenge/lesson2a.html) for some illustrated groundcover options.  Buying at a local nursery is easy and fast, but you will have more options if you order online.  You will need to fortify your sandy soil to grow most plants and, as with grass, you will need to water generously.  May I recommend a tree-swing and some birdbaths and birdfeeders -- perhaps a local architect is good with tree houses?  

But I digress...

Your Monmouth Cooperative Extension posts many informative publications that you can download online for free.  But I find it discouraging that some of the material is outdated, particularly their "help" on Integrated Pest Management (IPM).  BY DEFINITION, "IPM" is techniques of controlling or eradicating undesirable insects such as cutworms, scale, rose aphids and Japanese Beetles from your landscape.  But someone at Rutgers decided to include pesticides on the Web as a solution, even while pointing out that the chemicals they are recommending -- Diazinon, Sevin, Dursban, Merit and others -- are known to be dangerous.  Even Rutgers acknowledges that  some are completely ineffective against some grubs, others have limited results.  One dose of any of these semi-effective poisons will most certainly wipe out beneficial insects, earthworms and microorganisms in your garden, not to mention breakfast for any birds who come to your house for 3 meals a day.  Anybody knows that strong, healthy turf does not succumb to grubs or anything else.

Honestly, Rutgers ought to show leadership when it comes to detoxing the Garden State.  If they won't guide New Jersey homeowners about IMP, who will?

Let me know if you have any other questions, Chuck.  Sorry this is such a long, long answer.  But some things just must be said.