growin grass

[Mr T]

I got 2 monster oak(tm) trees in my back yard. I got enough board-feet to finish a small church. I have been loosing the fight over the last few years to keep grass alive under these trees....heavy shade most of the day. It is soo weak that the mower pulls it up what grass is left. I reseeded last year with a shade mixture of seed (Pennington) with starter fertilizer and kept it watered.. It didnt survive the summer, thinning through out the season.

Looking for tips before I try seeding again this year. I am in NW Ohio where it seems to snow year round.

Also, currently the yard is trying to return to the swamp land that it once was. How wet can the dirt be and still be able to plant seed? Right now it is borderline flooded, with alot of rain in the forcast. By this weekend it should have drained to 'very moist'. Should I be ok then, or should I let it dry more? I heard too much water is bad.

[xkvator]

Whew Mr T...you had me a little worried when i read that title...

i'm not a lawn expert, but i know that oak leaves are acidy and grass likes neutral - alkaline soil, so lime may be needed.
the grass has to get at least a few hours sun/day - trees might have to be pruned. You might get the grass to come up in the spring before the leaves block out all the sun...then it's too much shade.
the trees suck up the nutrients in the soil - so fertilizer is also needed.
probably, the standing water is a problem, too.

if it's not used as a play area for kids, i've seen some really nice yards that have english ivy under trees.

since your elec. bill is so low...maybee MD can hook you up with some of those lamps he uses :cool: