The Grass Doctor

How do I plant grass in compacted soil?

My previous dog wore down the grass in my back yard along the fence line where she would pace the yard back and forth. The grass is completely gone and the dirt is compacted hard. We've given the dog away to a better home and need to repair the grass. Without having to buy a tiller to loosen the soil, is there another way to fix the problem? The path is about 18-24" wide and probably 120' feet long.

Public Comments

1. If it's compacted your seedlings won't be able to put down roots. If it's compacted you will have drainage problems. It's best to dig it with a shovel or till it once. (You can rent tillers too.) At a minimum you should take a large garden fork (the one like a pitch fork) and stab down about four inches and wiggle the fork back and forth. Do that every six inches or so. That will help your drainage problem. Then you can lay sod or a layer of fine sand and compost. On top you can seed. Sprinkle on hay. That's a lazy way of doing it. It's better to dig it out and break up the compaction. Good luck.
2. Get on your golf shoes and walk walk walk through that area. The cleats will punch aeration holes in the ground.
3. You don't need a tiller, but you need to rip the top three inches or so, spread a little topsoil, then the seed, then another thin layer of topsoil. Fertilize and keep moist.
4. i would say is to get the roll grass. the grass that you get in a roll and you roll it out. that stuff grows everywhere.
5. Rent a tiller or turn the soil by hand. Work in some fresh topsoil and you'll be able to start some seed. Good Growing!!! The Muse
6. If you add some organic matter (say coir pith, dried moss etc) over compact grass and plant some grass on it with regular springling of water with micro sprinklers, then grass will grow. But there should be ample sunshine.
7. My Boo, a siberian husky RIP, did guard duty along a fence on our upper hillside that was impossible to get a tiller to. We wanted to put grass along that fence but over the years of loyal duty, he had the soil cement hard. We wet it, got a garden claw and stabbed it turning it slightly every few inches to loosen the soil as much as we could. (Took a few days to get the entire length) Then we put down that Kelloggs composted garden soil, put grass seed on top of that and covered it again with Scotts lawn repair soil that already has the fertilizer and moisture cyrstals in it to keep the birdies from eating the seed. You have to water it about twice a day for the first couple of weeks, just a quickie drink will do. It will sprout and lush grass will fill in after about a month.
8. I have had the same problem in the past, best i can offer is to use a regular garden rake and brake up the upper 2 inches of soil, then buy an at home soil tester, avail at home depot or lowes or any garden center test for nutients. take results and apply accordingly. broadcast seed and then cover with straw and wet, keep soil moist without being wet, in a few days, to a week, you should see sprouting. once the sprouting takes place, the roots will work their way into the hardened soil underneath. you would be surprised to find that after a few inches the compaction of the soil is normal