The Grass Doctor

What kind of grass seed is this, and is it best for my lawn?

I was hoping I could attach a picture of my grass- but can't figure out how. From what I have read, it looks like a Kentucky Bluegrass- beautiful thin dark green uniform blades. I have a daycare in my home and my yard gets a TON of foot traffic. I live in Vermont, so it gets very cold in the winter, and can get very hot in the summer. I need to reseed my lawn as the seeding we did last spring was not done with a seed with a lot of clover. Live and learn. Now after we got rid of the clover we have a ton (and I mean a ton) of empty spots. My yard has full fun for a good portion of the mid-day and all afternoon. I have fenced off 1/2 of the yard so I can keep it untouched by kids while the grass really establishes itself. I was thinking of renting a aerator to loosen up the top of the soil. The yard is too big for me to rake on my own. Questions: 1. I love the look of the KBG. Is this an appropriate durable and resilient seed for my yard? From what I have read, KBG will spread, which is a good thing in a yard like mine. 2. Will the aerator help, or is there an easy way to loosen up the top of the yard? Thanks for your advice!! See my profile picture for a pic of the grass... Thanks for the answer. Do you think renting an aerator will roughen up the surface enough for the seed to take hold? I am trying to avoid having to rough rake the whole lawn...

Public Comments

1. Sorry - you will really need to aerate for it to take hold and survive your summer heat. Simply throwing out the seed will lead to poor soil contact for germination and also a shallow root system - this will lead to excessive water usage and high soil temps will take out more by next fall. Yes KBG is a tough grass and will do in your zone . You also probably have more clover in your future so keep an eye out or better yet apply a preemergant specifically for the clover after your KBG has germinated.
2. KBG has a very distinctive color, and will stand out in a regular lawn because of the color differences. As wild grass seed blow in with the wind and shoe bottoms and birds, etc. it will take root and make your lawn look like a patch work quilt. The color difference is actually that strong. I recommend you buy a good quality mixed grass seed low in weed and clover, that contains a mix of KBG and other grasses that do well in your area. Seed with the mix and your lawn will have a uniform look in the future. The trouble with aeration and a day care is aeration leaves holes in the ground and plugs on top of the ground for the kids to get all over their clothing and to track indoors. Where you have heavy traffic patterns, such as the path from the door to favorite toys, such as the swing set, consider putting down wood shavings as a ground cover. As long as feet run on those trails, they won't grow grass, so you may as well cover the ground so it doesn't become mud.