If it is clay and not rock then use either wolfpack or tarheel grass seed
seed in the fall - now it is way too hot
keep the grass high 3 inches

Mine was in worse condition - the previous owner had my front lawn under
black plastic with pine straw on top for 30 years. When I pulled the
plastic back it was as barren as the moon.

I just plowed it up and tilled it and it does well.

I did not add any compost nor do I now, but I do have a recycler mower. In
the spring I do throw down a 1 inch layer of leaf mulch like a top dressing.

The key to fescue in the summer is water.
2 weeks without water it goes dormant
4 weeks it dies.

good luck

tomatolord
wrote in message
ups.com...
Our yard is just a mass of gritty red clay underneath the grass. The
contractors obviously bulldozed off all the topsoil and probably hauled
it away and sold it. Does anyone have any suggestions for improving
the soil over the longer term? Does leaving the clippings on the yard
actually help? The lot has been in this state for at least 20 years
and there is little or no topsoil on any of it. (We just moved here
couple years ago.) Suggestions appreciated.