Hi all,

We are going to try once again to get some fescue to grow in our yard.
We have a shady backyard, filled with thirsty oaks. Needless to say, it
is hard to get anything to grow, with limited sun and moisture hogging
tree roots. We are considering either renting an aerator, a slit
seeder, or both...but for cost reasons would prefer to only rent one.
We will buy a bag of fescue seed approved for our area.
Will the slit seeder alone be more beneficial than the aerator? Our
ground is very hard. Should I just aerate? Or should I make the
investment and rent both?

TIA!
Heidi
Raleigh, NC

Heidi said:

We are going to try once again to get some fescue to grow in our yard.
We have a shady backyard, filled with thirsty oaks. Needless to say, it
is hard to get anything to grow, with limited sun and moisture hogging
tree roots.

Buy some mulch and experiment with groundcovers and shade plants.
That's what I plan to do with the shady part of my back yard. I tried reseeding
with 'shade tolerant' fescue but the lawn is still thin and weak, and getting
thinner every year.

I'm a lawn lover (unlike some other folks here) but I know when the battle is
hopeless, and that soft green lawn I used to lay on to read to my daughter
when the tree was smaller and the shade more dappled is history.
--
Pat in Plymouth MI

Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
(attributed to Don Marti)