Grass Help

megstoo

First time posting but I need some help!

DH and I bought a house 2 months ago that we both love and hate (the yard).

The backyard is FULL of tree's - no grass grows due to all the tree's and ton's of tree roots.

I am always the one who cuts the grass (while dh does the trimming etc) but I've made the mistake of the last 3 times scalping the grass (I keep forgetting to adjust the blade).  I didn't realize the blade was so low.  Well the grass is all brown and to me looks completely dead.  When we raked the lawn after, all of the grass was just coming out leaving large patches of soil.  I'm only cutting the grass every 2 weeks or so but the grass just isn't looking better.  If this was in the backyard I wouldn't mind but it's the front yard. 

Since we're coming up on winter what should I do to make sure we don't have this ugly problem in Spring? 

LolitaC

The lawn is really DH's thing so I dont have too much detail, but I know he found some organic lawn care books and forums online that really helped us out. It helps to know what kind of grass you have too since it will be different for each one. I do know that even here in Houston, our grass growth  is already slowing down. Could it be that your grass is already dormant for the winter and doesnt require cutting as often?

FSUalum

We would need to know where you are located, what type of grass it is, & what type trees they are.  If they are oak leaves decomposing in your turf, it could be putting too much tannic acid in the soil. That's an issue we have, which can easily be fixed by bagging the clippings.

~NB~

I'd forget grass and do my whole yard mostly mulch, with a few focal points of plant materials. Create small berms of topsoil and pop in a few plants, just in those few key areas. If you can't accomplish it that way, you can create container gardens, and nest them into the mulch bed, where ever you need a focal point.

Kalamazaar

If you cut the grass too short you can actually kill it. You may need to plant new grass seed in spring to help your lawn recover.

Fisherman'sWife

Your best bet will probably be to let it grow out (make sure you water it) to prepare for the fall/winter.

We have a rediculous amount of trees in our back yard and its constant raking.

Orzapalooza

We neglected watering enough this summer and have some dead patches, which we will just put sod in the dead spots in the spring. I wish I knew how to help, I would say just trim the trees so the sunlight can get through and throw down a bunch of sod.

 Not sure if yall use sod where you live (squares of grass with mud on the bottom, lol), but when we were selling our first house we put a lot down in the spring and watered it like crazy, it worked!