I bought a house. The backyard has not been maintained. It was thick with trees, limited sun, and moisture. Removing the old rotten trees and trying to get rid of moss growth. Opening it up to the sun. Not done with the trees yet, but starting to think about he lawn phase. The issue is that there are years of leaves built up. I want to place a few inches of top soil and plant grass with straw over it. Is it ok to put the soul over the leaves and old moss? If so, any recommendations for soil thickness or type of grass? Live in Western PA. Rains a lot.

Byrdblue said:I bought a house. The backyard has not been maintained. It was thick with trees, limited sun, and moisture. Removing the old rotten trees and trying to get rid of moss growth. Opening it up to the sun. Not done with the trees yet, but starting to think about he lawn phase. The issue is that there are years of leaves built up. I want to place a few inches of top soil and plant grass with straw over it. Is it ok to put the soul over the leaves and old moss? If so, any recommendations for soil thickness or type of grass? Live in Western PA. Rains a lot.

Why did you buy a wooded lot if you didn't want woods? My dog loving friends were die for your yard. With luck, oneeyedluke will come to your aid. Me? I'm going to go smack my head against a wall.

How many is a few inches?
Best to work them in.

I'm racking my head on a wall as well...
Lawn?
Why?
Do you have a multitude of children that need a place to play? And run?
For the life of me I can't understand buying a wooded property, and wanting to "clear" it...

Maybe I missed something...

I would kill for a wooded /natural property like that...

Place me firmly in the keep the trees and moss group.

Where you saw a failure to maintain, the rest of us see a desirable woodland...

Putting soil on top of dead leaves in an attempt to grow sun loving crops... Probably not a good idea.

When I tried burying leaves in my vegetable garden... Those beds remained useless for a few years.

Leaves belong on top of the soil where God put them.

Can't grow Summer grass in the shade. To get the best results you need at LEAST 6 hrs sunshine, but 8 hrs would grow the best thick healthy grass. Anything less will have problems.

Keep in mind that with the 'competition' removed, the remaining trees are going to prosper. Within a few years, the canopy will be re-established. Grass will not grow well.

Instead, why not create a woodland garden. There are all kinds of things that grow well in that kind of environment. For example, you could put in rhododendron of various colors and sizes. There are all kinds of fern options as well. You could plant spring bulbs such as daffodils, cyclamen, chionodoxa, dog tooth violets, etc.

Putting in a woodland garden will not only eliminate the need to mow, it will also eliminate the endless frustration when your grass won't grow. A woodland garden provides much needed habitat for birds and other wildlife.

You can also put in a bench or two, thereby creating your own private park.

In the event you do have children, they will get more out of the wooded area, both physically and mentally than they will from a patch of grass.

https://www.dcnr.pa.gov/Conser...
https://extension.psu.edu/iden...

Couple of web sites that may be helpful. You could also visit various parks and see what might thrive in conditions similar to what you have. Good luck.

Byrdblue, I hope you are not put off by the 'grass-shaming'. Not everyone has the same taste in gardens. I felt you posted your question in the proper forum, Lawns & Grass, and was rather surprised at the responses. Not many actually addressed your question, which is how to encourage grass in your newly cleared area. I have a small forest in my back and find that nature does a pretty good job of conditioning the soil all on its own - as you note, there is a lot of leaf drop which eventually rots into rich humusy soil. I do think you will have a challenge cultivating a velvety green lawn, particularly around the base of whatever evergreens you decide to leave standing. The suggestions for planting natives in those areas is valid and would be pretty. Perhaps concentrate your grass seeding to areas that will get enough sun for the grass to thrive. It may make sense to take a watch-n-see approach this first winter, to track sun exposure, wind patterns, and low spots that might be boggy. Take lots of pictures to help in your decisions. I also like the idea of a bench here and there - good places to just sit and observe while making notes. Again, good luck with your project.

Bonehead said:Byrdblue, I hope you are not put off by the 'grass-shaming'. Not everyone has the same taste in gardens.

Seemed to me that the responses were addressing the idea that Byrdblue had moved onto a property that "hadn't been maintained" .

Kind of shocking to see the willful destruction of a beautiful wood lot in the belief that such was proper maintenance...

I thought that I'd answered the question about growing something after covering the current forest duff with imported soil...

In my personal experience... Doesn't work.

I have a thicket at my house where drought and fires are a real concern... Clearing some of the thicket away from the house in the name of fire prevention... Is something I'm regretfully doing... But... I'd rather have the moss from the above garden...

Well, in any event Byrdblue has not returned to this thread.

I'm new here poking my head around, I'm starting to believe that it is difficult if not even possible to grow grass underneath a thicket of trees?? His back yard looks absolutely beautiful and I'd think grass would look awesome on that ground surrounded by tree overhang. Taking personal notes.

Fertile soil is an important stage at which favorable conditions are formed for timely and abundant seedlings. It takes about a week to prepare.
You need to determine the composition of the soil and its structure To choose the right type of fertilizer. You can find special tester strips in any horticultural store, they determine the degree of soil acidity. If the test shows that the soil is too acidic, you must add chalk (for example) to neutralize the reaction. If the structure of the soil is clayey, heavy, you need to make it more loose and airy. To do this, add humus.
Some useful links:
https://www.wikihow.com/Grow-a...
https://www.backyardstyle.com/...
https://www.gardeningknowhow.c...