# Satan's Backyard. So many problems.



## RobertSCenpidede (Mar 29, 2020)

This is my 2nd spring with this backyard and it's pretty rough (see the pictures). I'd like to whip it into shape, so my wife will be happy. I realize there are a lot of challenges 

1. There isn't very much grass from what I see just weeds . The front and side yards have centipede. I'm not married to keeping centipede in the back, but my two concerns are playing nice with the neighbors grass, Centipede(i.e. not being the guy that introduces a grass type takes over the subdivision). The second concern is for simplicity having chemicals that play well with Centipede.

2. There is minimal foot traffic, but my dogs go out there about 3-4 times a day for 5-20mins. I feel like there are lots of urine spots in the back, so any advice going forward would be appreciated.

3. The soil is compacted clay(shocker), but over the past year. I've applied about 8 apps totalof Anderson's DG Humic Acid, a local Sea Kelp Humic Mix, and Gypsum. I've been strongly considering renting a core aerator and filling the holes with a 50/50 mix of Sand and Compost. The backyard also has some drainage issues around the fence and trees, but I'm convinced it's from the compacted soil. As an experiment I tilled along the fence, and for a few weeks that area drained much better.

4. The backyard gets sun about 10:00am to about 6:30pm in the center. The areas around the fence get sun from about 12:00pm to about 5:30pm.

In conclusion I would grade the yard as follows
Grass-F
Foot Traffic- C-
Dog Urine- F
Soil- D-
Sunlight-C+ to B-

I've thought about relocating those two compost piles, and planting Palmetto St. Augustine or Bermuda hoping that it wont grow long the fence shadow to keep it contained. But at this point I'm not sure about that and welcome all ideas.


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