thick lawn in shade is it possible?

Question

Our backyard has never been great. We have several very large oak trees, with woods in back of our yard. I believe our yard doesn’t have a good root system. You can practically peel off the yard. We have had it aerated almost every season, usually in the fall and then over seeding. We use fertilizer sparingly. (don’t like a lot of chemicals). My husband thinks we should just rip it out and start from scratch. There is probably clay underneath. I have had our soil tested, we have an inground sprinkler system. We specifically use shade or dense shade grass seed. Any suggestions would be very much appreciated. Or that is just how it is with a shady backyard. I love my trees.

Answer 1

I like to power rake the lawn hard so it really digs down well. Rake away all it brings up. Then apply a one step seed such as the one at this link: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Pennington-8-3-lb-One-Step-Complete-for-Dense-Shade-Mulch-Areas-with-Smart-Seed-Mulch-Fertilizer-Mix-100520284/205599918 And then water things well. You could even lightly sprinkle some top soil over the top of the entire lawn after applying the seed. I do mean lightly too so as not to make a nasty muddy mess. Mine came up great and I enjoy my trees too!