Why does it hate me?

So I moved into a home almost 2 years ago and have been trying to get it to a point I am happy. I previously had a 1/4 acre that looked great and was super easy to maintain, but now have almost 3 acres that started off in bad shape and I am trying my best to recover. I have aerated, fertilized, reseeded, top dressed and seeded etc.. (not all in that order). I also had some trees cleared out to allow for more light and airflow.

Last year I had grass in areas that was just dirt the year before... but now this spring is just dirt again. Some areas are shaded... others not. What should I be doing differently before throwing money at the issue? It seems like after the winter I have this cycle of top soil/seed etc.. My one issue is I can't water as much as I'd like because of being on a well, but otherwise most of my neighbors lawns are in good shape and also on wells.

Help!

Are those dead patches in an area that is poor draining? (pics 2 & 5)

Too much shade (pic 3)

I would rake away that dense dead stuff and try reseeding. Are you using the same species and varieties of grasses that your successful neighbors are using?

New grass plants will need plenty of water, so get them started early in the season while it is still mild, and water won't be evaporating out of the soil so fast.

Thanks, picture 2 is a close up of picture 1. What can I do for the area you feel is to shady (besides cut down more trees)? At this point its just dead grass and dirt.

Plant something else. I do not know what ground covers grow well in your area.

If you want lawn then you could thin the trees- selectively removing certain branches.
I would consult an arborist. It might be that some of the trees are growing too close, and would benefit from removing some.
Either way it will be a commitment to pruning every few years to keep the area open enough for a lawn to grow.

Another alternative about the brown areas: It might be that some lawn disease is in those areas. The irregular patchiness in pics #3 & 4 sort of look like a lawn disease.

I asked about a drainage problem because in pic #1 the grass is so green right next to it, it is almost like it is in a good drainage area, perhaps a bit of a slope, with the low spot (holding too much water) where the lawn has turned brown.

Chris - If you're in CT, you're probably growing a cool season grass like fescue or maybe KY bluegrass? Perhaps your grass seed had a high percentage of annual grass seed? Sowing cool season perennial grass seed in the spring goes against the nature of a cool season grass unless you have unlimited watering capacity. The young grass doesn't have the root system yet to get through the hotter, drier summer. Cool season grass should be sown in mid Aug - mid Sept. And yes, it might be a challenge to keep the fall leaves off of the grass while it's germinating but you could use a leaf blower (lightly) - no raking. Is your soil sandy or clayey?

I would suggest that you are growing the wrong type of Grass seed for the conditions you have.
Some grass is very thick, some areas are sparse and others right beside the large trees there is just bare soil.

Expecting grass to grow and compete with tall heavy foliated trees is about trying to use an ashtray on a motorcycle, it just cant be done.

The roots of the tree's, being the stronger, takes up ALL the moisture from the soil either rain or human watering, The roots underground remove ALL the nutrients from the soil, and as someone else mentioned the tree foliage is causing too much shade,
So there are a few things you are fighting against when trying to grow grass in thet type of environment,
There are grass developed for shaded areas and in most cases, it is successful but it does require a lot of soil prep before the seed or turf is put in place.

Development of a new lawn is a very exacting skill but NOT impossible in as much as the right time to sew the seed, Late summer / early autumn is good because the heat begins to be reduced
by fact the hot weather is NOT so intense AND night temps are cooler.

Early Spring also better than mid summer, the soil in spring is just beginning to warm up, there is more moisture about from dew, and the roots of the seeds are able to get way down into the soil instead of frying on top of soil with very little water.

Watering is one of the most important needs of a lawn once the seeds or turf had been laid /or sewn,
I always try to tell people that lawns / plants are like new babies, once they are out in the open, they need nourishment and water, we give the nourishment by adding humus, feed (slow release)
and also making sure the soil had been dug over and any large stones or other rubble is removed and any weeds out by the roots. Like babies need fresh beds, nice clothing around them and well fed, plants /trees and lawn /grass are the same.

I think you are trying to get this lawn established before the environment is right, too hot before the roots are established, too little water, I know you have a well, but the best way to go is to start the sewing of the seed After summer heat and the cooler weather in autumn should help reduce the amount of water required.

Your established grass is VERY, green and I wonder IF you have been feeding the grass too soon, feeding the lawn before it has put down sufficient roots is bad for the small roots trying to get going bigger, the feed just sits there as not enough roots formed to take up the feed so the seedlings die off either through exhaustion or burned from the chemical feed, you should never feed a new lawn till it is at least about 4-5 months old, keep the blades of the mower high till the grass is thick and growing well. all you need do it remove the tips of the grass blades to help them grow more blades and this thickens the lawn.

On the bare areas, I would go to the garden store asking for advice re the best grass mix to suit that area close to the trees, and them either use the same mix for the other areas or perhaps they would recommend a grass mix for shade UNDER the canopy of the tree's. It's hard to give all advice because pictures are great BUT the light depends on time the pic was taken, as with shade,

I would NOT go planting more seed till you are able to give the seed the start it needs, like temp and water etc. and finances, otherwise you will begin to hate that area of your garden, it's NOT the garden, it's us gardeners that are impatient, want to get the garden going regardless of the right or wrong time.
Take the summer to try get all the info you need and as the summer ends, maybe plant a small area where the biggest problems are, see how it goes, after 6 weeks you should know IF the seed has germinated at the rate it should, IF OK, then go ahead sewing the whole area, remember there is NO race, take your time, gardening is meant to be a nice relaxing hobby and IF you get stressed by grass, imagine what will happen IF some creature comes along and eats all your nice flowers LOL.
Be patient and hope this helps you realise, everyone has to learn to take their time when gardening, you learn as you go along and believe me, after 50 odd years, I'm still learning new stuff, gardening changes over the years and some good some not so good new methods come about, just learn to do what works for you.
Best Regards and Good Luck.
WeeNel.

From my experience in a similar environment and climate, soil density is the major issue. It's not enough to poke holes in the soil (aerate) and re-dress it. It needs to be rototilled, flipped and loosened extensively. I imagine that if you were to try to poke a hand-spade into the soil, you'd find it dense and dry. At the very least, go at it with a spading fork. Flip it, loosen it, water it, and mix it with compost. Once it's loosen up and replenished, your seed will take.

I have tried the minimalist approach of popping some garden soil atop the problem area and reseeding. My results were the same as yours, counter to what we would think. Much to my distain, more effort was needed. The old adage remains true, "it's all about the soil." You can't lose with deep, rich, and mixed.

Thank you Rev, your a person of my own heart, so good to hear someone else understands the importance of soil prep, Like building a house, if you dont get the foundations right, the build is a disaster.
Have a great gardening season.
Kindest Regards.
WeeNel.

Pic 2 looks like there is a high amount of dead grass on top. This could be caused by a combo of not bagging while mowing, mowing when wet, or mowing when the grass is too tall. I also agree that Pic 3 has too dense a shade. There are plenty of ground covers that would do well there as well as some native understory shrubs. Ground covers would include different pachysandras, tiarella cordifolia, wild ginger, different ferns, meehan's mint, etc. There are probably others but I think I would actually make a garden out of that area. There are some woodland shrubs that would work nice like viburnum acerifolium and lindera benzoin.