Long version/background: We just bought a new house with a large but shady backyard. About 1/3 is moderate shade, but the other 2/3 is pretty densely shaded mainly by maple trees with a few oaks and evergreens thrown in. The existing lawn is straggly grass, some weeds, and moss. I didn't think I would have time to kill everything and start completely from scratch, so I mowed it down low, raked it up good, and put down a starter fertilizer. Then I seeded it with Pennington's Dense Shade mix and have been watering it 3x a day to keep the seeds moist.

The same trees that are causing the shade are dropping leaves onto the seed. Is it more important for me to not walk on the freshly seeded area, or to remove the leaves so none of the precious little sunlight is wasted? The yard is big, so I don't think stepping stones would work (I would need too many of them!) Also, while it seems like a boatload of leaves are falling, it has not resulted in any more light hitting the ground yet!

Thanks for any advice you can share.

Grass does not grow well under large trees. Most people think it's because of shade. So they buy a shade mix. The real problem is tree roots. If you dig into the ground, you'll find it full of fibrous tree roots. Unless you plan on providing massive amounts of water, the grass you planted now will likely die out next summer. Grass can't compete with trees.

Thanks again. This is pretty new to me, so I appreciate your help.