Proper Foundation For Nice Grass?

[qualtrough]

I have a small yard and on a portion of that yard I would like to plant some grass (not the smokable type!), using the broad leaf variety that I think the Thais call Ya Malay. I have tried this several times in the past with poor results. One problem was from poor drainage, which has been addressed. The other issue seemed to be due to the fact that the grass was planted on a layer of sand. The grass never really took root, and I would always track sand in the house. So, I am writing to ask the local yard experts their advice on how to plant and maintain a nice section of grass, i.e. what should be underneath as far as soil, stone, sand, etc. and etc. Also, if there is another variety I should be using I would like to know what it is. I have recently seen some nice areas planted with this grass and it was firmly rooted, dense, and looked very nice--so I know it can be done.

[Mobi]

I'm no expert, but I built a house on just under a rai of land which had very sandy soil out in Pong, East of Pattaya.

The guy I hired to landscape, shipped in a few truck loads of top soil, and then laid the garden to flower and shrub beds, and lawn. WE also planted a number of mature trees, and border hedging trees, which have settled very well.

The grass was laid in turf sections, and for the most part has flourished. It needs plenty of water - virtually every day, and not too much shade. The shady areas, wouldn't grow, and we changed the grass in these areas to 'tropical grass' (I don't know what it's called but it has long green leaves and is not as nice as proper grass) and that also seems to work fine.

My biggest problem is the dog, who urinates on it and after a while, that will kill it off.

A bit of top soil, plenty of water and sun seems to work fine.

[gusG]

Mobi is right, top soil is the way to go, if you only have a small area you can buy bags of it, "Din Si Dam" from wherever you buy your turf from.

[qualtrough]

Thank you for the replies so far. I think the major problem in the past was that the drainage was terrible, resulting in standing water after heavy rains. As I write workmen are digging down and removing an old foundation that was the cause of the inability of the water to drain properly so that obstacle will be gone soon.

My second problem might be dogs, as we have two. They seem to do their duty in a far corner. The trick will be to see that they don't opt for the convenience of a nice lawn.

I think I will be planting the Malay grass which I believe is the name here for the broad leaf grass that seems to be a bit more suited to the tropics. Not quite as nice as regular grass, but I just want ground cover to keep dust and mud down and look better as well.