I would like to turn my small backyard (currently 200 sq ft occupied by dead grass, nearly to the point of dirt) into something similar to a dog run, where the ground is just covered in mulch and/or bark. I tested a small area with a couple bags of cypress mulch (which is about $2-3 each) and it seems to work well-- dogs don't get muddy, puddles don't form, and dog poop is easy to see and cleanup.
I have a few questions about how to proceed:
- Do I need to remove my dead grass first?
- What do I need to consider in terms of drainage (mulch drains really well)?
- Do I need to layer with different sizes or types of mulch, and how thick should I make it?