Growing Grass On Clay Dirt

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Growing grass on clay dirt.

A nice thick lawn requires healthy soil as its base but this can be difficult to do once grass is established. The grass roots will work to break up and loosen the clay soil below. Learn this technique in five easy steps. A bone dry clay soil is going to be rock hard and not allow water nutrients to get into the rootzone when the temperature start to get cooler but before the leaves start dropping start by aerating your lawn followed by an over seeding of appropriate seed type and apply an organic fertilizer.

Aerate after the ground thaws when soil is moist not soaking and during the growing season. This can be done with a tiller an herbicide or by hand weeding. However clay soil is perhaps the most difficult to work with. The process of adding a thin layer of soil on top of your lawn is a great way to improve it without disturbing existing grass.

It can take up to two months of preparing the soil before you can actually plant your grass. Clay soil needs regular aeration to allow water and oxygen to move freely through it. Once you re sure that your soil is good and healthy consider adding some earthworms to help keep your topsoil nice and loose. Clay soil will hold water better so if you live in an area that doesn t get lots of rain clay soil will make it a lot easier to grow grass.

A good way to determine the soil s moisture content is by sticking a screwdriver into the soil to a depth. Grass is not a strong competitor against many weeds so getting the roots out is critical. That s because it is extremely heavy and thick. There are very few air pockets under the soil surface and grass.

Follow some basic steps to make grass grow in red clay soil and establish a lawn that is the envy of the neighborhood. Grass grown in clay soil requires less frequent watering than lawns grown on sandy soil. Step 1 remove all the existing weeds and grass from the area to be seeded. Most grass seed will grow in various soil types.

Depending on where you live it can be a real advantage that you don t have to irrigate your lawn as much especially during drought if there is a hosepipe ban. Varieties that grow in a clay loam soil include annual ryegrass colonial bent grass hard fescue kentucky bluegrass perennial ryegrass and red fescue. Clay soil is made up of tons of small particles that stick together clinging to moisture. You will have to introduce some organic material and change its ph level before attempting to lay turf.