how to improve clay soil for lawns

Depending on the region you live in, you may need to topdress your grass once or twice a year. Purchase a fertilizer which will suit the soil type, grass type, and time of the year when you will be using it. Aerate your lawn using a punch-core aerator. It is often ineffective at converting fertilizer into plant nutrients as well as composting thatch back into the soil. You should topdress your lawn every year because this process can take years to actually improve the soil under your lawn. The primary benefit of aerating compacted soil are as follows: Check out my article on the best string trimmers for the money. This will also lead to lawn friendly earthworms coming to the lawn. They have dense, compact texture and have poor drainage. This website also participates in the ShareASale, Clickbank & Cj affiliate programs, and other sites. You can determine the amount of phosphorus, nitrogen, potassium, and other nutrients that are present in the soil. Avoid excess mowing of the lawn, especially when the ground is wet. “Spread anywhere from a 1- to 4-inch layer of organic matter on the soil and work it into the top 6-10 inches,” Schutter said. For some people, having a thick, green lawn is something … Allow the frosts and wintry weather to do this instead: it will give you a finer tilth. Clay holds water and nutrients better than other soil types, so it does not require frequent fertilizing and watering. But if you persistently follow these steps of how to improve clay soil for lawns and take the precautions, you will get a healthy and beautiful lawn in your house. Although topdressing is highly beneficial, it usually takes up to five years before the soil’s organic matter reaches the needed level. For … I should also note that your soil will be a combination of these, it’s pretty rare to have a 100% clay, sand or silt soil. It can be anything that has not been treated with toxic compounds or chemicals, including lawn cuttings, rotted manure, or compost from your heap. However, do not forget that you should be careful with the freshly dug soil so as not to compact it. It’s going to take time, and the time that it takes to improve clay soil will vary among all lawns and gardens—but, there is a specific soil treatment path that works very well when followed. Using grass clippings as mulch may harm your lawn if you have recently treated it with the herbicide for broadleaf weeds such as dandelions. After each major addition of organic matter, the nitrogen in the soil will drop, so you may need to supplement with fertilizer on established lawns. However, there is always a solution to address the soil quality. How to Improve Your Soil By Joe Lamp’l - Gardening Expert and Host of Growing a Greener World® March 27, 2017. To do the test, purchase a soil test kit and after collecting the soil, take it for analysis. Add organic matter like grass mulch or topsoil every year, at least once, and this should improve the condition of the soil under your lawn. How to Improve a Clay Soil Lawn. Clay soil tends to become compact in areas where there is heavy usage of the foot. It allows you to pull out small plugs of soil, making it more porous. They will filter down and decompose quickly. Test the soil. Working in heavy clay soil can be a pain in the back. It is heavy and compacts when wet, preventing nutrients and air from getting to the roots. Your soil … eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'greenthumbplanet_com-large-mobile-banner-1','ezslot_3',134,'0','0']));You can topdress warm-season grass in the springtime after it has gotten a chance to green up, whereas it is best to apply the topdressing to cool-season grass in the fall before it goes dormant for winter. Dig the prepared organic matter into the top layer of your clay soil, but be careful not to compact it. Spread a 2- to 3-inch layer of organic compost or sphagnum peat moss on top of your lawn. It seems to be even a more challenging option than gardening in sandy soil. Test the soil. And during the summer season, they dry out too much. When you want to top dress a lawn, you require loam, sand, peat in different ratios depending on the type of soil in your lawn. The reason why it will take a long time is that clay soil has about 5 percent air in it. Parts of Texas and Louisiana have thick, gumbo clay soils. However, you can turn it into good soil and build a lush, green lawn on it using a few tips described above. The other textural classifications generally indicate soils with more than 40% clay. It converts complex matter such as compost, thatch and fertilizer into its base components. Recommended Reading: Improve Clay Soil for New Or Existing Lawns. How To Improve Clay Soil Problems and benefits of Clay. As a result of that, they become very soggy when they are wet. Step 3. Openings made by aerator allow nutrients, air, and water into the soil, enhancing the grass growth. The report you get back will offer suggestions for how to improve the garden further. When roots can no longer penetrate, your grass will stop growing, and new blades of grass will stop replacing older, dead blades. Never topdress your grass during the hot summer days. Your grass depends on its roots for water and mineral nutrients. If your lawn is on clay soil or it tends to get badly waterlogged in winter, it needs annual aerating. The best way to improve the quality is by top dressing the lawn with compost and fertilizing it organically. Though the top 4-5 inches eventually got pretty good, the clay underneath remained gray and sticky. Many lawns are over clay soil. Hello, my name is Samantha Bray and this is my blog. They cannot replace organic mulching. Clay soils are problematic in lawns. Aerate. What Is The Best Season To Dig Clay Soil? Do not water frequently. Categories: Blog. Clay soil is dense and hence needs more attention to allow water and oxygen to pass through it. Mulching the lawn is very important. One of the most common clay soil amendments for lawns is sand, which however is not always sufficient to achieve the desired purpose. This will decompose and provide nutrients to the soil. After a season or so, it's a good idea to collect a soil sample and have it tested to see if you have any nutrient deficiencies or pH issues. With this step by step guide, we will be focusing on how to improve the clay soil for lawns. Additionally, once your lawn clay begins to open up, the soil becomes healthier and earthworms will start to appear in your soil in greater numbers. Ask us about it. Don't know what the answer is to our clay soil (landlords prob) but I still enjoy going out there, with my wellies on and have a good walk around. Clay has excellent water holding... Amending Clay soil and How Much To Apply. Growing a Beautiful Lawn on a Clay Soil Published: 30 April 2017. Generally the soil is not as damp in early September, so it’s easier to turn over with a fork. X Research source Not only will compost introduce vital nutrients to the soil to feed your plants, the decaying plant matter will also help break up the clay particulate surrounding them. Clay soil improvement is as easy as digging organic material into the soil once a year, in either spring or fall, she said. Aeration is a significant factor in preventing waterlogging and keeping your lawn healthy. A minimum of 2 inches. If you live in the USA then there are three main types of soil you will more than likely come across in your yard and they are clay, sandy, and loamy. However, it can become like concrete during periods of intense drought. To do so, you should brush it with the backside of your garden rake. Hence if you have clay soil in your lawn, you must improve its quality so that the lawn is healthy. It is better to put a sprinkler on a timer and water the lawn with one-inch water every week. How to improve clay soil for lawns Things you will need. We did a post on how to use this method to grow a healthy lawn on clay soil for more details on how to enrich and improve the drainage of your clay soil yard. Always sufficient to achieve the desired purpose more porous these results in stunted growth roots! Not to walk on it to pass through them easily called Flocculation Smith leave Comment! Dressing the lawn with compost and fertilizing it organically treated it with proper materials acting Lime - for -... Improving it with the backside of your clay soil, allowing grass to! Different shapes and sizes but there are other types and variations as well so it is flat. And wet is heavy and wet main textures: sand, Silt, and disease are other types and as. Is by top dressing the lawn 24, 2020 by Abigail Smith leave a Comment drainage and water the with... 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