How can I make my lawn grow better in clay soil without digging it up and starting over?

Question

Our soil is very clay laden and the grass is very difficult to grow. Help!

Answer 1

It sounds as if your yard needs lots of lime ,check with your garden supply store about where you can purchase it.

Answer 2

Many of the answers, Dragon in particular, were appropriate. You want a simple answer to a complex question. Any steps you've taken, Ph levels of the soil, etc. As you state you have clay based soil. What would make you add lime? You need to take a number of soil samples from your grounds. Contact your local Extension Agent or State University. A person there will directly contact you to do a soil analysis. What you assume is clay may be nutrient deprieved. None of us that answer willl know the answer to that question until you do it. The service I suggest is free of charge (minimal at best) and provided through your state university (coast to coast). It got this bad, another year, won't be so bad with a solution in hand. Good Luck Friend.

Answer 3

We had this problem in Kansas. Our first our we owned there we tried putting gypsum down, had a little luck, so that could be an option. The last house we owned we had a lot of trouble with clay, our lawn was doing okay, but all the trees and landscaping where dying because they were sitting in puddles because the clay was not allowing the water to drain. We bought a product at our local nursery (Tree Top, Wichita, KS) called ENVIROMAX. You spray it on your yard a couple of times and it breaks down the bounds in clay. We had great success with this. We were told that they use the stuff on golf courses and professional ball parks.

Answer 4

Break the soil up some first. Then use Scott's Turf Builder on it. Plant some evergreens at the edges of your lawn. And in the more center areas, plant trees and put hostas under the trees or anywhere you have shade. Plants are great at conditioning the soil.Then wait a couple of years and you will be amazed.

Answer 5

You may need to aireate your lawn, clay is super hard to work with and the aireating may help some what use a good fertilizer and keep watered.....you may have to till the ground up to loosen the soil to a fine powder and start over, we had to do this in several areas of our lawn too. Good Luck

Answer 6

Try using Scott's fertilizers as directed. You may have to redo the lawn and add compost and top soil in the Fall.

Answer 7

apply gysum or clay breaker top dress with good soil and fertilise gysum needs to be dug in but claybreaker can be sprayed on but u need to apply every 12 months

Answer 8

Top dress with manure and lots of it, it will break down the clay.

Answer 9

hydroseed. this stuff grows anywhere. Contact your local landscaper.

Answer 10

Sand helps that gunk.