Question
QUESTION: My husband and I laid seed in our backyard a couple weekends ago, and it's coming up great.  Unfortunately the ground we tilled to lay the seed in is still very soft, and I'm afraid it's going to be too mushy to walk, on even after all the grass has come in.  What can we do, after the fact, to make our newly seeded lawn more compact without damaging the new growth?
Thanks

ANSWER:  My guess is that you have a 'light' (organic) soil rather than a 'heavy' (clay type) soil. Organic soils are usually more productive than clay soils and I would encourage you to preserve what you have. Stay off the lawn as much as you can; in time the grass roots will create an integrated mat which will itself form a barrier to compaction. Then it will not matter that much. I would even suggest using a "Flymo" type of lawn mower but that might be bordering on the extreme.

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QUESTION: We're actually in N. Georgia so clay is what we're working with here.  But when we tilled, we added manure and tilled down 8-10 inches. Was that too deep?  If so, how do we correct?
Thanks

Answer
No, it was not too deep. Incorporating organic matter is an excellent idea for a clay soil. I think that the true heavy clay soil now starts at 8 to 10 inches below the surface. When you water the lawn, the water settles at this "pan" and will take some time to percolate downward.
  The watering program needs to be modified.
Water lightly or not at all as long as you can determine that there is enough moisture in the top layer. Use a small trowel or probe to 'feel' how wet the soil is at or near that 10" depth. If a lot of water is down there, it will be 'sucked upward'. It is like a potted plant sitting in a saucer. When you water it, some will run into the saucer but after a time it will be 'sucked back'. You have a good situation on your hands and if you manage it well, you can grow a healthy lawn with a minimal use of water. The immediate challenge is to keep those seedlings moist without causing water accumulation at the clay pan. You can lose all if the roots of the tender seedlings dry out or stay too wet.