Question
Hi Charlotte:
I stumbled across a link to this site from the Garden Web. I read an answer you gave to a gal in CO who lost most of her lawn to drought, as well as spraying weed killer, crab grass killer, etc.

I have similar situation. We had our backyard landscaped in 2002. Marathon II sod was layed and the landscaper set the sprinklers to water it well for establishment. It was layed on liberally amended, rototilled soil w/a preemergent in the amending product. Soon the grass was soaked as well as the soil. We cut back on the watering as the soil could not take up anymore. We set the sprinklers to run twice a day for 15 - 20 min. everyday. This is typical watering style here in the High Desert of So. CA, zone 8, with clay soil predominately. I do not water like this anymore after spending hours on the Garden Web learning the proper way of doing most landscape chores.

Back to the lawn, I can't quite figure out just when the lawn began to change and deteriorate, I think by the next summer. Now I have bare spots everywhere, dead grass, bermuda or similar invading, plus all the offending grasses that you mentioned you had 10 yrs ago. I have been waiting for a calm day to spray a grass weed killer but Spring tends to be fairly windy. I'm glad I found a link to you before spraying. I understand the sugar application and what it does but I'm wondering how you actually apply the sugar, walking spreader, hand held broadcaster or ? I also have a real problem with purslane that I battle every year, I swear I could sit and actually see it grow, it is sooooo fast. This is mostly in the planter beds. I have sprayed weed killer on some of it but it takes forever to die and often recovers, gggggrrrrrr. Any great ideas for wiping that out?

I am trying to improve the soil by doing the baby shampoo & water spray, followed by a seaweed/fish/micro herd spray. Last year we had 15 cu yds of compost/mulch delivered. It took us quite some time to haul it all to the backyard planter areas and then spread it. It also wasn't weed free I have found. I need to get some kind of mulch on the planter beds but I'm not sure what to put down. I would like something attractive, nourishes the soil and amends it AND does not cost a lot. I can't make enough compost to meet my needs. I too have decided to go organic and understand most of the ideas I believe but I need to solve these few issues. I have yet to sit and enjoy the yard, I have been at war with the clay, ants, and weeds for 4 yrs. I really love to garden but this has become real unfun. This yard is 72' x 70' with planter beds extending approx. 12' into the yard. We have about 4000 sq ft. of grass and I absolutely agree with you on soaker hoses. I'm wondering if I can attach a soaker to a sprinkler head so that I could put soakers throughout the yard and cap off some others, then it would be automatic.

Charlotte, any suggestions would be a life saver. Thank you for your time.

Mary

Answer
Hi Mary;
That clay soil is the biggest problem you have.
clay soil will not grow diddly except weeds, and they love it.
The clay won't allow water to soak in, so you are stuck with a shallow root system, and heat, cold and drought dammage or kill it.
If it were my yard, I would till up the whole mess, and till in a,mendments to loosen up that clay.
I had heavy clay soil here and battled for about 5 years,. like you have done. it was a constant fight and a losing battle.
Finally, I mixed 1 part peat moss, 1 or 2 parts humus ( 40 years ago, and I forgot), and 3 parts cedar bark mulch.
I piled on enough of that mixture to cover about 4 inches deep, and tilled it all in with the existing soil, and made about 6 inches of good top soil.
There are other ways to break up clay, but that is the fastest way.
When yu have a chemical free soil you can buy some earthworms, and dump them in your yard, and they wil tunnel through the soil, and eventually that breaks it up. You can apply granulated gypsum, about an inch deep and let that soak into the soil through waterings. It will break up clay soil, about 1 to 2 inches down within a season or so.
Organucs naturally break up clay soil. As you use sugar to nourish the beneficial microbes and let earthworms and other beneficial insects and animals live there, your soil will steadily improve.
The most important thing is getting a deep root syatem. Shallow water makes roots come to the surface to get water, and they die on the surface and trap other dead leaves and debris, and that is what causes thatch.
What you said about putting the soaker hoses all over to make a permanent system.
That is what I do around the foundation of the house. I have soaker hoses hooked together till the reach all around the foundation where there is soil. I have another one set in my large raised bed in the front yard, and all I have to do is bring the water hose to where it hookes onto the soaker, hook it up and turn it on. where there is lawn that needs to be mowed, I have to lay out the soakers for that each time i water, or hubby will chop it up with his mowed.LOl
My bach yard is deep/ I am 72 and disabled, so carrying a water hose is tiresome for me. a 100 ft. hose is pretty heavy when 5 pounds is a heavy load for you, so I have a 25 ft. hose attached to my faucet in back. My husband put a connector on it that had two outlets, with a little knob to turn off one spigot if you only want to use one. I can hook up the hose to one section, attach it to another 25 ft. hose out by my garden and small orchard. I have that one attached to a soaker hose that is set around the trees, so I have a permanent and easy watering system out there.
I can use the other spigot to attach another hose fr watering my container plants on the deck, or my rose bushes etc out there.
I am going to do something that I think will save both of us some time. Write me at my email address, and I will get your letters sooner, and be able to answer them better.
I can't remember off the top of my head the other things I have recently read in organics, that are ways to break up clay without having to rotill it.
Unless you are a very strong woman ( like my youngest daughter. Tiny little feminine thing, with muscles like King Kong) tilling is a heavy chore.
Don't do anything to get rid of cockroaches in your yard. They are very beneficial. they tunnel even better than earthworms, and they eat harmful insects.
When ewe use insecticides, we kill off their natural food supply, and it gets to them too, so they escape to our houses to get food and survive.
I put freshe rosemary on each pantry and cupboard shelf, and under each appliance, any place roaches can come in or hide, and it keeps them out of my house, COMPLETELY!!
I have no bugs in my house.
Write me at   [email protected], and we will get your problems solved.
Charlotte