Question
Hi Charlotte,

A BIG THANKS for your sugar tip!

I am in the Poconos of Pennsylvania. I have aproximately 30,000 sq feet of lawn that I've been grooming for the last few years.

The biggest problem I'm having that limits my success is the local hard clay soil. I have tilled some areas, but it packs right back down after a few rains. I also have a 48" core aerator, which helps temporarily after use.

As you probably know, this soil means I have limited success with growing and maintaining healthy grass.

Do you have any tricks, recipes, or suggestions to loosen as much clay soil as I have to grow a nice lawn? I am already planning to topdress with compost this year.

Thank you,
James A.

Answer
Hi James;
When you till, till in a lot of bark mulch, some humus, and peat moss, and some sand.
I have clay soil, so to prepare it to be loose enough to grow anything, I tilled in this mixture,,,,,
1 bag humus, 1 bag peat moss. 4 bags cedar bark mulch. I mix those together and till it at a rate of 1 part mix to 1 part existing soil.
If your soil is terribly heavy with clay, adding a bag of sand instead of some of the bark mulch would help.
If you don't want to till up your lawn, this works, over a few years time.
Granulated gypsum.
Not the pelleted gypsum. I used some of that on my friend's lawn, and to my mind it is next to useless.
What I got was granulated gypsum. It was snow white. I put down about 1 inch od it, and watered it, and let it work down over the winter.
I also used it in the spring, and it does some good them too.
Working down through the soil over the winter. 2 inches of it will loosen about the top 2 inches of soil by spring, so it is not a quick fix.
Really, it is much easier to just till up the whole thing, or at least one area at a time, and work as large an area as you can handle without wearong yourself out.
You could still top dress with some granulated gypsum every year or so, or put down an inch each fall and let it work through.
It has been many years since I used the granulated gypsum.
Since i switched to organucs, it doesn't pack down anymore.
I used to rake my grass clippings, no more.
It doesn't make funhus, like I was told back then.
My husband does the mowing. He lets it grow to about 5 inches hugh, and cuts to 3 inches high.
As long as you don't cut off more than 1/3rd of the length, your grass will be soft. Letting it grow and cutting off more than 1/3rd of the height makes it look reedy.
I always water to a depth of at least 6 inches to encourage a deep root system.
If yoy have St. Augustine, or Burmuda, and you till it up pretty good, it will probably come back.
As long as you don't mince up those runners too much. it shouldn't kill all of them.
Maybe when you use your core aerator, you could put sand down, and it would go in the koles. If you got some sand in there, it would help loosen it.
O don't know any other magic bullets for loosening up clay soil.
Peat moss helps a little, but you can't put too much of that or you add too much acid.
Wish I could tell you some more ways to loosen it up. Tilling it up is a big job.
I like to use cedar bark mulch because of it's insect repellant properties.
No worries about termitesl fleas and ticks with cedar around.
i sprinkle cedar bark mulch all over my yard every spring and again about mid summer. I have dogs, and our climate is very friendly to fleas and ticks, so I like to do all I can to keep them away, besides using frontline.
I put a thin trail of the cedar bark around the perimeter of the house when it is time for termites to swarm. I haven't had an exterminator in the 40 years we have had this house. I had to the first spring we bought it, but I have depended on the cedar since, and it has worked.
I also use herbs I grow for inside my house to keep insects out.
If you would like some of my insect repellant remedies for a bug free house, write and let me know, I am happy to share.
Charlotte