Growing Grass On Clay

Clay soil will hold water better so if you live in an area that doesn t get lots of rain clay soil will make it a lot easier to grow grass.
Growing grass on clay. Clay soil needs regular aeration to allow water and oxygen to move freely through it. You will have to introduce some organic material and change its ph level before attempting to lay turf. Even though clay soil isn t good for growing grass you can set up a covetable lawn on this soil if you prepare it well. Depending on where you live it can be a real advantage that you don t have to irrigate your lawn as much especially during drought if there is a hosepipe ban.
A good way to determine the soil s moisture content is by sticking a screwdriver into the soil to a depth. If your willing to put the work in clay soils can actually be an awesome soil to grow plants and grass in. Heavy clay red or otherwise is inhospitable to most plant life but there are things that you can do to make sure that your property has a healthy green lawn. It can take up to two months of preparing the soil before you can actually plant your grass.
Aerators remove plugs of dirt from the lawn and break up the soil allowing grass roots to spread. Grass grown in clay soil requires less frequent watering than lawns grown on sandy soil. Clay soil is made up of tons of small particles that stick together clinging to moisture. Aerate after the ground thaws when soil is moist not soaking and during the growing season.
Plant warm season grasses as plugs from. The biggest benefit to having clay is its capacity to hold an amazing amount of nutrients and water. Clay is only ever at a good moisture level for a very short time between being an airless wet mud and dry and hard as a brick. Ask your agricultural extension office for help if you need it.
Varieties that grow in a clay loam soil include annual ryegrass colonial bent grass hard fescue kentucky bluegrass perennial ryegrass and red fescue. However clay soil is perhaps the most difficult to work with. Follow some basic steps to make grass grow in red clay soil and establish a lawn that is the envy of the neighborhood. First determine what type or grass your lawn is made of.
There are very few air pockets under the soil surface and grass. An unamended clay soil will never grow a good lawn as grass roots suffocate in the airless environment drowning when the clay is wet and baking when it s dry. That s because it is extremely heavy and thick. You re improving your soil but it s still clay.
Here is a list of grasses that grow well in clay.