Homeowners dislike clay soil hindering grass growth
13 posts across 2 communities in the last 60 days; 92% from r/lawncare.
“Hello! I’m thinking of putting some foliage plants here outside of my townhouse but i dont think the dirt right there (that i think is clay??) is suitable for growing anything. How do I go about putting new soil? Should i dig all this up and put it on top? Would i just be able…”
“Just moved into a new house and the soil is very clay heavy, water will sit for hours and the grass is wet and mushy. Doing some research suggests core aeration which should help but has anyone else had experience with clay heavy soil? Does your grass still stay wet and soggy or…”
“For context me and my wife just bought our first house and have been here for around 3 weeks we live in Texas and have a super clay rich soil we noticed after the first couple of days a portion of our yard on the side of our house was flooded and smelled awful I’ve been looking…”
Multiple users express frustration with clay-heavy soil preventing healthy grass establishment. They are seeking advice on improving soil conditions, weed control, and ensuring successful grass seeding in new or renovated lawns. This points to a need for accessible solutions for dealing with difficult soil types.
SOURCES (14)
“Just mow. The grass will slowly spread across it on its own in the spring. Will probably take 2-3 years and there will be a ton of weeds, but it will look about as good as the average Texas lawn. Like everyone else is saying,…”
“I need help with groundcover. Any thing to stop the mud. I have a piece of land that was graded for a house, removing any top organic soil. The house is on hold and, four year later, nothing will grow in this North Carolina (piedmont region) clay. I rarely use the lot, but when I do, it's never far after a summer downpour and this clay goes from hard packed to a mushy, muddy mess. Any vehicle driven out there makes deep tracks. Even walking is a good way to lose a shoe. The exposed area is a”
“Hey all! So I'm in a house rental, probably going to be here for a bit, 2-5 years. My soil is clay+limestone (blackland prairie) and hasn't been amended by anyone since the property was built. It's dry, cakey, and compacted all to heck. I know what a great start. The backyard is pretty much just weedy grasses and sticker burrs. I'm not looking for an amazing, soft, barefoot carpet of a backyard, this is central Texas after all. But, I'd at least like to have something back th”
“I got a new patio put in this summer which required digging up and moving a lot of dirt around the area of the patio and reshaping the yard a bit. I mostly have clay soil where fescue has done fine but I’m worried about the area that was dug up since it’s consistently wet and muddy after any rain now. Does it need topsoil or anything like that or will it be okay to just aerate and put seed down on it? submitted by /u/JohnnyLong123 [link] [comments]”
“Hello! I’m thinking of putting some foliage plants here outside of my townhouse but i dont think the dirt right there (that i think is clay??) is suitable for growing anything. How do I go about putting new soil? Should i dig all this up and put it on top? Would i just be able to put better soil on top of it? What type of soil should i get? My first time trying to plant anything outside so tips would be appreciated. I live in zone 9 in florida if that helps anything too. Thank you! submitt”
“My soil when I bought this house was hard pan clay. I hired someone to use a skid-steer to remove 10 or so yards of dirt, then ordered 6 yards of 70/30 soil and spread that on top. I then used a tiller and went over the area a few times. I want to lay sod soon as fall is approaching, but I have countless clay pebbles throughout the area I want sod. (Picture included). Should I try to sod anyway? What remedies are there? submitted by /u/Ser0t0n1n [link] [comments]”
“Hey everyone, looking for some advice. I’m renovating about 9,000 sq ft of clay-heavy, low-OM soil. I plan to core aerate and add compost, but I’m trying to avoid the cost/labor of topdressing the whole lawn after seeding. I’ve been strongly considering applying compost first, then slit seeding, since it should help with seed-to-soil contact and washout on slopes. My concern is whether the slit seeder will disturb or push the compost around too much. Broadcasting is also an option, but I’m worri”
“Just moved into a new house and the soil is very clay heavy, water will sit for hours and the grass is wet and mushy. Doing some research suggests core aeration which should help but has anyone else had experience with clay heavy soil? Does your grass still stay wet and soggy or were you able to correct it? submitted by /u/begack [link] [comments]”
“Get a hose end sprayer that you can add stuff in it the add dawn dish soap and spray it heavy over the whole yard it will loosen the clay do that once a week for 6 weeks then add 10+ yards of screened compost and spread it across the yard do that for the next two years and you will have softer ground and a dark green lawn for years.”
“Water. Possible aeration to make ground less firm and allow water to get deeper. Toss in some fertilizer once ground is softer”
“For context me and my wife just bought our first house and have been here for around 3 weeks we live in Texas and have a super clay rich soil we noticed after the first couple of days a portion of our yard on the side of our house was flooded and smelled awful I’ve been looking things up and have been thinking about just aerating and top dressing but idk if that would fix my problem help please! submitted by /u/Middle_Improvement63 [link] [comments]”
“I’m renting this home for a couple of years, wondering if there’s a somewhat affordable option to get some green on this lawn, since I don’t own the home I don’t want to sink too much into the lawn. Was thinking of throwing down some Bermuda but checking here first. submitted by /u/-Zeke-The-Geek- [link] [comments]”
“Breaking ground soon, the land is in poor shape. It’s mostly weeds, buffalo grass? and the ground is mostly clay. There was a previous house that was demolished and there’s random debris scattered all over the place including metal shards and glass. It’s about .4 acres overall, so a lot of work to go through and pick each piece. What can I do to ensure that future grass seed spread in about 8 mo. has the best chance of taking and doesn’t eventually give way to the weeds? Should I spread weed kil”
“My parents rented out the childhood house I grew up in and the tenants recently moved out after living there for about five years. I stopped by this morning to check on the move out process and I noticed the lawn maybe looks to be distressed, partly barren, and a mole/gopher family lives there too? I am not an expert and I am wondering if there is any hope to rejuvenate this lawn? Is it a DIY task or bring in professionals project? Or should my folks just go native/desert landscape at this point”