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Nightmare garden - how to prepare for grass on clay?

13

Posts

  • Mary370Mary370 Posts: 2,003
    It's always a good idea to add good topsoil/compost/manure to add nutrients before seeding.
  • ZeroZero1ZeroZero1 Posts: 577
    It's an obvious thing, but if you want to dig a hard baked area, just soak it with a hose first (if no hosepipe ban)
  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618
    New build houses usually have water meters. My brother had an awful lawn laid by the developers. He lifted the awful curled up turf,  forked it over, removing the half bricks and other large rubbish. Then he rotovated the contents of Mums compost heap in to give it some better drainage. Then in Spring he relaid with good turf.  I wouldn't do anything at all while the weather is like this. Paddling pools are going cheap in some of the big stores.
  • dchornbydchornby Posts: 15
    Does anyone recommend using Gypsum to help break up the clay?
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    Gardening on clay is all about windows of opportunity. You use them when you can. The soil is workable for a few days after rain, so that's the time to work on it -whenever it is.
    A week or two without rain and the soil hardens up again.

    I would use your own soil if you can. importing topsoil always carries a risk of introducing pernicious or just plain irritating weeds into your garden.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • dchornbydchornby Posts: 15
    Thanks B3 - to be honest i'd rather just used what we have and sift out the rubble!  Also makes it easy than barrowing soil from the front to the back.

    If I turn and break up the clay, whats the minimum topsoil I can get away with?  Like I said - im not after the perfect lawn, minimum effort would be better!
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    How deep is your own topsoil? i.e. how far do you have to dig down before you get to the sticky, yellow ,I could make a pot out of this stuff?
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • dchornbydchornby Posts: 15
    varies, some areas the soil is lose and some areas look like a dried up creek with cracks in!  our house isnt a new build, it used to be a mature garden but was getting out of control and not at all level.
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    Top soil will look like the salt flats too in this weather.
    I think you should wait and see what you've actually got.
    If you're not after a bowling green and don't mind clover and other lawn weeds, you might not need to get topsoil at all.
    I like my lawn good and weedy amongst the grass, but some don't. Lawn weeds are just as short when mowed and stay greener longer.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • dchornbydchornby Posts: 15
    in that case - if im just looking for yellow stuff - we probably have to dig about 6 inch before we hit that!  maybe its not so bad after all!
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