Purchased new build home near Pittsburgh, PA and pretty disappointed with the final grade of topsoil or lack there of when closing. The yard itself is about 1/4 acre and they really skimped on replacing any topsoil so I’m having concerns about the yard growing in during the next spring and really what it’ll look like years down the line.
In November they spread seed and laid over the straw with plastic netting that I’m going to pull up in the spring. I’m looking for some insight as to what you might suggest the best course of action is to have an awesome lawn for years to come.
Right now I’m thinking of hiring out some truckloads of general purpose topsoil to bring back some life to the ground and have a great base layer. Trying to giving some padding to the rocky clay soil and avoid puddles as well.
Any advice on what to do and if this is the right path how much topsoil should we think about having trucked in? What about the grass/mix we should put down afterwards?
by SeaweedSausage
3 Comments
Soil test and do what it says in the spring. I just had the exact same situation in 2023.
All I can say is make sure to treat for weeds before they even come up in the spring. The seed mix they used probably sucked.
Prodiamine when soil temps get to 50-55 F
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You’re probably fine with the clay, tbh. Mine was basically a plate, but if you create it and rough up the ground a bit whenever you end up overseeding, you’ll have no issues growing grass in it. Clay tends to hold on to water and nutrients really well, so it can be a really good base for a healthy lawn. Aeration is the key though. You’re gonna want to double- or tripple-pass that bad boy. I just did the single pass my first year, and the only spots I had grass growing formed a little grid pattern right where the holes had been punched.
The bigger issue imo is the rocks. Grass hates rocks, so you gotta get them bad boys outta there. Not sure there’s a much superior way than by hand. Alternatively, if you have access to toddlers/youngsters (preferably several – good God, I promise this isn’t taking a super dark turn), give ’em a bucket and tell them you’ll give them a nickel for every rock they pull up (or $5 per bucketfull – just find the right balance of motivational and economical).
And then, hey, you got plenty of rocks for whatever you want to do with them (decorative beds, sell ’em, whatever).