Parts of my lawn have been holding too much water. It's slightly lower in elevation but not enough to make a big difference. I had my hard aerated today so I can put down some compost and later sand to level it. It's crazy how much clay is in my yard. Makes me feel better knowing the flooding can be fixed with less compaction but it's unsettling knowing I have so little quality soil in some spots.
by Ajlee209
13 Comments
[Have you looked at this?](https://thebermudabible.com/how-to-level-a-bermuda-grass-lawn/) Basically suggests sand first and then compost after your lawn recovers from the sand/leveling. Watch the video. Only saying this cause I just watched it earlier today haha
Be a great time to heavy apply Humic DG and/or Carbon ProG…especially in that heavy clay it will help the overall composition.
Aeration did nothing for my clay lawn… I just started forking it instead and it appears to be more effective. Also never top dress with sand on clay.
I’ve come to find with clay, any bit of unlevel does effect it. I work construction and just bring a bucket of sand or topsoil home every day and dump it and level. Grass grows thicker, greener with the top soil, but the sand holds better in a rain. Honestly throw sand down rake it flat and wet it and it won’t move.
I have a heavy clay mix just like you. Just keep aerating every year and adding compost/sand and it’ll help I promise. 4 years of it had my yard tip top
I feel your pain, I’m in central Alabama.
Look into HumiChar
North Texas checking in
Don’t listen to people saying to add sand to your clay soil. Add sifted topsoil/compost/organic material consistently, apply humichar so the microbes can get to work, and your soil will improve over time.
>so little quality soil in some spots
*Laughs in Texas Blackland Prairie*
Clay is very rich in certain nutrients but needs organic matter to make it drain properly. If you can till deeply and give grass a chance to root deeply you can change the composition of the soil
https://i.redd.it/87gmg2mhjuzg1.gif
Yeah clay is wild, super hard to aerate too. I found a hand aerator that has an eject function that actually makes aerating possible
That’s some serious clay! TIL that the official state soil of Alabama is called Bama 🤓 I would say look at the water flow in your yard and maximize efficiency there first. Clean gutters, add drain extensions, and incorporate some landscape solutions (like berms) to direct water to the street drain are good places to start maybe.