Grasses For Heavy Clay Soil

Because clay soil can become compacted easily place about 3 to 4 inches 7 5 10 cm of the chosen soil amendment on the soil and work it gently down into the soil about 4 to 6 inches 10 15 cm.

Grasses for heavy clay soil.

Clay soil is not the ideal medium in which to grow turf grass. Ornamental grasses tolerant of cold winters and clay soils. The best grass for clay soil is generally a grass with a robust root system that grows deep. The grass roots will work to break up and loosen the clay soil below.

Clay soil compacts easily and holds excess water. Clay soil can provide an excellent foundation for healthy plant growth. Clay ground has heavy soil that requires some amendments before you can successfully plant grass in the area. Compacted clay inhibits healthy growth for grass and other plants.

Can you suggest some that tolerate our clay soils and great lakes winters. Its ability to tolerate heavy clay soil can be. Ornamental grasses can add year round beauty to the flower garden and landscape. Uncle jim s worm farm sells 1 000 red wigglers for about 30 to give you an idea about price.

A cool season grass it does well when planted in either full sun or partial shade. Soil amendments such as organic matter and gypsum improve heavy clay and relieve compaction. Once you re sure that your soil is good and healthy consider adding some earthworms to help keep your topsoil nice and loose. This would require 250kg per sq m 460lbs per sq yd of grit or gravel.

With these insights and a little effort you can fix your heavy clay soil and reap its rewards. In the first season or two after adding organic material to the soil you will want to take care when watering. Since clay soil tends to be heavy and compacted grass varieties like zoysia tall fescue bermuda and buffalo grass are often used depending on the climate. Clay consists of very fine particles that tend to bind tightly together creating a heavy dense compacted soil.

Most prefer full sun and well drained soils. Even where a clay soil contains for example 40 percent clay particles a relatively modest content compared to heavy clay soils the proportion of clay in the top cultivated part of the soil would have to be reduced by half to make the soil easy to work. Clay soil usually does not drain well which is a problem for grasses that do not do well with their roots in water saturated soil and grass roots can have a difficult. I am looking for some ornamental grasses to grow in my small city lot.