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Aerate the clay soil in the garden

wildlife, gardening, environment, Rural living, Pets and Vets
NapoleonD
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Aerate the clay soil in the garden

#393576

Postby NapoleonD » March 8th, 2021, 11:32 am

The garden is well compacted. when it rains, the water lies around for ages, eventually draining away. One of the dogs, when unleashed, bolts around the back garden and has seemingly ripped out great swathes of grass so everything is patchy, muddy and bare.

I was looking to hire an aerator, but the back garden isn't that large (lawn is maybe 5 meters by 15), so am thinking of taking a 4cm auger drill and drilling out cores with a power drill (go down say 15cm - the auger is 60 cm long so can go further, just need to avoid drains / powerlines though I don't think the latter will be an issue).

My question is, what to backfill the cores with? Topsoil? Compost ? A mix of topsoil. compost and sand? I'll be laying down a mix of lawn improver and seed once done, but some tips on this would be great.

The challenge then is keeping dogs, toddlers and teenagers off it. Is there a solution involving tazers......

ReformedCharacter
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Re: Aerate the clay soil in the garden

#393625

Postby ReformedCharacter » March 8th, 2021, 1:32 pm

NapoleonD wrote:The garden is well compacted. when it rains, the water lies around for ages, eventually draining away. One of the dogs, when unleashed, bolts around the back garden and has seemingly ripped out great swathes of grass so everything is patchy, muddy and bare.

I was looking to hire an aerator, but the back garden isn't that large (lawn is maybe 5 meters by 15), so am thinking of taking a 4cm auger drill and drilling out cores with a power drill (go down say 15cm - the auger is 60 cm long so can go further, just need to avoid drains / powerlines though I don't think the latter will be an issue).

My question is, what to backfill the cores with? Topsoil? Compost ? A mix of topsoil. compost and sand? I'll be laying down a mix of lawn improver and seed once done, but some tips on this would be great.

The challenge then is keeping dogs, toddlers and teenagers off it. Is there a solution involving tazers......

Sand will likely drain better and I can't see any advantage in topsoil or compost. I would compact the sand with a broom handle or similar - it will still drain. The deeper the better. A little topsoil on top for the seed would be good. A small electric fence would solve the latter problem :)

RC

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Re: Aerate the clay soil in the garden

#393641

Postby bungeejumper » March 8th, 2021, 2:16 pm

More questions than answers, sadly. It won't help you very much to drill into bad clay unless there's somewhere for the water to go. :|

We have six feet of solid red clay under our garden (and probably more), and the only permanent solution has been to dig french drains at six foot intervals. They only need to be a spade-spit wide and a foot or so deep, and filled with cheapo aggregate or road scalpings, and maybe a drainage pipe if you're feeling affluent - but they do work pretty well. Apart from the work, the snag is that they'll ruin your lawn for a month. You can probably do ten yards in a weekend without killing yourself.

Okay, if your problem is less acute than ours, and if improving the soil structure with fibrous bulky stuff is too much to face, then reckon on a lot of holes and fill them with the right grade of sand. Which will be one that doesn't clog and doesn't contain chemical additives that will damage the grass.

Better still, drop horticultural grit down the holes. A tedious job indeed! Good luck.

BJ

AsleepInYorkshire
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Re: Aerate the clay soil in the garden

#393655

Postby AsleepInYorkshire » March 8th, 2021, 3:27 pm

NapoleonD wrote:The garden is well compacted. when it rains, the water lies around for ages, eventually draining away. One of the dogs, when unleashed, bolts around the back garden and has seemingly ripped out great swathes of grass so everything is patchy, muddy and bare.

I was looking to hire an aerator, but the back garden isn't that large (lawn is maybe 5 meters by 15), so am thinking of taking a 4cm auger drill and drilling out cores with a power drill (go down say 15cm - the auger is 60 cm long so can go further, just need to avoid drains / powerlines though I don't think the latter will be an issue).

My question is, what to backfill the cores with? Topsoil? Compost ? A mix of topsoil. compost and sand? I'll be laying down a mix of lawn improver and seed once done, but some tips on this would be great.

The challenge then is keeping dogs, toddlers and teenagers off it. Is there a solution involving tazers......

I'm not an avid gardener but have two dogs. A Labradoodle and a Border Collie. We have a dog door and they can come and go as they want in the back garden. A lawn will never look tidy whilst larger dogs have access to it. Smaller dogs such a Yorkshire Terriers are different. It may be that the turf you have is not capable of resisting the dog's weight? Some finer grasses which look great on the photographs and when first laid do not have the substance below the surface. Root depth plays an important part in the strength of grass. I think "meadow grass" is particularly robust for dogs and I believe these days it's mixed with other seeds to give a balanced lawn.

Which is the best turf for dogs?

As for the water sitting on your lawn surface. Clearly a drainage issue. Are you on clay or is it just the surface run off which takes time?

AiY

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Re: Aerate the clay soil in the garden

#393661

Postby Arborbridge » March 8th, 2021, 3:45 pm

We have clay soil too, and we have just aerated the lawn. Good luck with trying to fill the holes - it is too time consuming for my patience. I bought bags of lawn top dressing and spread it evenly over the lawn, brushing it in. I doubt whether it will do much, but at least I've tried something!

Our lawn goes from being a squelching quagmire in winter, to solid in summer. A few minutes rain just site on the surface. I'm sure which I prefer: my previous lawn was on chalk and no amount of water kept it from drying out and going bare.

Arb.

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Re: Aerate the clay soil in the garden

#393762

Postby Nimrod103 » March 8th, 2021, 11:21 pm

Might be a good idea to find out why the lawn gets waterlogged. Is it a newbuild, so there is only a small amount of soil over compacted rubble? Is it in a hollow or receiving run-off from surrounding higher ground or soak-aways from roofs?
I doubt digging big holes will help unless there is good drainage at deeper levels. A small ditch sounds like the bet answer.

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Re: Aerate the clay soil in the garden

#393810

Postby NapoleonD » March 9th, 2021, 9:43 am

Hi all - house was built mid 60s, Scotland, clay soil and a depressing amout of moisture falling from the sky. One of the dogs is a spaniel who's been here for a number of years, but the new hound (loveable mutt, runs like a exocet) tears up the soggy soil, so she's the main culprit.

I contemplated french drains, but wouldn't i need to build a soak away for them? Whatever happens the lawn is going to be wrecked for 4 to 6 weeks anyway so not averse to this. The garden is on a lower slope so we will get run off from surrounding houses, but it just seems alot worse this year - plus the ground is definately compacted.

We have young toddlers, a drainage ditch (which was my first thought too) isn't going to fly with the Mrs. whatever the solution is, has to be safe and hidden. I guess the French drain might be the answer. There are a few major spots that require alteration, I can try the drill approach on these first. I did wonder about where the water will go, on the basis that the 1152 holes I'd be drilling I think would only give 0.3 cubic meters of drainage.

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Re: Aerate the clay soil in the garden

#393905

Postby bungeejumper » March 9th, 2021, 2:24 pm

NapoleonD wrote:I did wonder about where the water will go, on the basis that the 1152 holes I'd be drilling I think would only give 0.3 cubic meters of drainage.

I salute your commitment and your precision. Perhaps 1153 holes would do it?

BJ

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Re: Aerate the clay soil in the garden

#393939

Postby AsleepInYorkshire » March 9th, 2021, 4:43 pm

NapoleonD wrote:Hi all - house was built mid 60s, Scotland, clay soil and a depressing amout of moisture falling from the sky. One of the dogs is a spaniel who's been here for a number of years, but the new hound (loveable mutt, runs like a exocet) tears up the soggy soil, so she's the main culprit.

I contemplated french drains, but wouldn't i need to build a soak away for them? Whatever happens the lawn is going to be wrecked for 4 to 6 weeks anyway so not averse to this. The garden is on a lower slope so we will get run off from surrounding houses, but it just seems alot worse this year - plus the ground is definately compacted.

We have young toddlers, a drainage ditch (which was my first thought too) isn't going to fly with the Mrs. whatever the solution is, has to be safe and hidden. I guess the French drain might be the answer. There are a few major spots that require alteration, I can try the drill approach on these first. I did wonder about where the water will go, on the basis that the 1152 holes I'd be drilling I think would only give 0.3 cubic meters of drainage.

OK. May I give you some technical stuff to mull over please. A soakaway should do what it says on the tin. A soakaway is usually designed based on several factors. The largest is the roof area of the house, but also account needs to be taken of run offs from surrounding areas. For a soakaway to work effectively it needs to hold sufficient water without overflowing before the contents have ebbed away. And if you're sat on a stomping thick layer of clay you may find a soakaway designed to cope with this starts to run away with costs. It's usual to excavate a trial hole, fill it with water and time the period that the water takes to drain away. This allows a back calculation for the size of the soakaway. Regardless, clay's not a very good material as you're more than aware. Many would advise on using precast concrete manhole chambers to line the sides of a soakaway. I'd suggest all you need is a hole that's deep enough to reach some sort of material that will allow water to flow or large enough to hold the water whilst it drains ever so slowly through the clay. And you can fill this hole with some very large rubble. For example 6F2 clean 75mm down to 40mm will be sufficient. At 300mm below the existing surface drop a terram membrane in, 150mm deep of 10mm clean gravel and 150mm topsoil.

If the depth of clay is impossible to dig through your hole is going to need to be fairly sizeable to hold all the water until it has gone.

You can add "french drains" in a herringbone layout connected to the soakaway and these again can be constructed below the finished level of the lawn to direct water more efficiently to the soakaway. They need to be 300mm deep, backfilled with 150mm of 10mm clean gravel with a terram membrane above followed by 150mm topsoil.

If you can get a small mechanical excavator around the back do so. Failing which I'd put out a Lemon Fool Mayday to all Scottish Fools to come to your house for a beer and digging party :lol:

As previously you will need to replace the lawn with a turf that is mainly "meadow turf".

Hope that is of some help.

AiY

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Re: Aerate the clay soil in the garden

#393979

Postby Nimrod103 » March 9th, 2021, 6:14 pm

If draining the ground is a problem, have you thought of installing plastic reinforcing mats or mesh? That would protect the grass from being torn up leaving bare earth.

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Re: Aerate the clay soil in the garden

#393994

Postby ReformedCharacter » March 9th, 2021, 6:43 pm

Perennial Rye grass is probably the best grass variety for hard wearing areas rather than 'meadow grass'.

PRG is quick to germinate, quick to establish and quick to recover. Also, very importantly it is a low thatch producer. Ultimately, its defining feature is its ability to withstand high volumes of wear.

https://turfcareblog.com/perennial-ryegrass-v-annual-meadow-grass/

RC

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Re: Aerate the clay soil in the garden

#393999

Postby ReformedCharacter » March 9th, 2021, 6:47 pm

ReallyVeryFoolish wrote:Thinking laterally, can anything be done to encourage a large increase in earthworm population? That might help solve the issue?

RVF

Possible on veg\flower beds by adding lots of organic matter over the years, impractical on grass.

RC

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Re: Aerate the clay soil in the garden

#394054

Postby Nimrod103 » March 9th, 2021, 8:57 pm

ReformedCharacter wrote:
ReallyVeryFoolish wrote:Thinking laterally, can anything be done to encourage a large increase in earthworm population? That might help solve the issue?

RVF

Possible on veg\flower beds by adding lots of organic matter over the years, impractical on grass.

RC


It remains a mystery to me, why my lawn seems to contain very few worms, despite it not being heavily trampled, and I have forked it deeply on a couple of occasions in the past.
Yet all the grass verges along the pavements near me, and alongside the paths across the common, which are all heavily trampled, there is an abundance of worm casts.
I have no explanation.

ReformedCharacter
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Re: Aerate the clay soil in the garden

#394085

Postby ReformedCharacter » March 9th, 2021, 9:53 pm

Nimrod103 wrote:
ReformedCharacter wrote:
ReallyVeryFoolish wrote:Thinking laterally, can anything be done to encourage a large increase in earthworm population? That might help solve the issue?

RVF

Possible on veg\flower beds by adding lots of organic matter over the years, impractical on grass.

RC


It remains a mystery to me, why my lawn seems to contain very few worms, despite it not being heavily trampled, and I have forked it deeply on a couple of occasions in the past.
Yet all the grass verges along the pavements near me, and alongside the paths across the common, which are all heavily trampled, there is an abundance of worm casts.
I have no explanation.

Possibly because you remove the lawn clippings and leaves which produce dead and decaying organic matter which is a rich source of food for worms.

RC

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Re: Aerate the clay soil in the garden

#394148

Postby Nimrod103 » March 10th, 2021, 8:44 am

ReformedCharacter wrote:
Nimrod103 wrote:
ReformedCharacter wrote:Possible on veg\flower beds by adding lots of organic matter over the years, impractical on grass.

RC


It remains a mystery to me, why my lawn seems to contain very few worms, despite it not being heavily trampled, and I have forked it deeply on a couple of occasions in the past.
Yet all the grass verges along the pavements near me, and alongside the paths across the common, which are all heavily trampled, there is an abundance of worm casts.
I have no explanation.

Possibly because you remove the lawn clippings and leaves which produce dead and decaying organic matter which is a rich source of food for worms.

RC


You may be right. I sweep up all the tree leaves because if I didn't, it would kill the lawn after one winter (I get the full deposit from three big oak trees in my neighbours garden). I have never left grass cutting on the lawn - I thought they caused a buildup of thatch which brings its own problems.

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Re: Aerate the clay soil in the garden

#394170

Postby sg31 » March 10th, 2021, 9:52 am

Using a moss treatment (iron sulphate) on lawns also deters worms.

Nimrod103
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Re: Aerate the clay soil in the garden

#394174

Postby Nimrod103 » March 10th, 2021, 9:54 am

sg31 wrote:Using a moss treatment (iron sulphate) on lawns also deters worms.


You are right I believe. I did know that, but had forgotten.

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Re: Aerate the clay soil in the garden

#394176

Postby JohnB » March 10th, 2021, 9:57 am

Using spiked overshoes helps the aeration in the top 2 inches which should make the grass more vigorous and suppress the moss. Its quite satisfying clomping round and round the lawn in them.

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Re: Aerate the clay soil in the garden

#394179

Postby Breelander » March 10th, 2021, 9:57 am

Nimrod103 wrote:You may be right. I sweep up all the tree leaves because if I didn't, it would kill the lawn after one winter (I get the full deposit from three big oak trees in my neighbours garden). I have never left grass cutting on the lawn - I thought they caused a buildup of thatch which brings its own problems.


No, the worms will drag all the dead organic material into the ground - it's what they eat. Even your leaves will go, as this time-lapse video shows.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3wsUYg3XV0

88V8
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Re: Aerate the clay soil in the garden

#394236

Postby 88V8 » March 10th, 2021, 12:15 pm

sg31 wrote:Using a moss treatment (iron sulphate) on lawns also deters worms.

Which of course is bad.

Lawns... the most time-consuming square-footage in the whole garden. Reseeding, spiking rolling weeding topdressing cutting edging .... and the chemicals, when we've largely given up applying chemicals to our ornamentals, fruit, veg.

Our lawns here... come on, be honest, our grass, are full of moss. The topsoil is free-draining but over clay which is not.

Two autumns ago I went over the back lawn with a powered scarifier, then treated it all with an iron sulphate solution in measured quantities.
The lawn is a very irregular shape, so I measured each area, pegged it out, evenly applied the correct quantity with a watering can... took two days.

Now, the moss is as bad as ever.

Usually, the objection to moss is that it dries out in summer, browns off and looks unsightly. Not here it doesn't, it's never that dry.
So I've decided to embrace the moss.

Anyone want a scarifier?

V8


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