[phaessler]

Recently moved to Virginia, from CT. new house new development, gave up a perfect lawn for a clay field. Soil needs to be amended, needs fertilizing , lots of lime, USDA soil testing gave me approx. rates and types. My big question is , before I torture my contractor, does anyone have an opinion on wether it should be power raked or rototilled to break it up?, its severly compacted , construction trucks and lack of rain didnt help. The USDA recommendation was to till the lime and fertilizer in 4-6". Not sure a rake would get it done. Any help would be appreciated , trying to get a plan together for when it cools off a bit, hopefully by mid-sept. Thanks

[GLAN]

I see no reason to not follow the USDA recommendations.

[phaessler]

well I guess what I am after is , 1) will power raking be deep enough?? they recommended 4-6", and 2) will tilling alone break up the clay, or does it need to be power raked after ?
thanks

[HardDaysKnight]

I would power rake after tilling. It will soften the top 2-3 inches.
Then use a magnesium leveling rake to make it nice and even
for seeding or sod. A power rake is key to taking all the big
clumps and turning it to a fine grain while mixing everything
up as well.

[ALS]

I dont think a power rake will go deep enough for what you need. Power rakes are better suited for finishing and preping the seed bed itself. I am using a eliminator to "till" the ground. With the drought here a tiller wouldnt dig.

Ted

[GLAN]

Good idea HDK..........Though if tilled over several times that can break it up........soil ammendment would help also.........cause clay is and will always be clay.


Soil ammendment.................compost, peat moss, or even a fine chopped straw or saw dust tilled into the clay will help keep it lose/friable

[phaessler]

I appreaciate all the replies. I dont know if it is me or not , but my builder seems to think it will start growing any day now. I think he's full of the stuff I need to add to my lawn...LOL... But I appreaciate all the insight on this, had a beautiful lawn in CT and my trusty troy-bilt was able to handle reseeding in sections, but this is 90% of the lawn area, had to use a bulb auger to get the soil sample its so hard.
Anyone have any ideas where or who to look to for landscapers who offer tilling? I know the yellow pages, but if anyone has any other ideas, wide open to suggestions.
Thanks again
pete

[Bill Schwab]

As far as power rake over tilling....Till first, power rake last.....I would prefer to see you dump alot of compost then till it in deeply, try to get the soil to change color from clay red, or yellow to brownor black from the compost. As it decomposes, the clay should go away.

The unfortunate thing about where you are at is similar to what we have where we are at....If you amend the soil this drastically, you are basically making manufacturered soils.....After seeing studies from Chicago Botanical gardens, there is a constant battle within their grounds to keep Ph and all the other criteria balanced, because they made the gardens from manufactured soils.

If you want less work, and still want a nice lawn, I think you are best off trying to work with what you have, with little ammendments and train the seed to be tolerant of the conditions around as it grows into grass.

We see more issues with not loosening soils during planting, then we do with not enough ammending. After plants actually take hold, the soil is not so much an issue as poor after care.

Food for thought...If you ammend heavily, you might just be setting yourself up for alot of annual work....

[Lanelle]

Although I don't know where Moneta is, I do work with this VA clay all the time. If you can't get a tiller into the soil, try to dampen (soften) the soil one day and till the next. For soil amendments, try Compro or Leafgro. Both are organic amendments that will improve the soil structure and should be available in bulk. Often very little of the nutrient content of clay is available for plant nutrition so adding everything that is recommended will help. As long as you create a mixed soil rather than layers, you should be able to grow grass.
I agree that a power rake is for the final seed bed prep. After seeding, we sometimes broadcast a very thin layer (1/4 ") of Compro over the seed as well as spreading straw. This seems to help hold the seed and moisture in place.
I also recommend that you call your county Cooperative Extension agent. Their office will have handouts and advice that are specific to your locale.