Core aeration can be hugely helpful to clay soils. We do ours three times a year, top dressing with composted bark fines, compost, etc. at least one of those times. It has SO improved the rooting capacity of the grass that it is amazingly drought tolerent, and requires very little fertilization to maintain good color and growth.

Be sure that you allow the clippings to remain on the lawn (of course), as they'll help increase the OM content of the soil. I'm sure that others will have plenty of good advice for you, as well. I just wanted to comment on the benefits of core aeration.

You can sprinkle a thin layer of compost on top of the lawn and water it in. If you do this two or three times a season, you will gradually amend the soil. I add compost on top of my lawn, I also toss handfuls of steer manure across my lawn a couple of times a year and water it in.

Lorna

I think I got my soil from the same place as you. I have red, hard, clay soil. Due to time constraints when I put my lawn in, I just roto-tilled, seeded, covered, fertilized and watered. I've had to fertilize ALOT to keep it mostly green.

Last fall I brought up a load of chicken/duck/goose/turkey/goat/sheep/horse/cow manure up and dumped it in a pile behind the garage, but haven't got it on the lawn yet. I didn't have time this fall and now I'm worried it might be too late. I've also heard that it would be too strong and kill the lawn. On the other hand, where the neighbor's dog has started leaving...piles, the lawn has turned quite green.

So the bottom line, how much poo of this mix is too much? I appreciate the help. I'm new to trying to do this without reading the back of the fertilizer bag, so any direction would be great. Thanks!

If you check the FAQs here on this forum, the Organic Lawn Care FAQ speaks directly to the questions asked on this thread.

All the best,
-Patrick

Here is a link that might be useful: FAQs, including Organic Lawn Care FAQ

The major problem with clay soil is lack of organic matter so if you can find someplace nearby that sells compost or leaf mold add that by over spreading. Core aeration is only necessary at most once a year although once sufficient quantites of OM are in the soil even that becomes unnecessary. You are right in sensing that "topsoil" is not what you need. "Topsoil" is simply a lot more of what you already have, the mineral portion of soil, and not nearly enough of what you need, organic matter.
You may be interested in this article from Ohio State Universty on Natural Lawn Care.

Here is a link that might be useful: OSU on Natural lawn care

You have gotten some great suggestions. One thing I will add is find a grain mill near you and purchase soybean meal. Spread it with a regular drop or broadcast spreader at a rate of 10-20lbs per 1,000 sq ft.

This takes the place of any other fertilizer for the lawn.

This won't add to the organic matter percentage in your soil, but it is a terrific, long lasting fertilizer (7% nitrogen) and it provides food for those soil critters that you want in your soil that may be lacking due to the lower organic content in the soil.

I started in a new property with crap clay subsoil and tried the synthetic fert route with little success. Did the core aerations annually as well. It helped, but the biggest difference was when I began using the soybean meal.

ONE TIME compost application after core aeration to introduce microbes to the soil then quarterly feeding with organic fertilizer such as soybean meal (personal favorite, best for money), alfalfa pellets, corn gluten meal (great fertilizer but way over priced), cottonmeal to name a few to feed microbes in the soil to grow and improve the soil. Think of them as trillions of microscopic cows feeding on fertilizer and pooping...

justaguy, you gotta before n after pic of this soil you speak of? or at least an "after" pic? that would provide huge inspiration lol.

so would soybean meal provide all the micro and macronutrients you need for a good lawn?

man, can't wait til spring.....

justaguy, you gotta before n after pic of this soil you speak of? or at least an "after" pic?

Nope, no pictures of my soil. I don't think there would be any difference in terms of appearance anyway. The soil is still clay and rock ;-) so would soybean meal provide all the micro and macronutrients you need for a good lawn?

Sure. The bags of synthetic lawn fertilizer usually contain nothing more than NPK, no micronutrients at all and somehow lawns survive.

i didn't know if it would maybe darken and look more rich :) is the tilth clearly better?

No, the same. I am not one who believes clay soil can ever be made to be anything other than clay soil unless one replaces it ;-)

I am also not one who believes clay soil is all bad. It retains water and nutrients better than any other soil type.

Using grains as a fertilizer isn't going to change anything about the soil as it is a fertilizer. the amount of organic matter it introduces to the soil is insignificant in terms of altering the soil. Rather it is a longer lasting source of nutrients and it is a source that feeds the soil critters.

If you have intolerable soil in terms of compaction or what have you using grains for fertilizer isn't going to do much about that.

In other words it isn't a miracle cure for anything. It is just that switching from the synthetics to soybean meal made all the difference in the world for my Kentucky Blue Grass lawn. One huge problem that blue grass lawns tend to experience is the build up of thatch. This occurs when the grass dies faster than it can be broken down. I used to have to dethatch the lawn each spring or the thatch would choke out the grass in large areas.

After using soybean meal as a fertilizer I haven't had to dethatch the lawn except in a couple problem areas that still need more work. I attribute this to an overall healthier lawn as well as the soil having an improved ability to process the dead grass before it forms a thatch layer. By keeping the soil critters fed, their populations stabilize at a much higher number than if they aren't being fed.

soil compaction is the problem, what should i do about it?

soil compaction is the problem, what should i do about it?

Core aerate. This opens the soil and reduces the problems of compaction. Best to do this when the soil is damp as the machine can penetrate the soil better than when it's hard and dry.

Right after the core aeration you can spread compost which will wash into the holes left by the aeration and help to keep it from compacting again although compost is short lived.

You can also visit a landscape supply store and purchase bags of Turface MVP. This is a fired clay product that never reverts back to muck. It is a permanent soil conditioner and is widely used on golf courses, sports fields etc. It isn't cheap, but the results are forever.

compost is how short lived?

Add compost and/or organic matter to your lawn. Both, as they are digested by the Soil Food Web that will, eventaully, build up in your soil "disappear" and that is good and that is why you need to continually add this organic matter to your soil, something organic people do. I cannot believe someone on this organic gardening forum would suggest using something other than organic matter to correct soil compaction.

1) Core aerate - one time
2) apply compost - one time
3) organic fertilizer every few months, mulch mow leaves and grass every time. If you don't have trees or trees that aren't large, steal bagged leaves off the curb and throw them on the lawn and mulch mow.

Clay will be much improved after a few years; a lot more tilth. It will be easier to work with. Plants will thrive. The soil won't be as compacted.

How simple is that?

simple enough:) providing aerations, microbes, organic matter, and food for microbes.....gotcha

ok, so whats the deal with mulching blades for mowers, do they work? how?

justaguy2, I'm with you on the clay soil.....I'm tickled pink about mine! I've never had an easier time growing all kinds of plants! I remember panicking when I moved here about 6 years ago, lol! I sure was wrong.

Mulching blades cut the grass into smaller pieces, which are more likely to get to the soil surface so that they can break down rapidly. These blades can help prevent the development of thatch, along with conservative fertilization practices and the proper mowing routine.

I cannot believe someone on this organic gardening forum would suggest using something other than organic matter to correct soil compaction.

Are you referring to my mentioning Turface MVP? If so I don't understand the nature of your objection. It's a clay product that has been fired at high temperature so it has a very high internal porosity and will never revert back to the 'mushy' consistency it came from.

While it may not be 'organic', I wouldn't consider it non organic either. It's just clay that has been super heated. If clay isn't non organic why would super heating it make it unacceptable?

It's proven to permanently end soil compaction issues and is widely used on turf that would otherwise suffer compaction from heavy use such as athletic fields. Like I said it isn't cheap, but it is permanent.

West, you asked: 'compost is how short lived?'

Depends on the environment. As a rule the warmer/moister the environment the shorter lived it is. Compost is just organic matter in an advanced state of decomposition. It isn't fully decomposed so how long it lasts is dependent upon whether the environmental conditions favor decomposition of organic matter. Warm/moist=fast decomposition and cool/dry do not.

tryin to say turface is um earthy???which sounds ok to me, im not expert tho.

LOL, yes that's it West! Turface isn't organic, but it is earthy. Earthy is good enough for me ;-)

Compaction of the soil under lawns is ongoing, so a one-time aeration is not going cut the mustard :) Every time you walk across the lawn, push the mower/run the tractor, rake the leaves, power thatch, spread the compost or organic fertilizer or whatever other product rocks your sox, you are contributing to soil compaction. Not to mention the amount of irrigation most of us provide (and often unnecessarily and incorrectly, I might add) to our lawns.

The Turface, because it will not break down rapidly, will provide the longest term anti-compaction effect but otherwise, at least annual core aeration is recommended and more often won't hurt and most likely help a great deal.

but i don't think i need to poke any more holes in the yard.

I could not agree more. Unless you want to perforate the yard in nine different directions, I think core aeration is a waste of time. Mother Nature uses dung beetles to aerate, but they dig 5-10 feet deep at a density of 1,000 per square yard. Try that with a core aerator. Once you get grass growing, if you keep it tall and only water weekly, you can probably forget about how firm your soil is. As long as the grass is doing well, who cares?

IS THERE ANY WAY TO FURTHER AMEND ORGANIC MATTER INTO THE SOIL WITHOUT CORE AERATING, TILLING, OR BASICALLY DISTURBING THE LAWN?

I think there is a general (as in hugely widespread) misunderstanding of what organic material is. Consider this. If you think of compost (or any similar material) as the missing organic in your soil, then how in the world are you supposed to get compost into your soil, year after year? There's no way! All you can do is apply stuff to the top. Now consider this. Grass roots penetrate the soil. A little known fact about monocot (grass) roots is that most of them die and are replaced every year. Those dead roots are the organic material you are looking for. Every yard has it. But what other organic matter is there? There are microbes. How can you get more microbes? You can either continually add them by applying compost or you can just feed the microbes that are already there. They need moisture and food. The food is organic fertilizer, ground grains, animal byproducts, and animal carcass materials. Most people prefer to use organic fertilizers but there is a fast growing population of people using ground grains they get at near wholesale prices from their local feed store. When you feed ground grains at the surface of the soil, the surface feeder microbes take that nutrition to become healthy, productive microbes. Other creatures live off of the waste and by products of the top feeders. There are over 100,000 different species of microbes living in the soil. They also contribute to the organic matter in the soil. I always say that they are the organic matter that matters. They do all the work. All you have to do is feed them.

Regarding converting clay to something nicer: Over the years I have read far too many personal accounts of people improving their ceramic-quality clay soils to doubt that it can be done. Generally the only treatment is surface treatment with no digging involved. In garden beds the use of any organic mulch will turn the soil around. In the lawn, mulch mowing the grass at the mower's highest setting (except for bermuda, bent, centipede, and some zoysias) and infrequent deep watering are the best tools.

so how often would you have to feed the microbes things like grains?

and compost is suggested to be top dressed onto a lawn at least once a month right?

Compost should be applied in either early spring and/or fall; compost tea can be applied any time

Compost should be done only one time just to introduce more diversity of microbe species. You just feed microbes every few months to keep up the population and in return, they will improve the soil for you. Much more simpler that way. It's really a waste of money to buy that much compost and have to haul them around. Not really necessary. Like Dchall says, the grass roots will provide organic matter which will eventually turn into 'compost' directly in the ground. Compost tea is very cost effective but you have to read Dr Elaine Ingham's stuff to really understand how compost tea is made the RIGHT way. A lot of people do it all wrong unfortunately.

What's the wrong way? The right way? I went to her site and it seems like just an advertisement.

I have a site with some information on making compost tea.

Compost itself never needs to be used in my opinion. The last time I used it was about 1997 and I question whether it had any effect at all.

I use a grain type fertilizer on most of the Federal holidays. The application rate is 10-20 pounds per 1,000 square feet.

hmm, thats a good rule of thumb

i thought the compost was used as a soil amendment? better drainage, water retention, plus a light fertilization, microbial activity, organic addition to existing soil??

i have very poor soil, so i can't afford not to try.....