Rocky soil

11 years ago

So I moved into my house recently and I had to do a repair on the sprinkler system today since I ripped a head off. But digging down through my lawn was ridiculous. There was so many rocks it wasn't even funny. I am guessing that's what the rest of my lawn looks like underneath.

Probably explains why I feel as if I am watering all the time and still see dry spots.

So my question is should I rent a sod cutter and then and get a good layer of top soil after removing the rocks? It looks like the builder put down about 1/2 inch of dirt and just laid the sod down.

I don't want to have these dry spots and I am just seeing if this sound like a good plan or if a good aeration will suit me well enough.

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Comments (4)

Wes
11 years ago
How big are the rocks?

How often and how much are you watering?

What city do you live in?

What you are proposing doesn't sound like a good solution, but with a better understanding of your situation, we might be able to come with something that would work better. It's also possible that the rocks aren't causing you any problems at all.
nate87miller
Original Author
11 years ago

This is what my backyard looks like currently. Rocks of all shape and sizes right at the surface.

I live in west Jordan Utah. So it's a nice dry heat. This week so far has reached 100F each day 104 yesterday. I water at 10 pm and 630 am. My main lawn seems to be doing good other than one spot. But the lawn on the other side of the driveway and my stupid park strip grass is browning nicely.

On the main lawn they are oscillating sprinklers that run for 20 minutes. The park strip and the other side run for 15 minutes.

If the soil below all my lawn is like my garden I am sure it's littered with rocks. I got to dig down about 1 inch in the garden before I hit the cluster of rocks.
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nate87miller
Original Author
11 years ago

This is a picture of one I pulled out of the garden while trying to plant haha.
dchall_san_antonio
11 years ago
There's a machine called a clinker that digs up the soil and drops it onto a wire mesh conveyor belt that shakes. The soil drops back onto the ground and the rocks go into a bin at the end of the conveyer. I don't know how much they cost to rent or how hard it would be to find one. I'd be inclined to try removing the rocks by hand in a small spot and see if that improves things. Ask your neighbors what they did? or what they plan to do if it's a new neighborhood. Maybe you could get a group rate to have the entire neighborhood de-rocked.

What is your watering regimen? How often and for how long?

Have you jar tested your soil? And have you jar tested it with vinegar? I have a feeling once you test it with vinegar and see how it foams up, you're going to want a real soil test from Logan Labs.

I assume you have plans for a lawn. Would you consider a non-traditional, non-turfgrass lawn? Here's a picture of a prairie grass lawn in Salt Lake City.

Those grasses are blue grama, western wheatgrass, strawberry clover, and, I believe, canary wheatgrass. He waters about once a month and mows about once a month. But those grasses will only grow in full sun. They will not survive in the shade of a building, fence, tree, or shrubs.