Fresh Cut Grass
Clay soil can sometimes be an unforgiving growing medium for germinating grass seed. While it holds and provides desirable moisture, its thick consistency can be difficult for young seedling roots to penetrate. Amending the soil before sowing seed will help to counter these effects, but more important to the long-term performance of the grass in clay soil is selecting a seed varietal that thrives in your climate naturally.
Lighten the Soil Before Sowing
Clay soil can be amended to be a good sowing bed for grass seed. You want to achieve two goals: lighten the texture of the soil so tender roots can penetrate it and add texture to the soil so the clay cannot so easily form a dense mass when overly wet or dry. This can be achieved by tilling the soil in at least 6 inches deep and adding wet peat moss, very coarse builders sand called sharp sand and aged manure. Till these amendments into the soil well and then lay on at least an inch final covering of top soil or compost onto which you will sow the grass seed.
Selecting Grass Seed
Turf grasses are broken down into two large categories based on climate characteristics: Warm season grasses and cool season grasses. In each there are grasses that thrive in sun and in shade and those that tolerate foot traffic and those that prefer to remain untrammeled. Matching your conditions to the grass's natural preference makes for strong root performance, which is what counteracts the downside to having clay soil. The online tool in Resources can help you to select the grass seed best suited to grow in your specific climate and intended use. For cool-season grasses in clay soil choose one of the fescues such as creeping, fine, or red or perennial Ryegrass or a varietal of Bluegrass that does well in your climate. For warm-season grasses in clay choose Centipede, Bermuda, Dicondra or the varietal of Zoysia that grows best in your area.
Maintaining Balanced Moisture
Dealing with grass on clay soils over time requires a good grasp on the moisture content and drainage capabilities of your clay soil. Clay is tricky because when constantly over watered it does not drain well and can damage root systems. Conversely, when it is allowed to dry out too much it gets hard, brittle and contracts, which is equally damaging. You want to establish a watering regimen that maintains a lightly moist feel when reaching down into the base thatch of the lawn and the first inch of soil--not consistently wet but just moist.
Tags: grass, seed, best, clay, soil, clay soil, Clay soil, down into, grass clay, grass seed, grasses clay, roots penetrate, season grasses
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