Hi all,
We have a newish-build house (built 2014) with a plain lawn at rear. The soil is quite heavy clay, badly compacted and I'm sure the developers put the minimum amount of topsoil down below the turf.
It's in pretty bad condition after this winter, so I have descarified it (not much moss, but filled a wheelie bin with thatch) and aerated it with a rolling aerator and garden fork. However I may hire a hollow tine aerator and do it properly before top dressing.
However, there is one corner of the lawn which seems to have sunk somewhat and needs raising up slightly, it's always damp and boggy. You can just about make it out in the top left of this photo http://imgbox.com/o3TaVUOs http://imgbox.com/H9LnDRTh
I intend to build that corner up a bit with good quality sandy topsoil (just so it is level with the rest of the lawn) and sow some shade resistant seed. Before building it up, I may also dig a "sump" in the middle of the corner, as deep as I can and fill it with stones/gravel in an effort to improve drainage in that corner - would this help?
Regarding top dressing, I read so much conflicting advice online for clay soil such as this. Some say sharp sand, others say not to use sharp sand as it contains lime and/or salt. Others say you need to add organic material like compost, whilst others say add horticultural grit.
So I can get a dumpy bag of sharp sand from the local builders merchant for about £45, or I can get proper topsoil/sand top dressing for about £90, or horticultural grit for about the same price. Which of these would you go for?
http://www.compostdirect.com/topsoil-lawn-dressing/p72 (80% sand)
http://www.compostdirect.com/horticultural-grit/p22
Any advice appreciated!
Gareth
We have a newish-build house (built 2014) with a plain lawn at rear. The soil is quite heavy clay, badly compacted and I'm sure the developers put the minimum amount of topsoil down below the turf.
It's in pretty bad condition after this winter, so I have descarified it (not much moss, but filled a wheelie bin with thatch) and aerated it with a rolling aerator and garden fork. However I may hire a hollow tine aerator and do it properly before top dressing.
However, there is one corner of the lawn which seems to have sunk somewhat and needs raising up slightly, it's always damp and boggy. You can just about make it out in the top left of this photo http://imgbox.com/o3TaVUOs http://imgbox.com/H9LnDRTh
I intend to build that corner up a bit with good quality sandy topsoil (just so it is level with the rest of the lawn) and sow some shade resistant seed. Before building it up, I may also dig a "sump" in the middle of the corner, as deep as I can and fill it with stones/gravel in an effort to improve drainage in that corner - would this help?
Regarding top dressing, I read so much conflicting advice online for clay soil such as this. Some say sharp sand, others say not to use sharp sand as it contains lime and/or salt. Others say you need to add organic material like compost, whilst others say add horticultural grit.
So I can get a dumpy bag of sharp sand from the local builders merchant for about £45, or I can get proper topsoil/sand top dressing for about £90, or horticultural grit for about the same price. Which of these would you go for?
http://www.compostdirect.com/topsoil-lawn-dressing/p72 (80% sand)
http://www.compostdirect.com/horticultural-grit/p22
Any advice appreciated!
Gareth