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Old 12-08-2007, 02:42 AM posted to aus.gardens
Jonno[_7_] Jonno[_7_] is offline
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First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Mar 2007
Posts: 43
Default Extremely hard, dry compacted lawn - what to do??

Wait for some solid rain first.
No point starting something that may take enormous effort, then have it die.
A garden should be a pleasure to look after, not an uphill battle
against the elements



none wrote:
I'd go the grey water. lawns love it. The easiest way if you lawn is
lower than your washing machine is to drop the hose to the floor (with
appropriate extension to reach out to the yard) and let it run. Change
spots each time. Some machines won't fill up again unless you raise the
hose again. Otherwise a small pump from bath or laundry tub. Doesn't
matter if it's slow, probably better for absorbtion that way anyway.
Getting grey water onto it will improve it quite quickly.

The main question, really, is just how patient are you? Do you really
want it improved fast? You'll need to go the major reconstruction route
for that. But maybe you like those sorts of projects? If you'd rather be
patient and do less work you would use the grey water to get it growing
and then when you mow cut it at the mowers highest level. Don't worry if
it looks uneven at first. As the lawn improves it will all grow up to
the same height. A long lawn looks particulary lush anyway. Wonderful to
walk on. The advantages are that longer grass will produce a longer root
system and that will help in all weather conditions. Longer roots also
help the soil structure. And longer grass tend to stop lots of lawn
weeds from growing.

The next thing is to leave the grass cutting on the lawn every second
cutting. (I hear gasps!) If you have a 'mulching mower' it looks neater
because it spreads them more evenly. I don't worry about appearance so I
leave them a bit clumpy. Or you can take a rake to the clumps to spread
them. The advantage is the grass clippings rot back into the soil
feeding the growing grass and improving the soil.

Using this method I've managed to get a piece of dry dead ground from so
bad it had inch wide cracks in it to lush lawn. It was substantially
green in less than a year and lush in less than two. I didn't feed it
except the clippings. No dolomite or anything else. Grey water, high
cutting, and leave the clippings down every second go.

good luck

j



Barry Ward wrote:
Hi all

I live in Beenleigh Qld. I have what was once a lawn in the front of my
house - now it is a completely dead, very hard, dry, compacted soil
surface. I have noticed that when we have gotten some rain over the past
couple of years, what grass was still alive greened up a little but
never actually grew. It seems to me that a complete renovation of the
soil is needed to take advantage of any rain that may eventually come
our way.

I read somewhere that you should be able to hand force a screwdriver 3
inches into a lawn . Well, I can't penetrate my ground even one inch
with a screwdriver. It is not rocky - just very hard clay. I have been
considering renting a machine lawn corer - but I suspect that the
machine would not actually be able to core this ground.

Short of using dynamite - does anybody have any suggestions as to what I
could do with this ground to make it even a little bit desirable for
grass seed to grow when/if the rains come? Would a rotary hoe turn it?
If so, what should I do with the broken ground then? Dolomite, fertilizer??

I have an area of around 300 square meters that needs help.

Thanks for any advice from any who have faced a similar situation.

Barry