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#1
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Sand on a lawn - how much and when?
I have a drainage problem across my lawn. The subsoil is predominantly
clay and after a typical winter it has become a boggy mess with a high proportion of moss. I understand that by aerating it and top dressing with sharp sand I can improve matters. The question is when do I do this and how much do I add? I have aearted the lawn in both autumn and spring (in one of the drier gaps) can I top dress with sand no and if so how much do I add. I know the question is a bit of how long is a piece of string but is this in the order of 1Kg / sq m or 1 tonne / sq m. I'm guessing somewhere inbetween but what sort of order I I looking for here? TIA |
#2
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Sand on a lawn - how much and when?
"JB" wrote in message ... I have a drainage problem across my lawn. The subsoil is predominantly clay and after a typical winter it has become a boggy mess with a high proportion of moss. I understand that by aerating it and top dressing with sharp sand I can improve matters. The question is when do I do this and how much do I add? I have aearted the lawn in both autumn and spring (in one of the drier gaps) can I top dress with sand no and if so how much do I add. I know the question is a bit of how long is a piece of string but is this in the order of 1Kg / sq m or 1 tonne / sq m. I'm guessing somewhere inbetween but what sort of order I I looking for here? TIA sharp sand is no good in clay soils you need a 70 30 mix of sand and loam aerate the lawn then top dress working in the sandy loam with a lute |
#4
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Sand on a lawn - how much and when?
"Steve Harris" wrote In article , (JB) wrote: the question is a bit of how long is a piece of string but is this in the order of 1Kg / sq m or 1 tonne / sq m. I'm guessing somewhere inbetween 1 tonne / sq m is definitely WAY too much. It would raise the level of your lawn by at least 50cm! Hey don't discourage someone with ambition to go up in the world. -- Sue |
#5
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Sand on a lawn - how much and when?
pied piper wrote: "JB" wrote in message sharp sand is no good in clay soils you need a 70 30 mix of sand and loam aerate the lawn then top dress working in the sandy loam with a lute If you use just sand then it'll look like you just tipped a load of sand over the lawn. I'd go with the sand mix. It won't do huge amounts for drainage but it'll act like blotting paper and also stop your shoes getting muddy when you walk on the lawn. With the forecast drought on the way though maybe you should be looking at something that'll actually keep the water in?! |
#6
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Sand on a lawn - how much and when?
I am latching onto your observatio that the lawn is boggy.
Is that because the water is standing or because the kids are running around on wet grass? If your lawn is boggy, a top dressing of sand isn't going to solve the issue quickly. The soile level will have to be raised above the water table to have an effect. You would have to repeat topdressing for years to have an effect. The issue is one of drainage and best remidies by the installation of a draininage to take the excess water away. Clearly you would need to have somewhere to discharge the water to. Where I used to live was on clay and as the years progressed the garden, which was typically damp, would flood during rains. It turns out that there was a ditch behind the property which, over the years, had been incorporated into peoples gardens and garages built on. Some investigation revealed that we would have to get intouch with each household to ensure that the ditch was clear. Something that was unlikely to happen and would have taken forever. I would also incorporate grit sand into the soil to create a more open soil texture, around 75-100kg m sq. If you feel really adventurous, you could put in a large underground water collector - solve problems of hosepipe band then! Clifford Bawtry, Doncaster, South Yorkshire |
#7
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Sand on a lawn - how much and when?
On 3 Apr 2006 04:29:22 -0700, "cliff_the_gardener"
wrote: I am latching onto your observatio that the lawn is boggy. Is that because the water is standing or because the kids are running around on wet grass? If your lawn is boggy, a top dressing of sand isn't going to solve the issue quickly. The soile level will have to be raised above the water table to have an effect. You would have to repeat topdressing for years to have an effect. No kids and no standing water. The lawn is on a slope but being over clay water is held in the clay and doesn't drain down the slope. Similarly because its on a slope the ground should be above the water table already. The rationale was to add sharp grit / sand to open up the structure enough to let gravity do the drainage for me. I would also incorporate grit sand into the soil to create a more open soil texture, around 75-100kg m sq. Cheers that's the sort of info I needed. Despite Steve's whimsically silly response it was obvious that 1Kg was too little and 1 tonne just plain silly ;-) If you feel really adventurous, you could put in a large underground water collector - solve problems of hosepipe band then! Actually not so adventurous and has been considered. Because of the slope I have considered putting a french drain across the bottom of the lawn which would still be above a patio where I could put water tanks. Something like; Lawn Lawn Clay Clay Lawn Lawn Lawn Clay French drain Clay Clay Upper patio Water tanks Lower patio |
#8
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Sand on a lawn - how much and when?
Looks good,
French drain would do fine. If the old global warming thing is correct, you could be looking for water, so if an option would be worth having some tank arrangement. Don't for get to allow for some drainage from an overflow. I don't think you will go far wrong with 100kg m sq, but after you have worked it in you will have a feel of how good it is. So long as it isn't too wet, working all that sand in is a good job for some meaty rotovator from the hire shop - the kind with wheels Good luck Clifford Bawtry, Doncaster, South Yorkshire |
#9
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Sand on a lawn - how much and when?
cliff_the_gardener wrote: Looks good, French drain would do fine. If the old global warming thing is correct, you could be looking for water, so if an option would be worth having some tank arrangement. Don't for get to allow for some drainage from an overflow. I don't think you will go far wrong with 100kg m sq, but after you have worked it in you will have a feel of how good it is. So long as it isn't too wet, working all that sand in is a good job for some meaty rotovator from the hire shop - the kind with wheels Good luck Clifford Bawtry, Doncaster, South Yorkshire If you're prepared to dig up all the existing lawn then you might be better off removing a layer of the clay and replacing it with decent topsoil. Mixing sand and organic matter into clay isn't fun. |
#10
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Sand on a lawn - how much and when?
JB wrote:
[...] Actually not so adventurous and has been considered. Because of the slope I have considered putting a french drain across the bottom of the lawn which would still be above a patio where I could put water tanks. Something like; Lawn Lawn Clay Clay Lawn Lawn Lawn Clay French drain Clay Clay Upper patio Water tanks Lower patio Whoa there! Don't drain the _bottom_, drain the _top_! The idea of a drain is to stop the water coming in: if you drain at the bottom, it's already too late, so you've wasted your time. Put your drain across the top to stop the water going _into_ the lawn, and down the side so that it leads into the tank or pond. A pond makes a virtue of necessity, but of course it will generally need somewhere to overflow to. A big lawn, especially on a considerable slope, will want at least one more cross-drain in the middle, also leading to the side drain. Consider field drainage on a farm: the classic herringbone drains lead into the ditch down the side, and thence to the river. This is a big job: good fun, but big. -- Mike. |
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