Kyle Boatright wrote:

I've got zoysia grass over clay soil. Probably 10-12,000 square feet of
yard. The house is 15 years old, and there are large areas of the yard
where the soil is extremely compacted to well below the depth a normal
aerator will reach.

Are there aerators that have longer tines/deeper penetration than the ones I
usually see? I figure I need to loosen the soil at least 6" deep.

How about worms? Is there anything I could do increase the number of
earthworms in the soil so they could help soften the soil over the long
term?

Advise appreciated.

KB

There's two ways to do this; which one you pick depends on the
effort you're willing to put in, and how much time / money you
have.

1. Add at least 6" of compost, and till up the lawn. [You can
do this in sections over a number of years for a lessening of the
total task in any given year.] Reseed, and mist daily until you
have new growth well-established. Then, go to regular lawn care.

2. Add a 1-2" top dressing of compost spring and fall. Overseed
bare patches. In the due course of time, the topsoil will become
more loamy than clay.

If you provide more organic matter, earthworms will be likely to
migrate to your yard naturally.

Chris Owens




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