I have a part of the garden I have built up to another level using the
soil from excavation for a house extension. During the summer it was
too dry and hard to level, now its getting wetter i am considering how
to get a finer level on it, its "mini digger" level at the mo, just
need to get it level for grassing it. What would be the best method, I
was thinking heavy duty rotovator and rake level.
Am I on the right track ? soil is very clay and tends to clump together

wrote:
I have a part of the garden I have built up to another level using the
soil from excavation for a house extension. During the summer it was
too dry and hard to level, now its getting wetter i am considering how
to get a finer level on it, its "mini digger" level at the mo, just
need to get it level for grassing it. What would be the best method, I
was thinking heavy duty rotovator and rake level.
Am I on the right track ? soil is very clay and tends to clump together

You'd have been better off doing it when it was dry then. Wet clay
really isn't a lot of fun. Not when you want a lawn anyway. I doubt
it'd make a good surface for a lawn as it is.

wrote:
I have a part of the garden I have built up to another level using the
soil from excavation for a house extension. During the summer it was
too dry and hard to level, now its getting wetter i am considering how
to get a finer level on it, its "mini digger" level at the mo, just
need to get it level for grassing it. What would be the best method, I
was thinking heavy duty rotovator and rake level.
Am I on the right track ? soil is very clay and tends to clump
together

Your problem is two fold.

1. You have clay soil abd it is (to coin a phrase) a right bugger to work
with and level.

2. you are spreading sub soil from foundation depth on top of top soil.
sub-soil is infertile and virtually dead.

What you should have done, is move all the topsoil to 30-45cm depth to one
side using a mini digger, spread the subsoil to bring to level then cover
with the reserved topsoil mixed with lots of organic matter and grit for
body and drainage.

If you can still do that, do!

pk

p.k. wrote:
wrote:
I have a part of the garden I have built up to another level using the
soil from excavation for a house extension. During the summer it was
too dry and hard to level, now its getting wetter i am considering how
to get a finer level on it, its "mini digger" level at the mo, just
need to get it level for grassing it. What would be the best method, I
was thinking heavy duty rotovator and rake level.
Am I on the right track ? soil is very clay and tends to clump
together

Your problem is two fold.

1. You have clay soil abd it is (to coin a phrase) a right bugger to work
with and level.

2. you are spreading sub soil from foundation depth on top of top soil.
sub-soil is infertile and virtually dead.

What you should have done, is move all the topsoil to 30-45cm depth to one
side using a mini digger, spread the subsoil to bring to level then cover
with the reserved topsoil mixed with lots of organic matter and grit for
body and drainage.

If you can still do that, do!

pk

cant get the mini digger back in ! I used a route through a farmers
field by pulling down the old fence, he has since re fenced the entire
field so would not be very happy with me wrecking it again !! is there
anything I could mix in with it with a rotovator?

wrote:

cant get the mini digger back in ! I used a route through a farmers
field by pulling down the old fence, he has since re fenced the entire
field so would not be very happy with me wrecking it again !! is there
anything I could mix in with it with a rotovator?

When the clay is dry it will usually break up nicely, or you can wait
and the weather will break it up for you a bit, then it can easily be
mixed with something but when it's wet forget doing anything with it.
That is, if it's yellowy colour and nowhere near a brown colour more
usually associated with soil.

Steve,

yes I have just used a mini-digger to put poor clay soil from an excavation
onto a 300 sq m area for lawn.

I did it in August so the soil was dry and easily friable. I made three
surveyors bones so I could get the lawn area level to within 10 mm all over.
I mixed the poor soil 50:50 with rotted organic matter. You could spread the
organic matter and some sharp sand over the surface and then rotavate it in.
I then dragged a ladder using a long rope tied to each end over the area to
level it to within 5mm all over. Sowed grass 1st Sept and it is coming up
very well.

I suspect if your soil is clay then it may be already to late in the year to
work on. You might have to wait till late Spring.
Another option is to spread at least 50mm sharp sand over the whole area; it
is very easy to level that with a ladder no matter what weather, then put
down turves.

cheers, Davy

wrote in message
ups.com...
I have a part of the garden I have built up to another level using the
soil from excavation for a house extension. During the summer it was
too dry and hard to level, now its getting wetter i am considering how
to get a finer level on it, its "mini digger" level at the mo, just
need to get it level for grassing it. What would be the best method, I
was thinking heavy duty rotovator and rake level.
Am I on the right track ? soil is very clay and tends to clump together