Hello all,
I've searched around and can't find any other threads with a similar problem to me so here goes...
I've recently moved into a house which has a lawn at the back. The ground itself is undulating terribly to the point where I can't even get the lawnmower over it without the blades hitting the ground. It's only on the higher of the settings can I actually use the mower on the lawn.
Basically due to the amount of weeds already on the lawn when we moved in it's not ideal and I've decided to start from scratch by digging up the lawn, leveling it out and sowing seed rather than try to repair the lawn. I understand this takes time and I'm prepared for the long period of time without a lawn. I have a few concerns though.
I have a clay soil and I've been advised that I can't use a rotavator to dig the ground up as it will either break the machine or could cause me injury(?). Along with this they suggested that I do all of this manually instead. I'm fine with a bit of manual labour and so need some advise from people who know more than me.
How should I go about starting this project? Should I kill the weeds first by spray and then dig up the soil or can I just dig up the soil, level it out and then plant seed? Is there a particular type of seed that I need for growing through the winter on a clay soil.
As I've said I've searched around but found very differing opinions on this matter and need some concrete advise. Any help you give would be great.
How big is the yard? If it's big I would hire someone with a tractor mounted tiller to smooth it out. If it's small and you don't have a tiller then rent a reartine tiller. You may have to water the lawn to make it softer. If you're gonna buy sod then use a pre emergent to cut the weeds down till the sod takes hold and if you plan to seed then once the seeds sprout then use a pre emergent to hold some of the weed seeds from sprouting.
Don't worry about breaking the tiller, set it so it only goes an inch deep and make more passes and wet the soil if it's that hard. It may take a while but it will work. You may need to till a few times to kill the newly sprouted seeds that will come up or once you get the ground flat let the weeds grow and use roundup, let it sit for a week then you can spread a thin layer of compost to plant seeds in.
Don't worry about breaking the tiller, set it so it only goes an inch deep and make more passes and wet the soil if it's that hard. It may take a while but it will work. You may need to till a few times to kill the newly sprouted seeds that will come up or once you get the ground flat let the weeds grow and use roundup, let it sit for a week then you can spread a thin layer of compost to plant seeds in.
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rainbowgardener
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No, unless your lawn is teeny-tiny, way too much work to do it manually.
I take it rotavator is the same thing we call rototiller? It will do the work. Radrob gave you good advice about that. Just be careful about the part about getting it wet. Tilling wet clay will cause it to break up into hard clumps that are very difficult to get rid of. So dampen maybe. If a ball of soil you pick up and squeeze in your hand stays together, it is too wet to till.
I take it rotavator is the same thing we call rototiller? It will do the work. Radrob gave you good advice about that. Just be careful about the part about getting it wet. Tilling wet clay will cause it to break up into hard clumps that are very difficult to get rid of. So dampen maybe. If a ball of soil you pick up and squeeze in your hand stays together, it is too wet to till.
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ButterflyLady29
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rainbowgardener
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- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
- Location: TN/GA 7b
Yes, you would need to do something about the weeds and weed seeds, so they don't just come right back and overwhelm your new grass.. If you don't like poisons, then you can till the ground, wait a week or two for the weed seeds to sprout and till it again. For insurance one more time would be best.TFU wrote:Hello all,
How should I go about starting this project? Should I kill the weeds first by spray and then dig up the soil or can I just dig up the soil, level it out and then plant seed? Is there a particular type of seed that I need for growing through the winter on a clay soil.
To turn a little section of lawn into flower beds, I have laid down heavy cardboard, wetted it down, and then covered it with at least 4" of good topsoil. Then plant (immediately) into the new topsoil. The cardboard smothers the grass and then eventually breaks down. But depending on the size of your lawn (how big an area are we talking about?), that might be cumbersome and require a lot of trucked in topsoil.
Don't forget after you till you still have to amend the soil with compost or conditioner as well as fertilizer about a month before you plant.
https://www.lawn-care-academy.com/clay-soil.html
https://www.lawn-care-academy.com/clay-soil.html