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Old 03-09-2009, 12:57 PM
 
161 posts, read 413,193 times
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hello all,
recently, i did some digging in the yard (lots) and spread the clay earth around the yard (14k sqft lot)....so now, i have a brown yard...with some grass on some parts of the yard.....

question: MUST i put down top soil or can i just spread seed on the ground directly? and if so, when is a good time?

ps. i'm in northern VA. temp today 65

thank you!
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Old 03-09-2009, 09:13 PM
 
Location: Kentucky
666 posts, read 2,528,473 times
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you do not have to put down top soil, but i would try and even out the clay and get it as "un-lumpy" as possible so you don't have an uneven, bumpy lawn when the grass does grow. just make sure after you put down the grass seed, water it a lot so the seeds can get down into the soil a little bit.
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Old 03-10-2009, 05:41 AM
 
Location: Newport, NC
955 posts, read 4,076,643 times
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Sounds like you may have made some problems for yourself. Depending on how deep you were digging, and how much topsoil there actually was on your lot, you may have spread clay subsoil on your lawn. Subsoil has no organic components and will not support a lawn. A little more information may be helpful.
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Old 03-10-2009, 07:40 AM
 
161 posts, read 413,193 times
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i was digging a hole.....12 foot by 8 feet....so figure....
i had a contractor come by and he said that he's going to spread 2 bags of scott brand blue grass seeds, 2 bags of fert., straws, get rid of the dry leaves, cut some tree branches to allow more sunlight, spread some of the dirt/mulch i have sitting on the corner of my lot.......all for $230 (labor and material included).

sounds like a good deal...right?
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Old 03-10-2009, 10:34 AM
 
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I don't know!!! I am not in your area, but I think I would go for a mixture of grass, not just one kind, as if it gets a disease it will ALL die..with a mix, the healthy grass would fill in. Also, make sure you don't get annual grass..it will grow fast but only last 1 year... I have clay,too, and did not put down topsoil..just leveled out and scratched up the ground first and mine came up fine. Maybe check with a local garden store or your County Coop... Good Luck!!
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Old 03-10-2009, 11:29 AM
 
161 posts, read 413,193 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Trudy Rose View Post
I don't know!!! I am not in your area, but I think I would go for a mixture of grass, not just one kind, as if it gets a disease it will ALL die..with a mix, the healthy grass would fill in. Also, make sure you don't get annual grass..it will grow fast but only last 1 year... I have clay,too, and did not put down topsoil..just leveled out and scratched up the ground first and mine came up fine. Maybe check with a local garden store or your County Coop... Good Luck!!
thank you :-)
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Old 03-10-2009, 12:31 PM
 
Location: Kansas
3,855 posts, read 13,237,397 times
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In the fall I tried spreading some fescue blend (for best results I was told to seed fescue in the fall) on top of the ground which was a mix of topsoil and clay. I scratched up the ground first and spread the seeds in VERY moist conditions and maybe...maybe....1 in every 100 seeds actually took. I didn't really explore why this happened... but I was told that possibly a better move would have been to spread hay on top. Regardless I just had enough and bought some sod to finish out that area. I'm normally very patient but the results were so poor I couldn't really wait any longer. I needed a yard for my kids to play in and not an area for them to make mud pies.
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Old 03-12-2009, 01:46 PM
 
Location: Beautiful Raleigh, NC
532 posts, read 2,840,203 times
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Can you roto-till the soil/amendments into the clay? Jan '08 a landscaper brought in top soil and seeded and the grass grew and was mowed several times. But they did not work it into the clay soil and come summer, ALL the grass died, then the rain washed away the topsoil so now I have a backyard of compacted clay with no top soil or grass and with pools of water when it rains. What a mess. I'm going to have someone come in and perform what I'm recommending to you.
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Old 03-23-2009, 09:29 AM
 
161 posts, read 413,193 times
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update on the issue....
i hired a contractor....finally......
he will spread dirt (dirt with some top soil mixed) across my .25 acre (~10k sqft) yard...he's planning on leveling the field to make sure i have a flat yard.....that means filling some corners. he estimated that i need 7 or 8 cubic yards. he's also digging the ground (about 40 feet long....6" deep) to hide a sumppump pipe that i have......
he's spreading 2 bags of grass and 2 bags of fertilizers (which i've purchased). he's laying down straws after the seeding.
he's also powerwashing my 7 foot tall wooden fence all around and staining it (i'll buy the stain).

i think this should allow the grass to grow nicely.....however, we're not going to have any rain for a few days....is this going to be an issue? i watered the whole yard yesterday and i saw some birds eating some seeds! i hoep this doesn't effect the growth too much!

he's charging me 900 for everything excluding the grass, fert, and paint.
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Old 03-23-2009, 09:33 AM
Itz
 
714 posts, read 2,193,967 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by A-BIG-NOTHING View Post
i was digging a hole.....12 foot by 8 feet....so figure....
i had a contractor come by and he said that he's going to spread 2 bags of scott brand blue grass seeds, 2 bags of fert., straws, get rid of the dry leaves, cut some tree branches to allow more sunlight, spread some of the dirt/mulch i have sitting on the corner of my lot.......all for $230 (labor and material included).

sounds like a good deal...right?

You get what you pay for! How many square feet do you have that needs this?
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