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I'm still in the middle of my research and have been thinking about the abundance of clay soil in the area. Does this pose any problems during heavy amounts of rain? How about things like basements (I know they are not real common) and crawl spaces? How's moisture and mustyness in these areas? How common are slab floors? I fell that sand makes for the best drainage.
I'm assuming that things like sod and loam are put down over the clay in some areas in order to grow and establish a lawn. I remember seeing a lot of clay during the last visit so I wanted to ask all you fine folks out there! Thanks much!!
Clay soil is a pain to deal with but like everything else, you find a way to manage. It can make a mess in rains if you have large uncovered areas of it. Lots of our local swimming holes and lakes turn brown and orange after heavy rains from clay soil! Most people who garden have to till their clay soil and ammend it with soil conditioners. Clay is very compact and I have clay spots in my yard that I can barely get a shovel into. People put topsoil or sod down when planting grass and aerate their yards.
It certianly doesn't help drainage issues, but depending on your yard there are ways to manage.
Clay soil is a pain to deal with but like everything else, you find a way to manage. It can make a mess in rains if you have large uncovered areas of it. Lots of our local swimming holes and lakes turn brown and orange after heavy rains from clay soil! Most people who garden have to till their clay soil and ammend it with soil conditioners. Clay is very compact and I have clay spots in my yard that I can barely get a shovel into. People put topsoil or sod down when planting grass and aerate their yards.
It certianly doesn't help drainage issues, but depending on your yard there are ways to manage.
We have a sodded front and side yard but our backyard was seeded and seeded directly into clay....no topsoil....and it came in just fine, very thick and healthy looking lawn actually.
We have done that too, but in large bare spots, it can be hard to root grass in clay soil because of run off. Did you aerate it or have it tilled first? Sometimes clay is so compact that the seed has a hard time penetrating the clay and comes in very weak.
I really think it depends on the yard, whether or not it's level or sloped, whether or not it's rocky and has been aerated in the past etc. We've found (afer YEARS of grass growing attempts) that a layer of topsoil helps the seed root faster and keeps the seed from washing away in heavy rain. But yes, it certainly can be done in unammended clay.
We have done that too, but in large bare spots, it can be hard to root grass in clay soil because of run off. Did you aerate it or have it tilled first? Sometimes clay is so compact that the seed has a hard time penetrating the clay and comes in very weak.
I really think it depends on the yard, whether or not it's level or sloped, whether or not it's rocky and has been aerated in the past etc. We've found (afer YEARS of grass growing attempts) that a layer of topsoil helps the seed root faster and keeps the seed from washing away in heavy rain. But yes, it certainly can be done in unammended clay.
It was basically just thrown down by the looks of it, there are some bare spots we are working on.
I didn't mean to sound like I doubted what you said, I was really surprised that it took at all, when I saw that they had just spread the seed and thrown down hay without any topsoil I never expected the grass to take...
The only reason I was asking is that I'm trying to fill in some bare spots (high traffic ares though) myself. I just just threw the seed down on top of the soil and of course after one big rain, it's all washed away :-(. I had a few other areas where it didn't wash away and did root but the root system seems very weak compared to areas that had been tilled and aerated.
SO I was just wondering if you did anything special!
Yes... clay is hard. Very hard sometimes so I know where you are coming from. Lamishra, you mentioned drainage can be an issue. Does this mean that rain water can sit on your lawn for a long time? What about crawl spaces? I am just trying to get an idea if people have any water seepage problems and stuff.
I also had no idea that you should aerate clay soil. I can see tilling it to kinda soften it up a little so it's not as hard as a brick.
I have to say that standing water, etc.. does make nervous just a little. I've had some minor water issues in my past and they can lead to BIGGER issues down the line. Are there areas around Raleigh that don't have a lot clay? Just wondering..... thanks for the replies!!
I think the whole area is pretty much clay unless people have done something drastic to their yards.
I'm not sure what it's like in other areas, but I know around here "standing water" and "moisture problems" are very bad words, but I think it depends more on the house and the lot than it really does with the actual soil. We haven't had moisture problems in our home, but we know several people on the same street who do and that was the same in our past neighborhoods as well. Some people did and some people didn't. My parents have been in the same house for 35 years and their basement flooded almost every time it rained really hard. I think they FINALLY got it fixed somehow permanently but it wasn't cheap or easy.
Anyway, I guess what I'm saying is that drainage and water issues CAN be a issue here, but I think the majority of homes are probably OK. It's something that usually comes out during a home inspection, whether or not there are or ever were moisture problems and whether or not the problems can or have been fixed. And even the ones that aren't, there are plenty of companies around here that deal specifically with the water problems if there is one.
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