Faq – About Soil Aerator
Ruth asks…
don’t know type of soil, very hard when dry and grass will not grow there, a few weeds. how can i grow grass?
The soil (or dirt) is a little darker then sand and very grainy, but too hard to even dig with a shovel. we rented an aerator, but that didnt seem to do anything, should we till it all up and lay grass seed and straw? please help! we have the ugliest yard on the block
Staff answers:
Yes, till the soil. If you till in a little peat moss it will help keep the ground from getting hard.
Robert asks…
Which term describes a role of mollusks in their environment?
Which term describes a role of mollusks in their environment?
consumer
producer
soil aerator
nitrogen fixer
Staff answers:
Since they don’t fix nitrogen, and they don’t aerate soil, and you could even say they don’t “produce” besides food as themselves (they being prey to others), I’d say they’re consumers. Most are herbavores but they still do consume. As far as producing on the other hand, you could say that some produce toxins or ink (all octopi are venomous) or even food for us (oysters!). I’d say this question is a lot on how you look at it.
Maria asks…
Repair / Fix clay soil lawn?
I have recently moved house and the lawn to the rear of the house slopes slightly down to the patio / house. The soil under the grass is always soggy and appears to be a heavy clay soil. When it rains there is standing water and drainage is a nightmare. I have bought a manual aerator to try and pull plugs from the soil. The soil is so clay like that the plugs dont pull out and the aerator only acts like a garden fork penetrating the soil.
Any help on this would be great as I would like my wee girl to enjoy the garden this summer without the soaked lawn.
Thanks in advance
Thanks to everyone for the great information. Please excuse my stupidity but when you talk about Gypsum do you mean a specific type ( for clay soils ) or is it just the type of Gypsum that a builder would use in the building trade?
Thanks again
Staff answers:
It sounds as though this was a problem bank and the previous owner turfed it over before selling the house. It can be fixed, but it’s a major job and you might decide it’s not worth the effort. Basically, you need to put in drainage and replace the top six inches of soil.
Since the ground slopes, the easiest approach is to put in a French drain at the bottom just short of the patio. Dig a trench about 2 feet deep along the edge of the patio and fill it with heavy rubble. Dig out the lawn area and put down a layer of around 2 inches of gravel and then cover this with a mixture of one part sharp sand, one part sifted clay soil and one part general purpose compost to a depth of 5 or six inches. Now leave it to consolidate, hoeing and raking the top couple of inches to stop weeds taking over. After a couple of weeks it will be ready to turf or seed. Give the soil a generous coating of bonemeal before you do.
Courtesy of Y!Answers