Clay Fill Question

[HawkinsHollow]

Finally found some clean fill dirt. The school I work at is having a bunch of construction done and they are digging footers for a new gym. This fill will come from there. I am going to use this fill to level an area that was filled with larger stone, brick and block. My question is: I would like to make this an area that can grow some decent grass. how do I enrich this fill dirt to create a nice substrate for grass? This is straight Georgia clay, zero organics, nutrients. How do I get some organics and nutrients into it to make it better to grow grass?

 

[M E Cook]

you can till in after it is level peat moss cow or horse manure sawdust it will all help

 

[RoyKing]

Even sand, Clay will grow grass just fine

 

[RedNeckRacin]

Why not skim coat it with 4-6" of topsoil?

 

[big bubba]

how large an area? that will determine materials, cost, labor. do you have a city source for compost? that alone would make difference. that would be my choice for soil amendment once you get that base clay down. maybe look for a bulk topsoil source as well.
how will you spread & work materials on area?

 

[mike48130]

I have had several people tell me Gypsum works well. Yes drywall. You can buy it in bags at most farm feed stores and some big box stores. I heard farmers use it. It is supposed to help break up the clay and make it more porous. I don't think it works immediately. I hear tilling it in is the best way to go. I put it down like fertilizer for several years at my old house, and not sure if it really did anything. But I talked to some people that said it is great. I think maybe the key is tilling it in at the beginning.

I would look for free cow manure. Can usually find it in rural areas. Rent a dump trailer if you don't have one and till that in. Grass will grow in clay, but dies fast when there's no water.

 

[EddieWalker]

...This is straight Georgia clay, zero organics, nutrients. How do I get some organics and nutrients into it to make it better to grow grass?

What color is the clay? If it's red clay, odds are very good that warm weather grass like Bermuda will grow on it very well just as it is. I would also suspect that if you do nothing, in six months it will be overgrown with weeds.

 

[RoyKing]

I mix sand in the cheapest thing I can get then Milorganite using, Pensacola Bahia. It puts in very deep roots, and really good in draughts and frost won't kill the roots. It so strong it won't let weeds grow, just don't mow it too short, and let it seed once a year August.

 

[Buxus]

Why not skim coat it with 4-6" of topsoil?

What he said.

Don't waste time and money trying to turn fill dirt into topsoil. It can take up to 1000 years to make 3 cm of topsoil!

If you really want to try it, don't mix sand and clay. Sand + clay basically makes cement.

You need to mix in at least an equal proportion to the fill dirt of leaves, manure, sawdust etc. The fill dirt would need to be dry and the mixing would have to be so extensive that I don't see how you could do it.

The problem with clay has less to do with the nutrient mix than it does with the fact that there are no air spaces between the soil particles. Plants drown in it. In order to alleviate that problem, you have get organic particles in between the soil particles so air can get in there. Good luck with that.

Just bite the bullet and get topsoil delivered.

 

[RoyKing]

Topsoil about $450 a load, sand $180. If you want just good grass coverage and erosion control, and want get rid of clays greasy surface sand and anything organic. I put about 2 to 3 inches of sand on top the clay then run the harrow around then chain drag it, look like hand raked then take the leaf blower and use it to spread fertilizer put seed out water lightly for about 3 to 5 days then stay off it. 3 months later you got mowable grass a year later the Bahia roots will pierce the clay and sold coverage that won't erode and drains well. If you want flowers or fancy lawn grass no.

 

[civilian]

If you really want to try it, don't mix sand and clay. Sand + clay basically makes cement.

So I can take the clay that I drive on, add some sand and I assume some water, then I will have a cement driveway? Jon

 

[RoyKing]

Sorry sand and clay even when baked in the sun won't get as hard as clay. Plus the sand makes it drain better. There is nothing as slippery as wet clay.

 

[civilian]

There is nothing as slippery as wet clay.

I know that from experience. Jon

 

[RoyKing]

I know that from experience. Jon

put me on my butt more than once, did help one time, brought date home and it dropped her, got her take her cloths off so I could was them.

 

[civilian]

put me on my butt more than once, did help one time, brought date home and it dropped her, got her take her cloths off so I could was them.

LOL! Jon

 

[big bubba]

If you really want to try it, don't mix sand and clay. Sand + clay basically makes cement. Buxus
old adage: "add sand to clay, throw money away. add clay to sand is money in hand"

 

[the old grind]

how large an area? that will determine materials, cost, labor. do you have a city source for compost? that alone would make difference. that would be my choice for soil amendment once you get that base clay down. maybe look for a bulk topsoil source as well.
how will you spread & work materials on area?

If you really want to try it, don't mix sand and clay. Sand + clay basically makes cement. Buxus .. old adage: "add sand to clay, throw money away. add clay to sand is money in hand"

Oh, get .. out .. of my head, Brother, you scarin' me. :shocked: (.. I've written and deleted both comments, in so many words. :laughing

What Roy King says. ^^ :thumbsup: and word for word. First-year crops to turn under and build up soil include alfalfa, buckwheat, cow peas, any clover ... Mow any of them 'close'* enough they'll look like 'lawn', (*4" setting on MM/ZTR deck vs 6" w/BH) and their eventual health (2-3 yrs) will tell you when it's time to over-seed with your final choice. Until then, biomass, biomass, biomass ... and I mean all mentioned so far. (!) Ph checks by the third year.

IMO, by far the biggest impediments to a 'nice lawn' are 'blanket' vs 'spot' weed spraying, lack of patience when developing healthy turf (got 2 yrs?), and #1 setting cutting height more than one notch below the highest setting possible. I mow my second house's lawn in the 'transport' position with the '13 Husky MZ6128 or '96 Dixon 4221. Whatever I don't do, "lawn happens".

 

[big bubba]

Oh, get .. out .. of my head, Brother, you scarin' me. :shocked: (.. I've written and deleted both comments, in so many words. :laughing

What Roy King says. ^^ :thumbsup: and word for word. First-year crops to turn under and build up soil include alfalfa, buckwheat, cow peas, any clover ... Mow any of them 'close'* enough they'll look like 'lawn', (*4" setting on MM/ZTR deck vs 6" w/BH) and their eventual health (2-3 yrs) will tell you when it's time to over-seed with your final choice. Until then, biomass, biomass, biomass ... and I mean all mentioned so far. (!) Ph checks by the third year.

IMO, by far the biggest impediments to a 'nice lawn' are 'blanket' vs 'spot' weed spraying, lack of patience when developing healthy turf (got 2 yrs?), and #1 setting cutting height more than one notch below the highest setting possible. I mow my second house's lawn in the 'transport' position with the '13 Husky MZ6128 or '96 Dixon 4221. Whatever I don't do, "lawn happens".

whoa....not sure what you're saying , relax my friend. it's only turf. sure, spray away & mow.... wear the respirator mask, & keep the blood pressure low...it's only grass, best regards

 

[Buxus]

Oh, get .. out .. of my head, Brother, you scarin' me. :shocked: (.. I've written and deleted both comments, in so many words. :laughing

What Roy King says. ^^ :thumbsup: and word for word. First-year crops to turn under and build up soil include alfalfa, buckwheat, cow peas, any clover ... Mow any of them 'close'* enough they'll look like 'lawn', (*4" setting on MM/ZTR deck vs 6" w/BH) and their eventual health (2-3 yrs) will tell you when it's time to over-seed with your final choice. Until then, biomass, biomass, biomass ... and I mean all mentioned so far. (!) Ph checks by the third year.

IMO, by far the biggest impediments to a 'nice lawn' are 'blanket' vs 'spot' weed spraying, lack of patience when developing healthy turf (got 2 yrs?), and #1 setting cutting height more than one notch below the highest setting possible. I mow my second house's lawn in the 'transport' position with the '13 Husky MZ6128 or '96 Dixon 4221. Whatever I don't do, "lawn happens".

This sounds like a good plan.

Here's the Wash State Extension on mixing sand and clay:

https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/403/2015/03/soil-amendments-2.pdf

 

[the old grind]

whoa....not sure what you're saying , relax my friend. it's only turf. sure, spray away & mow.... wear the respirator mask, & keep the blood pressure low...it's only grass, best regards

Oh no, LOL, I'm just being positive, if crudely comical/silly. Sincerely agree with your approach/style, so similar to my own 'let it be'.

Ph may matter someday, and gypsum is a great way to lower it when needed, but not all clay needs it lowered much. I have sand vs clay, dry as a popcorn fart four of five Summers, ph ~5 or so. As always, and in general 'less is more'.

btw, when mowing, I'm not sure I suffer w/o mask as I depend on 'full-goggle'-type eye protection over my bifocals. The post-mowing shower alone is no sure way to get grit out of the eyes after a few acres/hours in the seat,