What’s so bad about compacting the soil?

[Mosey]

I’ve heard over and over that we should all avoid compacting the soil. Why? What harm does it do? If it makes the grass grow slower, than that’s just what I need!

 

[TonyC]

Re: What?s so bad about compacting the soil?

Hehe...I hear ya. I'm all for that too! But it's a bit worse than that. Plant life needs oxygen, moisture and nutrients all of which it will not get if the soil gets too compacted. You would start getting patches where grass just doesn't seem to want to grow. Then the patches will get bigger. Eventually you will be able to sell your lawnmower. There are worse things, I guess!/w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Re: What?s so bad about compacting the soil?

what can I do if my soil is silty -not quite clay but very silty- and starts to compact. I have been told to add sand????

 

[TonyC]

Re: What?s so bad about compacting the soil?

Well that answer depends on how much area you have to do as well as how much money and effort you want to put into it. A little sand is okay. To do it up right you would need to till it up and add some top soil and most important of all, compost. Adding compost to the soil does wonders for it. If tilling it up is too much to do, I would hit it with a core aerator twice a year and add some compost on top after each aeration. It will work itself into the holes and over time improve your soil. Our soil here is mostly clay which is awful. I have become a compost expert. Having a neighbor who raises horses doesn't hurt any!/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[skipperbrown]

Compacting the soil also makes it hard to absorb rainfall. As a result you get runoff and as a result you start to get erosion. Go to your favorite forest and look where the logging equipment has compacted the soil and the problems it has created.

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