What to add to hard soil?

[jeff408]

My moms back yard soil is very hard and for mothers day I would like to rototill it up and plant some grass. I'm wondering if there is something I can add in to her soil when I rototill so that it doesnt set up so hard. I'm not sure what kind of soil it is but its not clay. I'm wondering if something like sand or maybe pummis might work. I would sure appreciate any help.
Thanks, Jeff

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Peat moss would probably be the best thing, but most anything organic could work

 

[schmism]

sand (and more text hear because the forums are to stupid to understand that just a reply of SAND is sufficient to answer the question)

 

[Gale Hawkins]

sand [SIZE="1.5"](and more text hear because the forums are to stupid to understand that just a reply of SAND is sufficient to answer the question)[/size]

After the sand a good ripping with a sub soiler will do wonders and let the sand greatly increase the perk test readings.

 

[beenthere]

sand (and more text hear because the forums are to stupid to understand that just a reply of SAND is sufficient to answer the question)

I didn't understand that reply. Not that I need to, but ??

Seems the OP would want to first find out what kind of soil he has. If not clay, what is it that would get so hard?

If it is so hard, can it be rototilled, or will it have to be ripped up first? And if ripped up, will the rototiller knock the hard soil apart?

Seems organic material would be what the soil needs, but it sure acts like it is clay. If clay, I've worked a lot of sawdust into the soil with a rototiller, and added nitrogen to help break down the sawdust. The wood fiber helped make a very lush lawn and grass bed.

Organic material will help the worms go to work, and aerate the soil.

 

[Patriotic Stabilist]

Naybe its that gumbo stuff like that have up by Dallas. When its wet its like glue, when dry like a rock.

 

[bp fick]

I didn't understand that reply. Not that I need to, but ??

Likely referring the the requirement that answers be longer than 4 characters. Try just posting "yes" sometime.


All good answers so far. Organic material, subsoiling is good, as is sand. All of the above, but just ripping alone without putting in the organix, (compost, peat, leaves, sawdust, ashes, etc to build bulk and fiber) won't last but a year or so and it will likely re-compact. Soil is more than dirt.

 

[Egon]

After adding [sand and organic mater] ?? you may want to plant a green manure crop and till it in before planting grass. Might give the ground a little more time to incorporate the new ingredients and loosen up.

 

[JCB]

Organic matter of any type, brown or green, preferably both..

 

[MossRoad]

sand (and more text hear because the forums are to stupid to understand that just a reply of SAND is sufficient to answer the question)

Sand.