Question

When we moved in 4 years ago we had to plant sod directly on the clay ground that is here. Now some 4 years later the grass in areas is struggling to thrive. We are looking to fertilize more this year but as the grass is right on clay is there anything we can do to help to help the grass from not drying out as quickly? We have not aeriated the grass yet so perhaps that would help. Just not sure what you can do once the sod is already layed down. I had thought about adding small amounts of black dirt on the grass over time to try to slowly build up the 'good' soil. I look forward to your response. Chad H., MI

Answer

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Dear Chad: You are not alone! The bottom line is that you need to do everything right to give your turf a better chance of surviving and doing well. I happen to live in Virginia and am faced with similar problems. Here are some things that I would suggest. Aerate at least once a year (fall) with a "core" aerator - you may want to reseed at this time Fertilize heavily in the fall to encourage a dense and deep root system (Sept, Oct and Nov with a complete fertilizer) Apply crabgrass preventer and weed control in the spring to eliminate weed competition Water on an as needed basis to keep the turf from going dormant Check your soil pH, you may find that it is particularly low or high which impacts your turf's ability to thrive. Your county extension service or a garden center can give you information on how to send off a soil sample. Stay away from spring fertilization... you can use a fertilizer+crabgrass preventer product in the spring, but no additional fertilizer. Adding topsoil to the surface will not change the soil makeup significantly and is not worth the trouble. There are soil wetting agents available to increase the water holding capacity, but these can be costly and have to be applied monthly. I take it that the sod was a bluegrass sod. You may want to consider reseeding in the fall with turf-type tall fescue...... It will perform much better in the clay soil (deeper rooted and more drought tolerant), and will look fine even though the tall fescue has a wider leaf blade. Thanks for your question.