maintenance hydroseed on clay and topsoil

fred – posted 15 July 2006 11:51

i just had my lawn hydroseed one month ago. the grass started growing with a nice light green in the heavy spayed area. i keep the ground moist so it can germinate. now it seems the clay area is not growing tall and it is weeding and turning red, yellow and brown and the topsoil area is weeding with new grass growing. i have the sprinkler set for 10min evey 2hrs and off between 1:00am and 5:00am. the grass is not full in the sunny area, only in the small shaded area from the side of the house. do i need to fertilize with weed killer, reseed with more seeds or stop watering.

Grassguy – posted 15 July 2006 17:11

If you have clay there is no top soil only sub soil which is known as the B horizon. Top soil is a layer of decomposed organic matter known as the A horizon. Turf hates the B horizon. Oxygen is minimal, poor space is scarace and infiltration and percolation are undesireable.

fred – posted 15 July 2006 17:57

hi grassguy thanks for repling to me. i guess this is a matter of getting the job done right. the landscaper did not topsoil the whole yard. all over this subdivision landscapers are laying sod over this clay and some grass look good and some are brown. what can i do to fix this and have green grass and be the envy of the block. by the way i live in schererville, indiana

Grassguy – posted 16 July 2006 20:03

Not sure how far you are willing to go but the soil is the key to an awesome lawn. I removed 8 inchs of clay from my front yard with my backhoe and installed top soil. I’m not sure if this is a feasable task for you. You can build the soil up slowly over time but even doing that this never inproves the soil deep down,(8 inchs +) where it counts. what I mean by improving the soil over time is core aeration and top dressing which will improve the appearance and vigor but will let you down when the summer heat kicks in. you need a minimum of 6 inchs of top soil which is decomposed organic matter(humus) like you find under the leaves and twigs in the forrest floor. You may have a soil purveyor in your area. Irrigation is the next important step to follow properly as well as mowing. Is it fescue you are propogating?