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Clay Soil Ammendment
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Author:  jp4LSU [ Mon Jul 15, 2013 2:14 pm ]
Post subject:  Clay Soil Ammendment

I have a lot of bare soil in my backyard which is about 1/2 acre.
We will get around to having some dirt work done, sprinklers installed and sodded. But for now its mostly bare with some berumda in spots that get sun. There are 7 old pecans in the back.

With this nice steady drizzle in Fort Worth in the forecast for a couple days, is there something I can put down in the light rain that could help with the clay soil? Anything that could be absorbed with the rain that could get down in the ground to start breaking it up?

Author:  sandih [ Sat Jul 20, 2013 8:22 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Clay Soil Ammendment

Consider this idea...plant what wants to be here, in the clay soil. There are fabulous, drought tolerant grasses and turf grass mixes that can handle what you have. Now is your chance to make a native meadow even, complete with prairie grasses and flowers. That's what I'd do.

Author:  user_48634 [ Sun Sep 15, 2013 9:21 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Clay Soil Ammendment

Spray any clear shampoo at a rate of at least 3 ounces per 1,000 square feet. It needs to be clear and not cloudy shampoo. I like generic baby shampoo or clear Alberto Vo5. You can go up to 50 ounces per 1,000 with no trouble, so don't worry if you think you overdid it. Then in two weeks repeat with the shampoo. Do not use dish soap because most of those are now antibacterial.

This will soften your soil. Golf courses use a product called Cascade to soften their soil and improve the penetration of water through their grass and soil. Cascade costs about $70 per gallon and really, it is just about the same formulation as clear shampoo.

Author:  t_d_harvey [ Fri Oct 11, 2013 9:08 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Clay Soil Ammendment

I am just curious as to why it needs to be a clear shampoo? I recently used a shampoo that had a blue tint to it. Does this count as blue? I tested on an area that I am not too concerned about, so I guess I will see what happens.

What is the problem with the non-clear shampoos?

Author:  Fancylawnmower [ Mon Nov 04, 2013 5:58 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Clay Soil Ammendment

What do you recommend to use to spray the shampoo? Are you talking about using the sprayers you attach to your garden hose?

Author:  jp4LSU [ Sat Jan 25, 2014 8:19 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Clay Soil Ammendment

Has anyboddy heard of "Aeriify plus" with bioactivation?
Says it is a liquid aerator an has bioactivation.
I just can't find what it is made of.

I was thinking ofnusing this in conjunction with a plug aerator.

Author:  CousinNorma [ Mon Feb 17, 2014 11:02 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Clay Soil Ammendment

Has anyone tried Tillage Radishes to improve clay soil in a residential setting? Everything I find online about it is geared to agricultural use. I want to try it, but I need a small supply of seed. Need this by about late July, based on the freeze date in my area (northeastern Kansas).

Author:  CousinNorma [ Mon Feb 17, 2014 2:38 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Clay Soil Ammendment

Nevermind. Thanks to the wonderful Facebook, an organically inclined neighbor has directed me to a local source for a reasonable amount of Daikon Radish seeds to plant next fall.

Author:  user_48634 [ Sun Feb 23, 2014 11:32 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Clay Soil Ammendment

Aerify + does work. It works equally well as the shampoo treatment I suggested last year. In fact, the shampoo treatment was inspired by the use of Aerify + and another product called Nitron. Both of those work and both are very expensive. Both have been analyzed and replicated using materials available on eBay. One is practically identical to shampoo. The other is a mix of yucca juice and enzymes. Again, both work equally well and equally as well as cheap shampoo.

To answer a previous question about the shampoo - clear shampoo means not cloudy shampoo. The cloudy shampoos have oily conditioners in them that do not help the lawn. Clear shampoos can be tinted blue, green, or any color as long as you can see clearly through them. Back before dish soaps started using antimicrobial poisons in them, you could have used any liquid dish soap but not anymore. For now shampoos are the thing to use.

Author:  stonewall gardener [ Mon Mar 03, 2014 5:48 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Clay Soil Ammendment

Listen to Sandi and add some compost. This would be the "Natural Way"

Mark

Author:  jp4LSU [ Fri Mar 28, 2014 2:35 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Clay Soil Ammendment

Thanks Dchall,
I'm going to do the shampoo thing. That's going to take a long time with the sprayer for 1 acre.

Sandi and stonewall, I'm going to do more native stuff in the flower beds. I would like to get the beds more suitable for variations and more colorful flowers, but I might be fighting a losing battle with such big beds.

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