The Grass Doctor

Which is better to break up hard Indiana clay soil? lime or gypsum. I cannot grow any lawn grass.?

And what is the best way to apply the lime or Gypsum. Before or after you rake the soil.

Public Comments

1. Get some topsoil brought in an put on top of you soil.
2. organic matter...compost, mulch, rotted hay
3. Peat moss, top soil, mulch, organic products. Ask your local nursery for help.
4. I had red clay like concrete in NC, broke it up with a pick ax, applied gypsum and some fine bark and froze my grass seed over night and planted the next day and grew a beautiful lawn. Gypsum is great, I also used it in Idaho. Break up and rake to even, apply products and rake lightly to work into the soil--plant and water water water.
5. Lime does not break up clay soils, gypsum is the recommended remedy. Lime changes the PH of the soil from Acid to neutral but if you have alkaline soil and you lime it , you may make the soil so alkaline that nothing will grow. never apply lime unless your soil needs it, it is hard to correct if you make this mistake. If you want to lime do a PH soil test first. I apply the gypsum at the recommended rate on the packaging and I dig in lightly, or you could rake in if you didn't want to dig.
6. Many of the answers, Dragon in particular, were appropriate. You want a simple answer to a complex question. Any steps you've taken, Ph levels of the soil, etc. As you state you have clay based soil. What would make you add lime? You need to take a number of soil samples from your grounds. Contact your local Extension Agent or State University. A person there will directly contact you to do a soil analysis. What you assume is clay may be nutrient deprieved. None of us that answer willl know the answer to that question until you do it. The service I suggest is free of charge (minimal at best) and provided through your state university (coast to coast). It got this bad, another year, won't be so bad with a solution in hand. Good Luck Friend.