My entire lot that my new home is built on is all clay, with construction debri everywhere buried... What all do I need

Drmattymd
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Joined: Sun Oct 30, 2016 3:54 pm
Location: VA, USA

Re: My entire lot that my new home is built on is all clay, with construction debri everywhere buried... What all do I n

Post by Drmattymd »

steavemr wrote: Sat Jun 12, 2021 9:00 pm I recently moved to the midwest and I've never seen clay before but from what I've read, it's a nightmare. It's very hard and compact. Pellett of sod
A few questions:
1.) Should I pick up all debris and rocks embedded in the lot prior to tilling?
2.) Where should I add topsoil and till? The entire yard (i.e. including potential future patio), or just where I will be placing mulched flowerbeds and grass sod?
3.) Is it better to dig up when it's wet so it's muddy rather than rock hard in the sun? I'm thinking about getting an early start before the weather gets hot.
4.) Do I need to "fix" the clay in areas I will be putting rocks? This will be around the perimeter of the house, right up against the house.
5.) If I decide to install grass sprinklers, should that be done before or after amending this hard-ass clay?
6.) Are gypsum pellets something I would spread directly on top of the clay and leave? Or do I actually need to do something with it?
7.) Can I just use topsoil (currently there is none, or it was crushed by construction) or do I need to use compost for tilling?
Thanks for answering my questions. I've been doing a lot of reading on clay, but most of it isn't on new construction/bare lots.
You probably need to pick a different forum to ask this question on, this one s for a video game
Playing on PC and PS4
Mwal
Posts: 3270
Joined: Wed Aug 16, 2017 4:59 pm

Re: My entire lot that my new home is built on is all clay, with construction debri everywhere buried... What all do I n

Post by Mwal »

Clay is easy to compact just do not use a vibratory compactor, it will draw moisture to the surface and get mushy. You need to just rent a skid loader with tracks level it out clean up the garbage get rid of it first then rough the yard into shape. At this point I would put in the sprinklers, finish shaping the yard, then buy topsoil and put it in 3-6 inches thick if you’re planting grass or if you’re going to have sod rolled call the contractor that’s putting it in and ask what they prefer. I would still shape the clay to drain away from the house even where you are putting rocks because water takes a while to soak into clay so you don’t want sub grade water pockets under your landscaping. Don’t mess with it when ist muddy you will only work moisture into it and make a mess. If you have wet spots work them up similar to the way a disc leaves the soil then just leave them dry in the sun until they get a thick dry light colored crisp the re-compact and don’t leave it worked up when it’s going to rain or it will *censored* the water right up and get wetter. As far as gypsum goes I’m not sure why you would need it without doing soil testing or being told you do by a local professional. If using topsoil I don’t necessarily see the need for gypsum unless you have some serious hard pan and you only need topsoil where you are growing plants or grass, don’t put it under a patio, it’s not stable enough, get your clay good and hard and flat and use a few inches of sand to bed under the patio. On the sand use a vibrating compactor to get it hard and a rake to fine grade it for pavers. Just remember in most cases clay holds to much moisture to be properly compacted so you need to dry it and use weight and static compaction techniques. Sand/gravel is quite the opposite and usually needs moisture added to reach optimal compaction and benefits from the moisture brought up by vibration. You could post a few pictures so it’s easier to see what exactly you have going on. I’ve done this for a living for 15 years and am currently at work plowing up clay with a dozer to dry after thunderstorms on Friday/Saturday so I can pass compaction tests tomorrow if your questioning whether a random guy on a farm sim forum knows what he’s talking about. Lastly I would ask local contractors soil varies so the Internet might be leading you astray as they could have completely different conditions, basically there are tons of different types of clay and without seeing it or working with it it’s hard to say that’s why I would question local pros.
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