Fixing Compacted Soil // Core Aeration & Sand Topdressing

I have a few isolated areas in my lawn that are severely compacted. In the video I show you how I manually core aerate and top-dress with sand to improve compaction, drainage, and increase the availability for air and water to penetrate the compacted areas. Thanks for watching!
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[@MagnumVideos]

Man, I've got that same compacted clay soil. Just got a large depression in the front yard that I'm trying to fill a bit at a time so I don't kill my grass. It's been a week now and it's making a difference. In my video it almost looks like someone buried a CASKET in that area. I love your row of arborvitaes along the fence. Those look nice.

[@TheLawnShark]

Great video! Gotta love that clay compaction!

[@TurfCulture]

Thanks Dino! I ❤️ heavy clay.

[@tookster7483]

I have the 3 tine landsey and took out the middle tine. Even with 2 tines like yours my sandy soil is so compacted I cant even get it down 1/8th inch even with my 200lbs frame. I'm thinking my last option here is to drill my areas that is giving me a headache lol

[@familybarton]

Hmm, planning to rent a Kesmac mechanical walk-behind roller this weekend to do some leveling. Your compaction is making me wonder how wise that is 😅. Maybe I'll follow-up with an aeration.

[@Szdday]

Great content buddy! Those darn utility companies. They don’t care about our lawns like we do. I miss being in the STL!

[@TurfCulture]

Not much you can do but grin and bear it! Thanks for the kind words, STL is about to get real hot and humid 🥵

[@the-handy-fixer]

Wow that compactor they used must have been a beast. The thump is like concrete!

[@TurfCulture]

It had a 2 cycle Honda on it, crazy compacted!

[@the-handy-fixer]

@@TurfCulture 😳

[@randyman8984]

@@the-handy-fixer one of the nicest Bermuda lawns I've seen on a facebook group. And the guy rents an asphalt roller every year to go over the lawn. Go figure lol

[@theCastleberry]

Freaking ATT!!! Always causing problems. Great video friend!

[@TurfCulture]

Those rotten scoundrels

[@Jeremytorgersonofficial]

I can see spreading this over the entire lawn right after your fall and spring aeration.

[@TurfCulture]

That’s exactly right.

[@Braedenfish]

Gorgeous! Remember....as he stated this works for isolated issues in this type of lawn structure. Please do not MIX sand into your clay. He is showing a specific process for specific issues. TSMFS!

[@TurfCulture]

Actually, I regularly top-dress my lawn with 1/4" of sand to form a sand cap at least once a year. This video is just showing how to fix compaction from invasive repairs.

[@johnheimel5594]

There's no reason not to mix sand with clay. It works great in general to keep the sand from being tightly compressed.

[@Braedenfish]

@@johnheimel5594 🤣🤣🤣

[@johnheimel5594]

@@Braedenfish so you disagree that sand helps keep clay soil from being compacted? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@TheLawnTools]

I 💚 sand 😁👍🏼

[@TurfCulture]

I too, lurve sand 🥰

[@arielrodriguez6980]

Great info! I have an area that's bald from compaction. I have stuck a screwdriver in and it barely goes in compared to the other areas that's nice and green. I used a liquid dethatcher and a manual aerator like the one you have. Do you recommend I place some play sand too and keep using the liquid dethatcher every 3 to 4 weeks? I mainly have clay soil.

[@DuyDepTraiPhoBaTrieu]

I got a spot on my lawn that members of my family kept stepping on, compacted that the amount of grass is way less than other spot. Will this sand and aerator method help bringing the grass back?

[@HelmuthBaum]

Awesome video and great information, I have two sections that would benefit if I use sand and manual aeration. What seed did you drop for the backyard project?

[@TurfCulture]

New Millenia TTTF

[@ianreed7605]

When you push the yard butler in and it doesn’t pull out a plug it usually means the hollow tubes are blocked. Also when you manually aerate and you aren’t removing a plug, you are pushing the compaction away from the hole you make and in doing so making the compaction even worse around the holes you have created?

[@TurfCulture]

I can assure you the tines were not clogged. In the example that I showed in the video you essentially have two options, reason being is that I have a sand cap incorporated into the top layer of top soil. Option A: I can either use a hollow tine aerator, pull plugs, remove them, then incorporate sand into the holes. Option B: Spike aerate and add sand into the holes. Option B is the preferred method for sports turf managers due to the fact that you do not want to chance bringing any dirt to the surface where you have established the sand cap. Once you've established the sand cap there is essentially no turning back to ever topdressing your lawn with soil or organic compost. In this case where the dirt was so compacted that the plugger would not successfully pull a plug it actually worked in my favor.

[@bradyhalstead4822]

i would also recomend using the sand with some organic matter too just to give it a boost of nutrition

[@TurfCulture]

Maybe, perform a soil test and determine if you need to add any additional OM first.

[@bradyhalstead4822]

@@TurfCulture true, you should test PH but organic matter will always be beneficial especially in mid to end of autumn when the temperature is a bit lower as grass roots better in lower temperatures and will give better root growth and better nutrition for the following spring too :) oh, and fun fact, iron sulphate is good to put down in autumn as well to reduce the risk of moss. this allows the grass to breathe faster thus increasing the grass/soil temperature, which will provide an undesirable climate for moss to grow

[@luminalaztec919]

I have really heard clay soil. Will this type of approach work with that too? My water retention is terrible.

[@TurfCulture]

I also have heavy clay in Missouri. Incorporating sand will help break up some of the organic matter and improve drainage.

[@anneann9127]

I'm curious how this worked. There are a lot of people that say adding sand to clay soil makes it worse, I read an article from the University of Illinois that read, When sand mixes with clay, it creates a soil structure akin to concrete. To create a real change in clay soil structure, you would need to add a 1:1 ratio of sand to clay. So did it work? I have clay soil in Zone 5a. I've been adding compost to it but wondered about the sand.

[@TurfCulture]

Zero issues, my lawn looks amazing and I have a nice soil loam profile for roots to develop.

[@anneann9127]

@@TurfCulture Thank you for replying. I might add some to an area in the back yard and see how it does.

[@PrincessCutLawnCare]

Have you seen the new swardman manual aerorator? It looks promising for people with lawns like us

[@TurfCulture]

I have, can’t find US pricing on it though. It looks like it’s build like a tank.

[@randyman8984]

Is it called the fork aerator? Can you post a link?.

[@randyman8984]

I've seen a few people use those brake rotor drums for aerators I think you can buy them off eBay, they're about $250.

[@hectorpascale1013]

@@randyman8984 I think he means this one www.gardenimports.co.uk/product/swardman-hollow-tine-fork-aerator/ This is the swardman link in € www.swardman.com/int/fork-aerator/

[@Jonnn21]

My bigest issue is Thatch! I use a dethatcher but no matter what it comes back

[@kanderson8857]

Do you use your bag when you mow?

[@robbyreeder4617]

could you do a combination of sand and compost? 1 part each, they top dress?

[@TurfCulture]

Absolutely, the compost will break down in about 30 days.

[@arielstereo5484]

I've done 30 minutes with the sprinkler twice a week added dethatcher liquid and got plugs out and no luck. Recently I added black kow and milorgonite. Any ideas?

[@TurfCulture]

Patience, when is the last time you’ve done a mechanical aeration?

[@arielstereo5484]

@@TurfCulture If you mean powered aeration never but I have made holes many times with manual aerator. I got a manual soil weasel today. Going to till the bare areas now so it can mix with the black kow.

[@randyman8984]

You sure you don't have rocks stuck in your manual aerator? I have the same yard Butler and sometimes I get rocks stuck in them which causes to not pull cores.

[@TurfCulture]

No rocks in there, just very compacted clay.

[@VassagoStraad]

What about top dressing with compost? Is that a good medium to use?

[@TurfCulture]

Yes compost will give you temporarily water holding capacity. Just be cautions about adding too much organic matter in the soil.

[@chelseasingleton9269]

Will you be seeding the bare spot? If so, how long after all of these steps?

[@TurfCulture]

Seeding depends on your grass type. In the video I’m growing Kentucky bluegrass and it spreads / repairs on its own so no seed needed. If you do require seed just go ahead and do it at the same time.

[@chelseasingleton9269]

What if the compacted area getting aerated is bare? Would you still use sand?

[@TurfCulture]

Absolutely!

[@tsteele1944]

why do some people use sand, while others use compost to fix their clay heavy/compact soils?

[@TurfCulture]

Great question. Depends on what your goals are, compost adds temporary water holding capacity and organic matter while sand aids in drainage, increasing air exchange, and sand creates a smoother surface.

[@ravens7222]

i cant aerate through compact soil. its really bad

[@TurfCulture]

Hydrate the soil first

[@hakametal]

The Yard Butler feels kinda useless on compacted clay soils. I had the same issue where the soil in the tines wouldn't push through.

[@TurfCulture]

In this case I was fine with it, I would have removed the cores anyway

[@hudsonkb]

It works on compacted clay, but you must water a bunch before. Using it as a spike aerator just further compacts your soil unfortunately.

[@TurfCulture]

@@hudsonkb solid tine aeration does not contribute to compaction issues, here is an article from the USGA about solid tine aeration and top dressing with sand. Thanks for watching! www.usga.org/course-care/green-section-record/57/19/is-solid-tine-aeration-right-for-your-greens-.html

[@carolinafine8050]

I want to use sand… I have bad compaction and clay. But I’ve heard people tell my nightmare stories of sand being added to clay causing even harder soil. Is this all bogus?

[@TurfCulture]

All bogus. Any sports turf manager will recommend sand to you.. even with clay soil.

[@carolinafine8050]

@@TurfCulture you are the best. I appreciate you taking the time to respond to my question/concern.

[@mwl5]

@@carolinafine8050 i disagree with that. your initial inclination was right and you should not be adding sand. it will make your soil harder and will create drainage issues. this is done on golf courses to make a hard, fast surface for play. your lawn is not a golf course and if you did add sand, you'd have to do a lot more maintenance to address the issues the sand will cause. I'm an experienced lawn technician and all research from university extensions will tell you the same thing.

[@jfarm_1311]

Humic would have been an easier option. Your hose chasing you while you were on the ground was creepy.. lol. Just messing with you, good info!

[@TurfCulture]

I could have just painted it black and called it a day. Hindsight is 20/20.

[@SpartanTrees]

Using sand in Oklahoma makes the soil a substance like red cement😂 wouldn't recommend it to any fellow okies!!

[@TurfCulture]

Got any golf courses in the state of Oklahoma?

[@SpartanTrees]

@@TurfCulture Yup, and guess what they don't like using! Sand👍

[@bluejay3945]

Are you seeing any major nutrient deficiencies since you are using sand exclusively? The golf course manager is a friend of mine and he says sand is a way for golf courses to improve drainage issues but not necessarily compaction because of how water moves between 2 distinct boundaries like a sand and clay layer. Years ago he emphatically told me that sand should only be used on warm season grass areas of golf courses where drainage is an issue. Sand should not be used for residential applications especially with cool season grasses and heavy clay content soils because it was impossible to incorporate the sand into the clay without tilling. I have found no university turf management publications that support sand top dressing as a cultural management tool for cool season grasses however there are tons of studies showing why it leads to future issues

[@TurfCulture]

This is a loaded question, building a sand cap is used on both warm and cool season turf. You can reference this not only in golf but also soccer and baseball field construction, the fields are built on a sand base or slit sanding for drainage. The process also aids with compaction issues due to the amount of foot traffic on the playing by surface, that said you have to continue to aerate and top dress or you will run into issues down the road.

[@bluejay3945]

@@TurfCulture great response and I didn’t mean to be an idiot. You are certainly permitted to do whatever you wish. I just get crazy with the push for a golf course lawn. I still maintain that for cool season grasses sand is not sustainable over time. Have a great summer!

[@TurfCulture]

Once you go sand really there’s no going back if you want to avoid layering. I appreciate the view and comment.

[@bluejay3945]

@@TurfCulture please give updates as you move forward. I would love to see how you make out. Stay well

[@donovanscott6861]

This guy's doesn't know what he's talking about... Play sand? Play sand will heat up and burn your lawn.

[@TurfCulture]

Lol thanks for watching man

[@kbolyoly]

Your lawn doesn't look very healthy. Sand has nothing to aid the soil.

[@TurfCulture]

What gives you the impression that my lawn doesn’t look “healthy.”

[@kbolyoly]

@@TurfCulture Just look at it. YardBrah has a good looking lawn, yours looks undernurished. Just sayin"

[@TurfCulture]

@kbolyoly I see it. I was going to leave this alone but I feel compelled to explain that the best turf the world is growing on sand, please conduct your own research. Also, don’t ever compare me to yardBrah. One of us is a licensed turf manager and the other is a registered sex offender, I’ll let you figure that one out on your own.