[WATS33]

I recently moved into a new home and want to reseed the yard. My problem is that the ground has a high clay content and I don't know what type of seed I should use or how the ground should be prepared for seeding. I do not want to retill the yard because it is fairly large.

[21boat]

Found this on another site.

"First thing is get the soil in shape.My opinion is no secret, sir: Good old fashioned Cover Crops are the perfect answer to cure Clay Soil. Thanks to that Clay, your soil is already high in calcium -- very good for repelling Dandelions and other weeds when you finally sow your Grass seed.

"Green Manure" -- which is what we call plants in the Legumes family -- fortifies your soil with incredible doses of usable Nitrogen. Alfalfa. Wheat. Vetch. Peas. Rye. Clover. These plants actually MANUFACTURE Nitrogen out of thin air! And if there's anything you need to grow healthy grass, it's Nitrogen. These are usually grown during the summer, then tilled in before they reach maturity. Even better, the roots of some Green Manures draw nutrients UP toward the soil surface and make them available for your shallow-rooted lawn grass. At that point, you can count on having the richest, most fertile soil in town.

Aged Compost and Manure ... even better! A boost of organic matter is just what the doctor ordered for building up the soil structure. Just one Teaspoon of rich soil contains anywhere from 100 million to 1 billion bacteria. You want
to encourage growth of soil microbes down there; you need those Nitrifying Bacteria in your neutral, nontoxic soil to break down decomposing stems and roots, converting Organic Nitrogen into Nitrate, at a rate that changes with the temperature and natural pH. Like natural clockwork. In God's time.

First thing many homeowners do before seeding their lawn: Sprinkle Lime.

But while Lime may sound like a quick fix, it's not a long term solution to Clay.

Why not?

Because -- to quote agricultural merchant Frost proof: "Organisms abound in an organically rich soil and break it down into a form of food the plant roots can absorb easily. The addition of organic material is perhaps the most important ingredient in healthy root development."

I thought it was a good natural way to fix the clay soil. As far as your seed, what's the Geo here? What are the neighbors growing in there clay lawns?