How to get the best from your clay soils

In this step-by-step guide, we will walk you through the right lawn care and products for your lawn to thrive, helping your grass grow even on clay soil. 

1. Choosing the right grass seed

Finding the right grass seed mix isn’t always easy, as mixtures can contain all kinds of grass species for all kinds of purposes, and unless you’re fluent in Latin, it can be a bit of a guessing game as to what their properties actually are!

Fortunately, at The Grass People, we created a mix specifically designed for clay soils - IMPRESS: Clay Master. 

The tall fescue grass species in this mix has a strong deep rooting system, which not only allows it to penetrate your clay soils effectively but ensures a drought-tolerant lawn, especially in clay soils that are prone to dryness in the warmer months. The perennial ryegrass in this mix makes way for a fast-growing and hard-wearing lawn to thrive.

If your clay soils are also suffering from shade, combine this mix with one of our shaded mixes to give your shaded clay soil lawn the complete solution it needs to impress.

2. Improve soil drainage

A common problem in gardens with clay soils is drainage issues, with lawns often becoming waterlogged and quickly turning to mud in winter. If drainage is very poor, it may be worth addressing this before sowing or overseeding.

Introducing land drains can be a time-consuming and costly job but can be worth it as the benefits will last for a very long time. However, most clay soils aren’t too severe, and you can usually achieve better drainage using less expensive methods. For example, applying lime or gypsum can do wonders for soil drainage, whilst aeration and fertiliser management can further improve soil structure.

3. Aerate your soil for better growth conditions

Aeration is one of the best lawn care practices you can do for a clay soil lawn.

Aeration involves creating holes in the soil either through spiking or pricking which allows air, water and nutrients to better reach grass roots and thus, promote better growth!

• Spiking - Ideal to do once a year in Autumn with a garden fork. It can also be carried out once every three years using a hollow-tine fork.
• Pricking - This process can be performed more regularly, particularly through the summer months, with a solid-tine aerator.

Aeration will have short-term and long-term benefits, reducing the risk of having a waterlogged lawn, especially throughout the winter.

Find out more on 'How to aerate your lawn'

4. Fertilise to help grass grow

The final step to help grass grow on a clay soil lawn is choosing the right fertiliser. This is the key to providing grass with the essential nutrients it needs to grow through aiding grass root establishment, improving the soil structure and improving uptake of nutrients.

Fortunately, here at The Grass People, we have developed a specialised fertiliser that has been designed to cater to the nutritional needs for growth in clay soil. Our SLOW RELEASE: Clay Soil Fertiliser contains 0% Phosphate as this is already abundant in the lawn but is high in Nitrogen to stimulate lush, green grass growth. An application of this in Spring/Summer will do your clay soil wonders!

Have a question around fertilisers? Check out our Fertiliser FAQs

If you have any other questions, please feel free to get in touch; we are always happy to help.