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boogerman2000 · 05-15-2008, 12:46 PM

I have similiar issues. Our home was finished back in May of 06' and the contractor's rock hound kept stalling his bobcat and I just decided on him giving me a cash credit and I would handle the task myself. I bought a york rake and used it with my BX23 which seemed to work well. Fertilized, Limed, Planted, Strawed and watered and by the time the grass grew, I had a ton of rocks back up on the surface. I paid my nephews to go through the entire yard and throw the rocks over the hill. Some of the areas came in like golf course grass and others where like a barron desert with just spotty grass. The following year I purchased 40 tons of raw topsoil and 20 tons of screened. I respread the raw topsoil over part of the the existing back lawn and I top coated the desert parts with the screened soil. Replanted and watered. Things seemed to come in a little thicker but still I had spotty coverage. All along I never did a thing from the first planting on the front of my home. The front seemed to growing in thicker by the day. In the fall, I core aerated with a lowe's aerator, limed and overcast seed. This spring I aerated again, limed and fertilized with weed and feed and wholey moley is the grass growing nicely. We've been getting plenty of rain but everyone kept telling me that it takes several years to establish a thick lawn. There are still some places that could use some topcoating and seeding but I'm very pleased. I have a very compacted clay base and I read somewhere that it takes 10 to 12 inches of topsoil to get a good lawn growing over a base like that. Well I have about 4 to 5 inches down and things are looking up. I'm having to cut each week and the dogs and deer love it. With all this said, as I cut, I still find myself bending down and flicking rocks out of the ground and over the hill everytime I mow, however with the grass getting thicker, it does not seem to be as much of an issue as it was.

I don't think I really answered your question, however this was just my experience and it's been very frustrated.

05-15-2008, 12:46 PM	#2 (permalink)
boogerman2000 Bronze Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: West/Central Pennsylvania Posts: 81	Re: Soil screening question I have similiar issues. Our home was finished back in May of 06' and the contractor's rock hound kept stalling his bobcat and I just decided on him giving me a cash credit and I would handle the task myself. I bought a york rake and used it with my BX23 which seemed to work well. Fertilized, Limed, Planted, Strawed and watered and by the time the grass grew, I had a ton of rocks back up on the surface. I paid my nephews to go through the entire yard and throw the rocks over the hill. Some of the areas came in like golf course grass and others where like a barron desert with just spotty grass. The following year I purchased 40 tons of raw topsoil and 20 tons of screened. I respread the raw topsoil over part of the the existing back lawn and I top coated the desert parts with the screened soil. Replanted and watered. Things seemed to come in a little thicker but still I had spotty coverage. All along I never did a thing from the first planting on the front of my home. The front seemed to growing in thicker by the day. In the fall, I core aerated with a lowe's aerator, limed and overcast seed. This spring I aerated again, limed and fertilized with weed and feed and wholey moley is the grass growing nicely. We've been getting plenty of rain but everyone kept telling me that it takes several years to establish a thick lawn. There are still some places that could use some topcoating and seeding but I'm very pleased. I have a very compacted clay base and I read somewhere that it takes 10 to 12 inches of topsoil to get a good lawn growing over a base like that. Well I have about 4 to 5 inches down and things are looking up. I'm having to cut each week and the dogs and deer love it. With all this said, as I cut, I still find myself bending down and flicking rocks out of the ground and over the hill everytime I mow, however with the grass getting thicker, it does not seem to be as much of an issue as it was. I don't think I really answered your question, however this was just my experience and it's been very frustrated. __________________ L3540HST Skid Steer QA FEL, Woods 80 BH, Toothbar, 7' Rake, 5ft woods rotary cutter, Cub Cadet GT1554, Roller, Core Aerator, Suzuki King Quad 700, Polaris Hawkeye 300.