How do you plant grass seed or sod on very hard soil in the summer?

Angie Salcedo
by Angie Salcedo

How do I plant seed or sod on very hard soil (almost clay like) in the middle of summer? Should I wet it first? Is fertilizer or potting soil best when planting in the summer? We have sprinklers installed, do we let them run a few days before to soften the soil?

Hard soil!

  5 answers
  • Ann Cherkas Halstead Ann Cherkas Halstead on Jul 25, 2018

    You would need to till it up first.

  • Susan Dorville Susan Dorville on Jul 26, 2018

    You don't. You bring in compost, work it through the soil to a depth of at least 6 inches. You want to help the soil become more accessible for seed. You are otherwise wasting seed, time and water.

  • William William on Jul 26, 2018

    I agree with Susan. You need to amend the soil. Till or dig in topsoil, peat moss, and compost.

  • Mindy D. Mindy D. on Jul 26, 2018

    ABSOLUTELY!!! Tilling up the soil is a must. You never would want to cast seed onto "concrete", and it would do no good to do so on hard solid soil. Till it up, adding soil amendments to enrich the dead soil. Rake out, and plant the seed. Tamp this down, so as not to have it blow away, or birds eat it. BUT, the most important thing is ...water, water, water. Every day. I would a advise doing this in the fall or late summer when the heat is somewhat abated.....then, just watch it grow!!!

  • Sweet Things - Pili Sweet Things - Pili on Aug 21, 2018

    You need to amend the soil. Then if you want a green lawn later, once your grass seed is planted, the top inch of soil should be kept consistently moist but not soggy for the first 2 to 3 weeks