Tilling in sand by Ask This Old House

[Smallaxe]

Originally Posted by Patriot Services

Nope, no adobe cement was created.
Posted via Mobile Device

So Roger's solution to clay soil, was to form adobe cement under the sod???

That's why the program was broadcast, with those details???

[Kiril]

Any professional who looks to shows like this for information is a fool. I briefly looked through the "steps" he outlines and there are multiple problems with both his methods and advice.

[Patriot Services]

Sure he could have just scalped and dropped. That would have given validation to 90% of the so called sod installers out there. It didn't look like he churned up too much clay so there must have been a decent topsoil layer to begin with.
Posted via Mobile Device

[timturf]

Originally Posted by RigglePLC

I don't think adding sand to clay would be helpful.

or adding sand to silt! Do you like concrete!!

couple inches of organic matter generally would be find, depending on om%

[greendoctor]

If SOM is at or near 5% there is something else going on contributing to compaction and bad texture. My usual perps are high pH, high Mg, and sodium. Bringing in sand is no good unless you go all the way and construct the area like a USGA green.

[Smallaxe]

I got to see the whole program over the weekend as I was under the weather... the first thing he did was take a core sample then,,, take a pinch from out of the sampler and determine the texture by showing it 'ribbon' between his fingers... clay was pretty obvious, even on camera...

I don't know if anyone has ever used a cement mixer to mix their own cement from scratch using the correct gravel/sand for the job and a bag of pulverized Portland... but if you had,,, you would have quickly learned to NOT allow anykind of organic matter to contaminate the mixture...

I've been hoping for years now that I wouldn't have to be the one to explain why the mixing of sand and clay does not make cement/adobe in the soil... I didn't want to be the one that makes the point about what OM does to concrete mixes, becuz I'm an ignorant fool that tells wild stories and dispenses false information...

But at least I'm no more a fool than a guy that has his own franchise on educational TV, supportted by the Wisconsin Board of Regents...