• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Mad Backyard

menu icon
go to homepage
  • BBQ
  • Lawn
  • Pool
  • Patio
  • About
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • BBQ
    • Lawn
    • Pool
    • Patio
    • About
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Home » Lawn Care

    Published: Jul 25, 2020 · Modified: Mar 16, 2021 by Mads Martigan · This post may contain affiliate links ·

    How to Choose the Best Grass Seed for Clay Soil

    Several varieties of grass seed work best in dense clay soil. However, you must amend the soil and plant the seed correctly in order for your new grass to flourish.

    hard dense clay soil and dirt
    How do you turn THIS into a lush green lawn?

    Here where I live in Missouri, one only has to dig down about an inch in most places before they hit hard, thick, reddish brown clay soil.

    Looking at that dense, unforgiving dirt makes you feel like you might as well try to plant grass on your concrete driveway!

    A few years back my wife and I purchased a new house with a “patchy” lawn to say the least.

    I wanted to do the new lawn right so I set off on a quest to find out not only what is the best type of grass to grow in Missouri, but what is the best grass seed to plant in hard clay soil ?

     

    Choosing Grass Seed for Clay Soil

    Head on down to your local hardware store and you’re likely to see a wide variety of grass seed options. Walk into one of the big box hardware stores (please don’t) and you’re likely to come across even MORE confusing options.

    The big national chains don’t make it easy on you either. Most carry the same brands and types of grass seed in every store nationwide regardless of what area of the country you are in.

    Choosing the best type of grass seed for your local climate is a difficult enough decision on its own. But what about for homeowners with tough, hard, clay soil to contend with as well?

    First let’s look at some reasons why Clay Soil is so difficult to plant grass in.

     

    Why is Clay Soil so difficult to plant grass in?

    • It’s difficult to dig or irrigate
    • Water runs on top of it rather than soaking in
    • Fertilizers and Organic nutrients all run off rather than soaking into the soil
    • Your new expensive grass seed sits right on top just waiting to get eaten by birds

     

    Best Types of Grass Seed for Poor Clay Soil

    Before we “Dig in”… ;-)….Let’s first take a look at some of the best types of grass seed I found to work clay soil conditions:

    Due to Clay soil being a hard and unforgiving substance, you will want to choose a grass variety with a strong and robust root system. Especially grass with roots that grow deep in order to not only maintain stability, but reach a large surface area of soil for hydration.

    The best types of grass that meet these criteria are:

    • Zoysia
    • Tall Fescue
    • Bermuda
    • Buffalo Grass

    Now, other factors go into choosing a type a grass seed to plant besides just soil type.

    You will need to understand what climate zone you are in, how much watering each type of grass requires, whether it is a warm season or cool season grass, and how susceptible each one is to local diseases.

    For instance, here in Missouri I ended up choosing the Tall Fescue.


     

    While Zoysia is a common grass found in Missouri, it is what’s known as a warm season grass.

    This means it grows the fastest in warm weather vs Tall Fescue, a cool season grass, which grows the most in cool weather.

    While Zoysia is known to require less maintenance and less watering than Fescue, it also turns a pale brown in the winter when it goes dormant.

    My wife and I preferred to have a green lawn year-round, but this is personal preference.

     

    grass growing
    How do you grow a lush green lawn on hard clay soil?

     

     

    The Best Way to Plant Grass Seed in Hard Clay Soil

    So, once you’ve chosen your clay soil grass seed what’s the best way to plant that grass seed to make sure it…you know…actually grows?

    Because clay soil is so compact, it does not drain very well.

    While surface water may run off the top and be difficult to get into the soil INITIALLY, once the soil finally is saturated, it holds on to that water for a LONG time.

    For this reason, you must choose a grass seed that can handle a lot of water.

     

    Preparing Clay Soil for Grass Seed

    Clay soil is challenging to plant in because it tends to dry out and crack. However, it is also capable of holding a large amount of water and nutrients.

    You can take advantage of this attribute by amending the soil with lots of nutrient dense organic material before planting your grass seed to create a topsoil.

    Topsoil provides a less dense, nutrient filled bedding for your fragile little seedlings to start their journey into becoming healthy blades of grass.

    If you try planting your grass seed directly into the hard dirt, their fragile new roots will never take hold and they will quickly dry out and die.

     

    amending clay soil for grass seed
    They key is quality topsoil.

     

    How to Amend Clay Soil for Grass Seed

    To prepare the soil for grass seed, you will want to first incorporate organic material such as fertilizer, compost, manure, or even pre-fertilized topsoil into the existing soil.

    You will want to mix your organic material into the top 6-12 inches of your soil. This becomes what is known as your topsoil.

    The best way to do this is to buy, borrow, or rent a tiller to aerate and aggravate the soil and mix the organic material into the top later.

    Make sure to use a heavy-duty tiller if you are planning to use it on heavily compacted clay soil.

    Many lightweight inexpensive tillers will just bounce up and down off the hard clay soil rather than grinding it up.

     

    How to Plant Grass Seed in Hard Clay Dirt

    Once you have tilled the ground and incorporated your organic material into the topsoil, you now have a nice healthy starting environment for your grass seedlings to start their growth.

    Use a seed spreader to evenly distribute your seed on the topsoil and then cover it with a small layer of additional compost, topsoil, manure, or straw. This will keep the seeds moist and avoid having them eaten by birds.


    Make sure to keep the ground moist before, during, and well after you have laid your seed. You may need multiple sprinklers running in shifts depending on the size of your lawn.

    The idea is to keep the ground moist at all times, but do not overwater and drown out the seeds either.

    Avoid walking on the new grass for a number of weeks until the seedlings have taken hold and are well established.

     

    Looking for more Lawn and Landscaping Ideas?

    Check out our collection of ideas to help you make your lawn the best it can be!

    Lawn Care

    • When is the Best Time to Plant Grass?
    • How to Overseed a Lawn Without Aerating: 6 Easy Steps
    • The Best Organic Lawn Fertilizers: Buyer's Guide & Reviews
    • When to use Milorganite on your Lawn
    • How to Tell if Your Lawn Needs Lime

     

    Lawn Mower Maintenance

    • How to Tell if a Lawn Mower Spark Plug is Bad: 4 Easy Ways
    • How to Remove a Stuck Lawn Mower Wheel
    • 15 Ways to Make A Lawn Mower Faster
    • How to Balance Lawn Mower Blades

     

    More Lawn Care

    • ant hills in a backyard
      How to Get Rid of Ant Hills in Your Backyard: 9 Easy Methods
    • missouri st. louis arch and grass
      The Best Grass Seeds to Grow in Missouri
    • green lawn in the summer
      How To Keep the Lawn Green in the Summer Heat
    • rolling a lawn
      When to Roll Your Lawn: Everything You Need to Know

    Primary Sidebar

    Robert "Mads" Martigan, the founder of Mad Backyard

    Hi, I'm Mads, the founder of Mad Backyard and an avid outdoorsman, barbecue/smoker buff, and pellet grilling enthusiast who loves to share my passion for outdoor living and outdoor cooking with the world.

    More about me →

    Trending Recipes

    • pork shoulder on the grates of a pit boss pellet grill with a probe thermometer inserted in the meat
      Pulled Pork on a Pit Boss Pellet Grill
    • Pit Boss chicken breast cut in half to show inside on a white plate
      Smoked Chicken Breasts on a Pit Boss Pellet Grill
    • baby back ribs on the grates of a pit boss pellet grill
      Baby Back Ribs on a Pit Boss Pellet Grill
    • boston butt on the shelf of a masterbuilt electric smoker with a water pan beneath
      Smoked Boston Butt in a Masterbuilt Electric Smoker

    AFFILIATE DISCLAIMER

    Thanks for visiting Madbackyard.com!  As outdoor living enthusiasts, we love to mention and link to various products we have used or researched.  Assume those links are affiliate links which means we may earn a small commission if you click and buy.  As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

    Fall Recipes

    • turkey in a V shaped rack smoking on a pellet grill
      Classic Smoked Turkey on a Pit Boss
    • a smoked turkey in a masterbuilt electric smoker
      How to Smoke a Turkey in a Masterbuilt Electric Smoker
    • Sticky smoked sweet potatoes on a white plate
      Smoked Sweet Potatoes
    • Pit Boss Smoked Macaroni and Cheese in a cast iron skillet
      Smoked Mac and Cheese on a Pit Boss Pellet Grill

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    For great baking recipes, visit our partner site You're Gonna Bake It After All.

    About

    • About Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer
    • Terms and Conditions

    Newsletter

    • Sign up HERE!

    Contact

    • Contact Us

    As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2020-2023 Mad Backyard