When a new house is built on a tear-down site, the good soil is often sold off and replaced after construction with lesser-quality soil. We have checked many tear-down properties and pulled soil cores, finding little or no top soil and solid clay.
What does this mean for the new homeowner?
It means you better install an irrigation system or plan on a lot of effort and expense trying to maintain your lawn. If properly used, an irrigation system will make up for a lot of sins. At the very least you should mow your own lawn, because you will need to keep the mow height higher than the typical mowing company is willing to do. You also want to avoid heavy mowers, which increase the stress on the lawn, and you should mulch your clippings. Good mowing practices become critical when you have poor soil and/or insufficient soil depth.
Finally, aeration and seeding should become a regular part of your routine every fall to reduce compaction, encourage root development, and introduce new grass varieties that may perform better in your less-than-optimal conditions. Contact us for more information.