Hello, first time posting on this site. I live in ohio and have about 6 inches of clay, before I get to different dirt, golden brown color. My yard has been severely forger about, we moved here last year and the clay is so compacted it holdA water, And when I mean water, we pumped out 44,000 gallons the last time we had a 3 day rain. I'm the low spot, I have installed a underground sump pump with corrugated through the entire yard. I just finished this up today, I'll let you all know. However my question is, I did a soil test and I have absolutely 0 nitrogen and 0 phosphate. Hence why I had to remove 7 dead trees, (I'm thinking) or the flooding? How do I bring these levels up and will this help draining and growth if I try and Fix the lack of nutrients. (I've already aerated this morning, first time doing so) thanks

Who did the test?
Some thing is amiss.
It would be impossible for your grass to look that good with 0 nitrogen.

Our county water and soil department

Noideawhatimdoing1 said:Our county water and soil department

That is very surprising. Are you certain it wasn't that they said you did not need to add any nitrogen or phosphorus? Or could they have said "available phosphate"? It's possible for a nitrogen reading to be low if they are testing only for nitrate nitrogen, it doesn't necessarily mean there is no form of nitrogen in the soil at all. Either way fertilizing will not fix the drainage. The grass actually doesn't look all that bad to me.

Thanks for all the info. After gathering what you all have said, it would make me believe the standing water over the years made these trees die.


Thank you

You only need to do 2 things, and those 2 religiously. First is plug aerate and the second is manure compost. The compost goes down in the fall, because winter is a time for root growth in anticipation of spring leaf growth. Adding compost to the soil, the soil surface will rise over years and change drainage. Manure has amongst other things proteins, which are amino acids, which is what soil biology uses to build its bodies. Also the change in surface texture to something more open than the fine surface of a clay will improve percolation rates. These are slow but economical ways to improve the lawn without undue pressure. Plugging not only gives oxygen a pathway, but uncrowds the roots so they develop full size instead of skinny and weak resulting in poor top growth while also allowing the compost and overseeds to find purchase in the soil.