Our soil in Suntree is nothing but what? CLAY! Clay swells, clumps, is hard, absorbs water and retains it like no other soil, and lacks organic matter. If you want to build a house on it great but be prepared for some shrinking, swelling, and cracks. If you want to have a landscape of green lush grass do not use clay.
Suntree's soil is nothing but clay. Clay will absorb the water, disperse it, and hold it for a long time it it isn't compact. To test if the soil is compacted do this, when the soil is soaked go under one of the pine trees where no grass exists. Step into the very soaked mud. Does it disperse and squish causing mud to get onto the sides of your shoes? Yes, then it isn't compacted. If no, you have very very compacted soil of which aeration will do nothing. Compacted soil means no air pockets or voids deep down. Meaning the water has no place to go so it runs off the lawn.
The only way to fix the problem is to kill the grass and remove 80% of the soil in every lawn. Put a layer of rock, then put a layer of sand, then add a mix of soils. Use a very good dark black top soil with peat moss and manure, a bit of sand, and remove clumps and rocks from the clay and mix it all together. A ratio of 40 - 30 - 10 -10 - 10 should do it. Do not add gypsum or sulfur!!!! Then once that is in sell the remaining clay to a builder or something but get rid of it! For about a week or two water the soil so it will settle and you can adjust the amount of soil and grade it before planting grass. Manure can cure any fungus problems or prevent them before they start making it a must for any soil. This mix allows tree roots something to grab onto, allows water to drain into the water aquifers below us, provides for air pockets and organic matter without fertilizing.
During the couple of weeks the soil is settling go out and check to see how far the water is going down when you water and how long the soil is staying moist and how far down it is staying moist. This is the most important thing you need to know once the grass is planted. From there enjoy the fruits of the money spent! BTW while you have everything dug out you can check the sprinkler system and make corrections and repairs. It does have it's bonuses and the rewards will be no more complaining that the landscaping looks like crap. And it will save water, save the streets, allow for the water aquifers to refill faster, and save money on fertilizing and aeration. Otherwise, we are just wasting money trying to make something grow and look good that never will! Repeating the same things expecting different results is the definition of insane or crazy. STOP THE INSANITY!
Here are some pictures of what they do when they aerate the lawns. These pods, if you will, are what is punched out of the ground. These pods are wet so they look darker than they are. The white stuff on top of one of the pods is not salt. It looks more like bird poop to me. All the pods were taken from the same area of the same lawn. Notice how the clay doesn't allow for many air pockets. Plants need air at the root level as well as above the surface. When roots cannot get air or water they come to the surface to get it or they die. You can water deeply all day long and if the roots cannot get air they will come to the surface. The fastest way to kill a tree is to plant it too deep or cover it with too much soil. This will suffocate it.
As you can see aeration is only going down about 3 inches which isn't far enough for shrub and tree roots. When trees and shrubs cannot get to water guess where they go? The sprinkler systems and water lines, which could explain some things in Suntree. Roots will grow through a water line even when there aren't any trees present in your yard. The roots have to come to the surface to get the air anyway so why not get a drink to. The root system has to have both air and water to go deep into the ground otherwise they come to the surface for one or both elements. Making aeration a waste of money when it only helps the top 3 inches of surface.
Using the soil mix suggested above will cause you to have lots of air pockets allowing the roots to get air and water. As well has giving the roots something to grab onto making them sturdy and stronger.
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