Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design 1 Sep 23, 2015 10:37 pm Hi people, I have just had a new house built in qld and am now taking on the task of getting some grass in our yard. Our soil profile is clayey sandy gravel, dry and very dense. Our backyard has been excavated about 1m due to the slope on the block and a bed of weathered rock was struck during excavations. Bigger machinery had to come in to crack the rock up to get the slab down. So our backyard is basically rock, clay and gravel. Hitting it with a shovel feels like concrete basically. Our builder has levelled our yard with stone dust/cracker dust and its about 100-150mm deep over the soil. Today I dug out some cracker dust and attacked the clay soil below, but my shovel just bounced off it lol. My bank account is pretty drained at present and I could afford to put $4.95 blended turf down but would not be happy with it long term. So I am keen to give zoyisa a try. I am considering plugs or even seed. So my question is how will turf go in cracker dust? Im thinking of getting a load of organic compost to mix through the cracker dust, then topping the cracker dust with say 50mm of organic soil? Then adding most of the things mentioned in Fu's turf prep thread like zeolite, gypsum etc. Does anyone have any suggestions or think this should be ok? Would i be better off to get rid of the cracker dust all together and bring in loads of garden soil/sand and lay that about 150mm deep over the existing rock/clay? Any advice appreciated. Re: Yet another turf question. 2Sep 24, 2015 10:35 am The turf won't do well in the cracker dust unfortunately.. If the cracker dust is bits of bluemetal or crushed up rock sort of thing then it has to go.. Use a post hole bar to break up the underlying clay (or use a machine) to about 150mm deep then layer on 150mm of sandy loam. Don't mix them together, there is no point. In an ideal world you would grade the clay subsoil away from your house or into drains then layer the top soil on top. That way when it rains the water will filter through the top soil then when it hits the clay it drains away rather than leaving a slosh pit. Re: Yet another turf question. 3Sep 24, 2015 11:17 pm Hmm ok. Thanks for the advice. I have about 200m2 of yard so probably at least 15m3 of cracker dust on the ground so it will be a monster job with a shovel lol. Might just enjoy the maintenance free blue metal look for a while and think this through... Re: Yet another turf question. 4Sep 25, 2015 1:12 pm Can you put turf soil on top of the cracker? If the levels work thats another option than removing it. Re: Yet another turf question. 5Sep 25, 2015 2:33 pm Yeah I am thinking of removing some of the cracker dust to lower some levels and bringing in some soil on top. What depth would you suggest I need? A local turf supplier said they recommend a 1:1 cracker dust and dune sand mix under turf, and to use organic fertiliser regularly. So might remove some cracker dust and mix some sand through and try to get whatever organic soil i can down on top. I am guessing I might be able to get the soil 100mm deep on majority of the yard. Re: Yet another turf question. 6Sep 25, 2015 3:33 pm pretty sure cracker dust and sand wont hold the nutrients required for health turf. 100mm of soil/compost is what youd be looking for. Have you read Fu's turf guide threads? Creator of superduperonium, expert at expert things, nobel laureate, can hold my breath for 10 minutes. Re: Yet another turf question. 7Sep 25, 2015 3:54 pm Yeah, I can't imagine a lot of nutrients in cracker dust sand either so will try to bring in soil and organic compost to a degree and layer it on the cracker dust that's already on my yard I suppose. I should be able to fit 100mm of it in most areas by removing a little of the cracker dust. I have read Fu's thread and plan on applying his tips too. Re: Yet another turf question. 8Sep 25, 2015 9:56 pm You want a min 100mm of 'sandy loam'. Not just sand. Sandy loam is a good compromise by holding water and nutrients while also being easily penetratable with irrigation/rain. Get the soil depth the best you can, if its a bit less than 100mm don't stress. If the budget can strech lay compost on the cracker and mix it through 100mm then layer on the sandy loam another 200mm. Re: Yet another turf question. 9Sep 25, 2015 10:00 pm Cool that sounds like the plan I will go with. Thanks heaps for the advice. I will hopefully get started sorting out what I need this weekend and take it from there. Fingers crossed it all goes to plan and I can post a pic in a few months of a nice green backyard They using concrete or timber sleepers? Timber or steel uprights? 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