- My Forums
- Tiger Rant
- LSU Recruiting
- SEC Rant
- Saints Talk
- Pelicans Talk
- More Sports Board
- Fantasy Sports
- Golf Board
- Soccer Board
- O-T Lounge
- Tech Board
- Home/Garden Board
- Outdoor Board
- Health/Fitness Board
- Movie/TV Board
- Book Board
- Music Board
- Political Talk
- Money Talk
- Fark Board
- Gaming Board
- Travel Board
- Food/Drink Board
- Ticket Exchange
- TD Help Board
Customize My Forums- View All Forums
- Show Left Links
- Topic Sort Options
- Trending Topics
- Recent Topics
- Active Topics
Started By
Message
Surface soil help
Posted on 4/15/19 at 2:43 pm
Posted on 4/15/19 at 2:43 pm
Full disclosure - I am an extreme novice all things lawn / garden related.
I just had to re-do some of the septic leach field lines as they were 20 years old and the system started to fail. SO I dug trenches, laid gravel and installed the pipes then backfilled. My entire lawn was destroyed in the process and has not yet been leveled.
I need to buy multiple yards of soil to put on top to level out before planting for grass.
I have read that it is critical to have soil that allows organisms to get oxygen down to the micro-bacteria which lives under ground to allow them to thrive and assist with treating the sewage emitted from septic lines. In addition, these pipes are in the only usable portion of my lawn where there will be grass, so I would prefer it to drain away rain water reasonably well so I can use the yard (for football with kids etc.) and it isn't always soaked.
Can I just use regular top soil? There is am alternate soil type here in Houston called 'turf mix' which is 60/40 coarse sand/bio-solids.
I don't pretend to know the differences and to be honest find all the different soil types a bit overwhelming. The last thing I want is to have another septic system failure and have to re-do the last few days I spent laying lines again.
If anyone has any advice or any experience it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
I just had to re-do some of the septic leach field lines as they were 20 years old and the system started to fail. SO I dug trenches, laid gravel and installed the pipes then backfilled. My entire lawn was destroyed in the process and has not yet been leveled.
I need to buy multiple yards of soil to put on top to level out before planting for grass.
I have read that it is critical to have soil that allows organisms to get oxygen down to the micro-bacteria which lives under ground to allow them to thrive and assist with treating the sewage emitted from septic lines. In addition, these pipes are in the only usable portion of my lawn where there will be grass, so I would prefer it to drain away rain water reasonably well so I can use the yard (for football with kids etc.) and it isn't always soaked.
Can I just use regular top soil? There is am alternate soil type here in Houston called 'turf mix' which is 60/40 coarse sand/bio-solids.
I don't pretend to know the differences and to be honest find all the different soil types a bit overwhelming. The last thing I want is to have another septic system failure and have to re-do the last few days I spent laying lines again.
If anyone has any advice or any experience it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Posted on 4/15/19 at 3:20 pm to HoustonsTiger
What kind of grass do you intend on planting?
Top soil is likely to be OK but you might want to use some soil conditioner and lots of organic fertilizers on it when you go to put seed down unless you can mix in compost with the soil before hand.
Top soil is likely to be OK but you might want to use some soil conditioner and lots of organic fertilizers on it when you go to put seed down unless you can mix in compost with the soil before hand.
Posted on 4/16/19 at 6:42 am to notsince98
The area is mostly shaded so likely St. Aug. I don't particualarly like that grass but I hear it is pretty low maintenance which works for me.
My main concern is making sure I don't put anything over this septic which causes an issue.
Would the 60/40 coarse sand bio solids be ok?
My main concern is making sure I don't put anything over this septic which causes an issue.
Would the 60/40 coarse sand bio solids be ok?
Posted on 4/16/19 at 7:28 am to HoustonsTiger
quote:
Would the 60/40 coarse sand bio solids be ok?
Sorry, not really a new soil expert. Might be worth a call to a local contractor and get pricing/recommendation on what they would do. Then price that out yourself.
The one thing to be weary of with top soil is weed seeds. Some places will process the top soil to kill those off before bringing to your house. Might be something to verify when getting quotes.
Back to top
Follow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News