Posted 2016-04-15 2:03 PM Subject: Outdoor Arenas - those with Clay
Elite Veteran
Posts: 678 Location: Canada
We have a 175 x 350 outdoor arena that I'm constantly adding sand to. We have about 6" of top soil and then clay underneath. I've brought in countless amounts of sand but the clay always finds it's way up. I know I could dig it all out but I don't want to spend that much money and with the weather where I live it would find it's way through anyways. We work it regularly otherwise it packs down too hard. I'm buying a rototiller for our tractor to help try to keep it aerated but looking for other suggestions.
I've heard (but am scared to try it) that adding old manure/manure shavings mix will help to keep the clay from compacting so much. I'm considering dumping a bunch of our old manure pile in and tilling it together with the footing already there but don't want a mess on my hands. I'm still ordering sand to add.
For those that have clay underneath what do you do to keep your ground good?
Posted 2016-04-15 2:35 PM Subject: RE: Outdoor Arenas - those with Clay
Experienced Mouse Trapper
Posts: 3106 Location: North Dakota
I would think your rototiller will help a lot. It won't dig too deep and leave the clay base, plus our rototiller only gets used half as often as other implements because it pulverizes the dirt and we can just drag it back together if we have furrows or holes. We have had a duck foot cultivator and disc and both of them tended to bring the clay up and we would loose sand. With the rototiller we have a good clay base-which surprisingly holds well and about 8 inches of sand on top. We had a family friend haul in about 8 belly dumps of sand 2 summers ago and it is sure a lot nicer than before.
Posted 2016-04-18 12:19 PM Subject: RE: Outdoor Arenas - those with Clay
boon
Posts: 2
i have found that with a clay base or black jumbo base what worked best for me was to level and pack the base this creates a seal on top of this i added sand to the depth i wanted . after this i only used a drag to level the sand being careful not to to disturd the seal on the clay base do not plow or disturd the base if you do the sand will leak down into the clay this is very important not to breack the seal
Outdoor Arenas - those with Clay
