two questions: 1) craftsman tractor, 2) clay soil

[Dan Hofstetter]

Hi,

First, I have a Craftsman II 14-hp 5-speed 38" deck lawn tractor that has four blades installed -- two per side in a cross. Has anybody ever seen this before? Craftsman says only two blades should have come on the machine, and they have never been changed. I'd like to replace them with four mulching blades since reducing the number to two will reduce my # of cuts/revolution by one half. One blade is straight, the other has a raised section in the center for the first blade to fit into. The blade adapters are also special -- the main one has a large square cutout for the second one to fit into.

Second, I have a clay lawn in Central Pennsylvania that is compacted and drains poorly. The grass is very thin and the roots are in the top of the soil. What's the best thing to do? I have been told that

80# lime/1000 sq.ft. with some 10-20-10 fertilizer could help, but I've also read that using a core aerator and following up with a top-dressed layer of something like Turface or Profield would provide more immediate results.

Please email replies to [e-mail]

Thanks,

Dan

[Tom]

I live in Texas with black clay. I have had good luck in the garden with gypsum. 2 applications , each spring. Little pricey at Home depot 6-7$ a bag. I don't remember the sq ft coverage.4 to 6 hundred??? It will burn like Fertilizer but I like the results in the garden and a new 8x45 flower bed I put in this year.

Wrots a wruck with Clay

Tom P