Ways to Break Up Lawn Soil. For a plant, compacted soil is like a pile of bricks. You can kill these tree roots naturally without the use of chemicals. This added Searles Premium Organic Compost will improve soil fertility and help break up the soil, preventing it from drying hard like a brick. However, when tackling a larger area, use a rototiller with an aeration attachment. After cutting down a tree, the roots can make it difficult to remove the entire tree stump. Roots can work their way in to these openings and continue to grow until eventually they form a root mass that could totally block the pipe, causing the content to back up into your house. Others make lots of leaves and are a great way of adding organic matter in the garden for very little cost. Some, like peas, beans or clover are nitrogen fixing and help add this to the soil. Instead, the roots are slowly decomposed by soil microbes deep underground. Even a tiny crack or a loose joint can release vapors that attract roots like an aphrodisiac. For smaller, grassy areas that are compacted, use a small metal garden fork to poke holes in the soil so air, water, and roots can enter the area. Worms, bacteria, fungi, and other organisms all nibble away, ultimately converting the dead roots back into nutrients available for other living plants. Roots must work harder to grow into soil, which means that there will be less roots, which means that the plant takes up fewer nutrients and water. This may seem like a lot, but the results will be wonderful. All this translates to poor plant growth. Cover crops are plants that you grow in the garden to fulfill several purposes. Beyond this, when soil is too compact, it can make it difficult for water to percolate through the ground. Employ the power of roots to break up heavy soils and add organic matter. Some cover crops send down big root systems and help break up the soil. And the cycle repeats. These compounds have to break down in the soil before the root and sprout can burst forth into the world. Cover crops help break up hard soils with their roots and by adding plant matter to the soil. Apply top-down soil amendments in layers only 2 or 3 inches deep to allow rain to percolate through. Tree roots are the number one cause of underground pipe damage. In some areas, the soil is naturally high in clay, making the soil tight and compacted. In the process, soil organic matter, soil carbon, and overall soil structure are all improved. Oxygen is vital to the germination process. Usually, the healthier the soil, the faster it will break down roots. Use a hand fork or garden rake to loosen the soil. The soil will need to be cleaned and any debris like rotted plant roots, weeds and dead leaves will need to be removed from the soil. Sow cover crops when the soil is bare, such as over winter. Non soil growing mediums usually take much longer. 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