How Do I Know If There Is A Landscape Grading Problem
The most simple way to look if you have yard leveling problems is to look for standing water. If you dont have proper drainage, you know that you have a problem.
If you want to be more precise with your landscape grading, you can measure your yards slope. To do this you will need the following tools:
The ground around your home should slope away approximately 1/4-inch down for every foot away from your home. This comes to around 2 ft. per 100 ft. So at 100 feet from your house, the ground should be 2 ft. lower than at the base of your home.
To accurately measure the slope of your yards landscape grading grab a 3 ft. long wood stake. Drive it 1 ft. deep in the dirt at the bottom of your house. Then measure a 100 ft distance away from your house. At that spot drive a second 3 ft. long stake into the soil.
At ground level on the stake by the house attach a string. Run the string to the second stake. Attach it to the stake with the string level. Use a carpenters level to achieve this.
With the string attached to both stakes, measure the distance from the ground to the string on the far stake.
If you measure a drop from 3 inches to 2 feet, you may be able to do the leveling yourself. However, if the drop is greater than that, or it slopes upward, it is recommended that you hire a professional to grade the yard.
For very steep slopes you may consider planting ground covers or building terraces.
Why Is My Lawn Bumpy
There are a number of reasons why lawns get lumps and bumps in them. The continual freezing and thawing over spring can cause soil to shift unevenly. Wild animals or pets can dig up areas of a lawn. Even walking on it when it is too soft either in the spring or after a very heavy rainfall can cause depressions to form in your lawn. If lumps and bumps in your lawn are concerning you it is best to contact a qualified lawn care specialist near you to diagnosis exactly what the issue is and the best way to deal with it.
Brush The Grass With A Broom
Brush the grass back and forth with a broom this works in the leveling mix down whilst at the same time, lifting the grass blades up to make sure the grass isnt covered with soil. Water the area lightly, taking care not to overwater as this can wash away the leveling mix. Monitor progress . Repeat if needed
Top tip: You can level out any small bumps by stepping on them it’s best to do this in Spring when the grass is soft.
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Tips To Prevent Bumpy Lawn In Future:
1. Mow at the proper length and frequency .
2. Fertilize correctly to avoid excess nitrogen, which causes excessive top growth. Use slow-release products and alternate with high phosphorus products to promote deep root development.
3. Use an excellent pre-emergent herbicide in the spring to prevent weeds from germinating.
4. Rake leaves in the fall before they decompose and smother your lawn.
5. Keep sprinklers off the grass when watering this will help reduce compaction, leading to a bumpy lawn due to the poor rooting depth of grass plants. Also, avoid using a solid stream of water as this can cause gullying.
6. Avoid using a solid stream of water as this can cause gullying.
7. Water sincerely, but less frequently to develop deep roots, which will help the grass combat drought and heat stress.
8. Avoid mowing when it is very hot or cold outside, as these conditions may cause the grass to brown.
Leveling A Severely Uneven Lawn
If your lawn looks more like the moons surface than an earthly yard, refurbish the entire area. Of course, this process comes with the most cost and labor.
When low areas and high spots are too numerous, it will generally require:
Expert Tip: Never smooth out a rough lawn or lay down new sod with a heavy roller. A lawn roller can harm your healthy grass and cause further compaction.
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What Is Topdressing
Topdressing is something that is carried out regularly by the best golf clubs and bowling greens. The greenkeepers apply a thin layer of finely graded sand or soil to the top of the grass and work it down towards the roots. The main purpose of it in this context is to create the perfect playing surface. But it can also help to control thatch, weeds and diseases.
For a domestic lawn, topdressing is the perfect way to smooth out the surface of your lawn without going to the trouble of lifting it or returfing.
Simply distribute the topdressing material around your lawn then work it into the sward using a broom or the back of your rake. You could even use a blower provided its switched onto its lowest setting .
Watch my video to see how it works
How To Level A Lawn
When it comes to mowing the lawn theres nothing more frustrating than trying to manoeuvre over lumps and bumps. A level lawn doesnt just look great and make for easier maintenance, it can have a few other advantages too.
For gardens with drainage and water logging issues, levelling and grading the lawn can assist in encouraging water flow away from your property whilst allowing more water to be absorbed into the soil and adding needed nutrients.
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Check Your Roller’s Weight
You want to be sure you don’t select a tow-behind grass roller that’s too heavy for your mower.
If you own a powerful garden tractor or a commercial-grade zero turn mower, you might be fine using larger yard rollers.
If, however, you’re going to be using a lawn tractor or a consumer-grade zero turn mower, your roller should not weigh more than 300 pounds.
Also, it’s recommended that you avoid using tow-behind lawn rollers on hills with steep inclines greater than 10 degrees. Always be sure to tow your rollers across hills and not up and down them. The added weight of a lawn roller can make rolling on inclines challenging and possibly dangerous.
Where To Mount Outdoor Tv
Theres no shortage of options when choosing the best place to mount your outdoor TV. The answer comes down to the type of environment youre trying to create. For some people, the goal is to create a theater-like setting with a high-visibility television. Others want to recreate the indoors outside by setting up a classic living room look on the deck or patio. Areas that work best for outdoor television include:
- Facing pool or hot tub
- Against stone or brick fireplace
- In corner facing outdoor dining set
- In front of outdoor sofa set
- Overlooking outdoor grill station
Not every outdoor space will have a condusive area to hang a tv. Remember this is a newer trend, and most homes in Dallas were not built to accommodate outdoor television.
You may have to rethink the current configuration of your yard. For instance, expanding a patio area to create a living room alcove that can easily fit seating and a television might be a great investment. Similarly, building an outdoor fireplace that can accommodate a television will add tremendous overall property value.
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How Is A Lumpy Lawn Flattened Out
My lawn has both peaks and troughs. I guess that I can just fill the troughs with lawn soil or compost, right?
But how do I flatten the peaks? Ive read that a water filled roller does nothing. Has anyone been successful at flattening out an established lawn or do I have to rip it out and re-sod?
As a former landscaper my favorite quote to clients was “You can have it fast, good or cheap. Pick two.” In this situation I see a few solutions:
- rent a Bobcat with a toothed bucket and remove all the grass and bumps to a dump bin. Apply six inches of topsoil mix, gently compact and sow grass seed or sod. That’s fast and good.
- top dress spring and fall to a depth of 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch with topsoil or compost, repeat until it’s level. That’s good and cheap.
- from Rory’s answer here
cut the turf up, peel it back, take out sufficient soil … re-lay the turf
That solution could be fast and cheap if you don’t have a lot of area.
Step : Dig Up The Grass In The Sunken Area Of The Lawn
Check your yard for divots and low spots deeper than 2-3 inches.
Remove the grass from on top of them. To do this, put the blade of a shovel on the outer edge of a low spot. Slide it down and under about 2-3 inches to make sure you get under the roots of the grass. Then remove the sod by prying the grass up with the shovel. Exposing the dirt underneath.
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The Best Time To Level Your Yard
Anytime from March to September, when the grass is actively growing. However, spring is the best time to level your lawn because thats when most warm-season grasses are growing after being dormant for the winter. Cool-season grasses will do better if you level in late summer or early fall.
If your lawn is suffering from drought, pests, disease, or when the ground freezes or becomes waterlogged, you should wait. Take care of these problems first before leveling your lawn. To avoid a muddy mess, its important to level your grass on a dry day.
A Word About Topdressing Materials
If you are trying to level out a lumpy lawn, I always recommend using USGA topdressing sand. Its not cheap but it does a grand job and rarely causes complications. Topdressing with builders sand is a no-no. Its nasty sticky stuff that will stain your clothes and probably leave stones on the surface of the lawn. Itll crucify your mower blades too.
Topdressing with a sand-soil mix is something that needs great care. Youll find it described in many a lawncare book but in reality, its not as practical as they make it sound. Greenkeepers prefer to use an inert substance like the USGA sand Im using in the video. Introducing soil from an unknown source can also bring in weed seeds. If you are planning on re-seeding after topdressing, use a really good quality sand-soil mix from a reputable supplier.
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How To Flatten The Lawn Without A Roller
If you are going to level or flatten your lawn, you need some equipment and material for it like lawn leveler, filler soil, rake and to press the bumps a roller, but worry not if you dont have the roller as in this method the work for the roller is very little and you can use other alternatives to the roller like a piece of plywood or a drum filled with water.
Lets see step by step on how you level your lawn without a roller:
- Fertilize the lawn a week before
- Alternative to lawn roller
Things To Remember While Yard Leveling
For best results keep these tips in mind:
- The best time to level your yard is during the dry season. If done during a rainy season there is a good chance for soil erosion
- Proper backfill at the foundation is very important. If the soil is too close to the wall cladding then you risk termites getting into your house
- Any soil removed from the lawn can be reused while grading
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Diy Or Hire A Professional
If quickly caught and repaired, most lawn-leveling tasks are basic and only require a minimum of supplies and sweat. The determining factor is how much work you are willing to do to correct the problem or if youd prefer to hire a professional to do the lawn-leveling labor for you.
Main Image Credit: Pxhere / CC0 1.0
Levelling The Lawn With Soil From The Top Of The Slope
This is the least costly option but will require much more physical work on your behalf. Its something I did myself to one of my lawns and it paid off in dividends. But, I promise you! I felt like I was shifting soil for a whole week.
And my partner was even calling me the TOP DIGGER, ha.
Anyway, tis method involves moving soil from the highest part of the area to the lowest. Of course, youre going to start from scratch again when choosing this way of levelling because you cant move the soil without wrecking the top grass.
Depending on how sloped the area is, you may even consider taking the grass from the highest section, turning it upside down and laying it on the lowest section. Then covering the area with top soil .
Alternatively, you can hire a doss cutter , which will skim the top off, leaving you with a good amount of soil left for shifting to anywhere way you like.
Now you need to get your spade out! Or depending on the size of area your covering, you may want to hire a digger. It will set you back a couple of hundred quid though.
Use your spade or digger to move soil from highest point to the lowest point. Be sure to keep raking it flat as possible as you move the dirt around. That way it will be easier to level at the end.
Even if you do this, you still need to add a layer of top soil, again choosing from one of the options below.
Youre now ready to sow your grass seed.
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Level Out Larger Areas
To level out larger sunken areas you will need a different approach. Mow the lawn and dethatch as outlined above. For any larger patches, you can remove the turf patch by cutting along the sunken area with a flat spade or lawn edger, taking care to protect the roots. Spread a layer of topsoil into the hole, watering slightly as you build it up to the lawn level and then replace the turf patch, pressing the grass back into place with your hand or foot.
Sweeping The Dirt Under The Carpet
This technique is so named because you are essentially picking up turf and putting dirt under it. It is suitable only for small sunken areas that are covered with healthy grass.
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How To Find Uneven Spots In Your Lawn
Use a level or a piece of 8-foot lumber with strings attached on each end to find the low and high spots in the lawn.
Pro Tip: As you level the lawn, make sure that water always flows away from your foundation. A slope or grade of at least 1/8 per foot away from your house is best.
Can You Level A Yard By Yourself
Yes, you can usually level a yard on your own if you have the proper equipment and the sunken areas are not too extensive. Leveling your own lawn is simple, provided you take the steps outlined here. If you find that you have major drainage issues occurring in your yard, you might want to consult with a professional landscaping service. Its professional landscapers can help you troubleshoot problems so you can perform the ideal lawn care solutions.
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Does Your Company Offer A Service To Roll My Lawn
Ask us that question and you may not like what youll hear. The answer is a resounding NO, and there is a very good reason for it. Rolling lawns is still unfortunately a lawn care practice that many homeowners use to try to level out bumpy areas on their property. It seems like as long as companies can sell these gadgets for home use, people will still unknowingly cause stress to their lawns by rolling.
Wrapping Up: Easy Ways To Fix A Bumpy Lawn
In conclusion, if you have a bumpy yard, the fix is easy and simple. The only costs involved are the organic matter that will be used to fill in the low spots and the two pieces of equipment, the top dresser, and the roller.
Fixing a bumpy yard is easy, simple, and inexpensive. Its a days work though and if you dont do it the easy way with the top dresser and roller, you are in for a day of spreading the organic matter by hand and knocking down the bumps with the garden rake by hand as well.
I strongly recommend renting the top dresser and roller and if you do not have a riding lawn mower, borrow one. It will make your life so much easier.
DIY Lawn Guy
DIY Lawn Guy is an expert lawn care specialist with over thirty years of experience helping homeowners achieve amazing lawns.
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