S For Leveling A Lawn
Before you address your uneven lawn, mow your entire lawn just like when performing routine lawn care. You dont want to mow it too short just perform a fresh mow so that you can easily identify all the low spots. That way, you can attend to them all in one day. Plus, cutting the grass blades too short can dry them out.
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.
How To Level Your Bumpy Lawn
Right then, youre almost ready to get out there and make your stand against your craterous lawn. Theres just one final stepassessing the severity of the blemishes. The level of deformation will determine what methods, tools, and materials youll need to use.
If youre only dealing with a few bumps, depressions, and gentle unevenness, all youll need is an affordable spreading tool , some topdressing, and some grass seed.
On the other hand, if your lawn looks like youve been keeping a pride of lions in your yard, you may be faced with a complete regrade.
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Leveling Your Yard In The Spring Pays Dividends All Year Round It Solves Standing Water Issues And Gives You A Greener Healthier Landscape
Heavy rains, invasive critters and changing soil conditions can make maintaining a perfectly level yard elusive, but its important for any homeowner who values their home and the landscaping around it.
Water runoff on uneven ground saturates plants in low spots while depriving those up high of the hydration they need. The subsequent erosion makes these problems worse. Over time, the home itself can be threatened and undermined if water collects around the foundation.
To be clear, creating a slope away from the foundation and leveling the rest of the yard are different processes. Few homes are built on perfectly flat plots of land, and leveling doesnt necessarily involve correcting naturally occurring slopes. In a broad sense, leveling means getting rid of micro-depressions, hills and gullies that allow water to collect in some places and not others.
The benefits of leveling a yard, practical and aesthetic, include:
- Making the grass easier to mow.
- Improving drainage and preventing erosion.
- Enhancing the appearance of your yard.
- Preventing tripping accidents.
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When Is The Best Time To Level Your Yard
As is the case with most other landscaping tasks, there is a best time to level your yard. In general, spring is the best time to level your yard. This is because the soil is an ideal mix between dry and moist, and your grass has already had some time to grow for the season. Grass is in the active stage during the spring, so it is the healthiest and most resilient to landscaping efforts. If you live in a colder climate, you can also level your yard in the summer without too many problems.
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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.
Minor Leveling With Topdressing
Topdressing involves spreading a leveling mix of topsoil, compost, and fine sand. The soil should not contain mulch or plant debris, which can smother the grass. The best sand to use is play sand, which you can buy at any home center. A typical mixture is 40 percent sand, 40 percent topsoil, and 20 percent compost. The sand provides good drainage, while the compost adds nutrients to the soil to promote grass growth.
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What Can I Do With An Uneven Backyard
Backyards are awesome. They provide a private space for kids to play, dogs to run and the family to be together. However, an uneven backyard can be problematic because it can cause drainage issues, leave some areas unusable, be unsightly and cause risk of injury.
You may ask What can I do with an uneven backyard? You can fill in low spots, grade it, de-thatch it, and work to improve your soil for minor issues. Major issues can be remedied by creating a retaining wall, terraced gardens, establishing natural stairs or winding paths, waterfalls, and rock gardens.
Read on to get some ideas of how you can fix, or at least live with, your hilly backyard.
What Causes An Uneven Yard
Areas of your lawn and even the entire lawn can become uneven over time. This is especially true for older, established lawns. The common sources for creating low areas or higher spots include:
- Compaction: The soil underneath your lawn may become compressed by high traffic.
- Hardscaping: New fences, sidewalks, or other hardscapes installed by you or your neighbor can change water flow.
- Digging animals: Animals such as gophers, ground squirrels, voles, and even your pets will leave holes in your yard.
- Seasonal changes: The freezing and thawing of water in the soil change the landscape.
- Pest or disease: Divots in the grass arise from insects like grubs eating away at the grass roots. Lawn diseases also cause changes to the infected area. When grass dies or thins, erosion may set in and cause the area to become uneven.
- Tree Roots: The roots of trees can disrupt the soil beneath them, elevating the ground surface.
- Broken Pipes: The soil might erode as a sprinkler system leaks or from other plumbing issues.
- Poor lawn care habits: Mowing your turfgrass at too low a height can quickly lead to uneven lawn problems. You end up scalping the turfgrass with the mower blades, damaging the roots, which may lead to thinning or death of the grass plants.
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How To Level Backyard
You may want to add some spark to your backyard with a pool or swing, or even a small soccer court. In order to do that you need a backyard that is suitable for such a thing. If there was nothing like that on it before, you will have to level the backyard so that there are no bumps or slopes that could get in the way.
Now, there are two things you can do- level the backyard or grade it. Leveling the backyard means keeping it completely plain whereas grading will have a slight slope. Why the slope? Because the slope will prevent the accumulation of water.
Whichever you are planning to do, the initial process- which is the leveling is the same. You just have to make a bit of a variation in measurements when you are grading. So, let us find out step by step how to level backyard.
Can I Level A Yard By Myself Or Do I Need A Professional Landscaper
Do-it-yourself lawn care will cost more if you dont know how to do it right. Yard leveling involves moving dirt from one place to another and transplanting the grass.
Youll need to use shovels, rakes, wheelbarrows, or earth-moving equipment.
On average, it typically costs $100 per hour to rent , and it can cost from $50 to $100 per hour to have your yard professionally leveled.
Price can vary on the yards slope and size. If you want to save time, you will need a helper or two, and they typically charge from $25 to $35 per hour.
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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.
How Can I Level My Yard Cheaply
You can level your yard yourself on a budget, for next to nothing, using a rake, play sand and some soil from your yard. Firstly, level any small bumps with your feet, making sure the ground is moist when you step on them. Any animal holes can be leveled by filling the soil back in with soil from your yard and then topping up with topsoil if theyre small the existing grass should grow over them, for any larger holes you can sprinkle some grass seed if you have it and water.
For mildly uneven areas that require more work, topdressing is easiest. Once youve mowed the lawn, mix together some fine sand with some compost from your yard and apply it to the low areas evenly. Rake even if you have one and run a household broom over it to work it into the grass, water and monitor progress. Repeat if needed.
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Filling Low Spots In The Lawn
You can easily make your own lawn patching soil by mixing sand and dry topsoil in equal parts of half-and-half, spreading the leveling mix into low-lying areas of the lawn. Some people also use compost, which is great for enriching the soil. Only add one-half inch of soil mix to the low spots at a time, leaving any existing grass showing through.
After leveling, fertilize lightly and water the lawn thoroughly. You may still notice some low areas in the lawn but its oftentimes best to allow the grass to grow up through the soil for at least a month before repeating the process. After about four to six weeks, another half-inch of the dry topsoil mix can be added to the remaining areas.
Keep in mind that deeper areas of the lawn, which are more than an inch lower than the soil, require a slightly different approach. To fill uneven lawn low spots like these, first remove the grass with a shovel and fill in the depression with soil mix, laying the grass back in place. Water and fertilize thoroughly.
Now that you know how to level a lawn, you do not need to go out and hire an expensive professional. With a little time and effort, you can fill uneven lawn ruts and indentations in no time.
What Equipment Is Needed To Level A Yard
Once youve learned how to level a bumpy lawn, you need the right tools for the job. Since yard leveling doesnt always require expensive equipment, not all teams need skid steers and mini excavators. Most landscaping teams will have the necessary equipment on hand. The essential tools for leveling dirt include:
- Dethatching machine or thatch rake
- Sprinklers or hose
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How To Fix Low Spots On Backyard Ice Rinks
Excessive usage, often in the goal crease, behind the net, in the playersâ boxes, as well as other factors cause low spots on your backyard ice rink. To fix this problem, you must ensure that all of the guests have departed and the rink is clean. Then, flood your rink using the bucket dump method in the evening.
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Is Leveling My Yard Diyable Or Do I Need A Pro
Yard leveling involves moving dirt from one place to another, and whether you do that with shovels and wheelbarrows or earth-moving equipment is up to you. Without heavy equipment, which typically costs $100 per hour to rent, it can cost from $50 to $100 per hour to have your yard professionally leveled. Add to that the cost of any dirt you have trucked in.
In most cases you wont need the heavy equipment, although it doesnt hurt to have a helper or two, and they typically charge from $25 to $35 per hour. If all you need to do is spot-level or fill in a sinkhole, you can do that yourself with a wheelbarrow, shovel and rake.
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How To Level Tree Root Bumps
If the bumps caused by tree roots are reasonably close to the tree, it might be best to reach a compromise with your leafy friend and implement or expand a mulch bed around it. The mulch will cover the root lump, forming a smooth gradient from the tree down to your grass.
Unfortunately, this means youll be sacrificing a bit of lawn space, but at least youll be able to cut the remaining grass without worrying about crashing into roots and blunting your mowers blades.
It saddens me to say, but the only alternative is to pick a side. Do you want a nice, level lawn, or do you want the tree? I know, I knowyou want both, right? Ive been in a similar situation before, but Im afraid it has to be one or the other.
If you picked option A: a nice even lawn, fire up your chainsaw, because that tree has to come down. Once youve cut it down to size, its time to deal with those meddling surface roots by grinding them away.
Id recommend using something along the lines of this DEWALT grinder fitted with a masonry grinding wheel. Those surface roots can be some tough customers, but this setup will make short work of them.
My advice is to grind them as deep below lawn level as possible in order to give your grass the best chance of thriving when you fill in the void with top dressing and overseed.
No one enjoys harming trees, but the silver linings here are that a small patch of lawn is easier and cheaper to maintain than a tree, and now you have years of firewood for free.
The Best Way To Level A Yard Without A Bobcat
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Many factors can contribute to uneven lumps and holes in the yard. Burrowing gophers are notorious for turning a lawn into something that resembles a minefield. Digging dogs can do the same, and the careless work of the original builders or repair contractors can leave owners with all sorts of bumps and ruts to fill in. Unless you’ve got a mountain to move, there’s no need to hire someone with a Bobcat. A shovel, pickaxe and some time and perseverance are often all that’s needed to make the yard more level and useful.
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Clearing Your Leveling Site
What Time Of Year Should I Level My Yard
I recommend that you level your yard in the early fall, though you can have success leveling and seeding a yard in mid to late spring as well.
Fall is best in my view because the soil is warm enough for quick germination, but your new grass isnt stressed by the heat of summer and is allowed to establish strong roots before winter.
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