Hey guys, Missouri location, got the grass growing and keeping it green and mowed thing down for the most part. When I got this house, the giant oak was one of the attractions to me honestly.
But the ruts from the roots are legitimate tripping hazards at this point. Some are the 8"+ deep in spots. I wanted to do a lawn leveling last fall but I chickened out. It's clay, seems too deep to just pile on sand and rake out. The grass will never grow through that deep of covering right?
How would pros or experienced people go about this?
by Responsible-War-917
7 Comments
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I was literally about to post the same question, we bought this house last summer with a half acre but there are holes from animals, ruts from where they would drive a truck in and out, and one full blown crater where there must have been a massive anthill and I’ve twisted my ankle on these ruts and holes twice this week. I also approach 8″ in the worst spots.
So sorry I am not able to help but looking forward to whatever help you get. 😄 Good luck with your yard, that grass looks beautiful!
Don’t use pure sand for ruts that deep. Better off to get some 50/50 sand/topsoil, maybe even with some compost mixed in. Cut the lawn really short and spread that mix. Level it with a leveling rake. Over seed (heavily on bare spots) and add a layer of peat. Water 3x daily through germination. If you’re concerned about weeds, put down some Mesotrione with the grass seed. Five days following germination, add some Milorganite fertilizer, or a similar low nitrogen blend.
It’s a lot of work and big commitment, and the yard will look not-so-great for a bit. But next spring you’ll have a wonderfully flat lawn that you can then perfect with sand.
Is it okay to level an entire lawn at once? If I’m not worried about killing the grass under it. I bought a house that was full of weeds and not taken care of. I’ve (so far) filled two 75 gallons trash can worth of weeds
OP I would be very cautious with leveling without confirming you can still achieve proper drainage. That looks like a drainage swale to me.
Where I am, I’m unable to find any lawn care guys who can do leveling work. I’m scared to break my back if I try to do this myself. So I continue to do rally racing with my lawn mower.
If you plan on it do it in stages. Nothing wrong with using pure sand at first. Just mow low, then apply sand, not too much at a time and use a leveling rake. Masonry sand is what you want. Once it’s relatively level then switch to a 75% sand 25% screened topsoil mix to finish it off. Good luck!