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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? I’ve 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?

winwaed
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Coomie
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3 Answers3

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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 (this is relatively easy to get close to flat...not so easy to get exactly right) ... re-lay the turf

That solution could be fast and cheap if you don't have a lot of area.

Community
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kevinskio
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12

It depends how big they are. For small bumps a roller is very effective, but for larger humps you may need to try one of the following:

  • cut the turf up, peel it back, take out sufficient soil (this is relatively easy to get close to flat...not so easy to get exactly right)
  • take the turf off entirely, flatten all the soil and re-lay the turf (bigger job, but gives best results)
Rory Alsop
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4

I'm a greenskeeper. When lawns need smoothing a device known as a power rake is used. It has blades on an axle spinning spaced out an inch. It cuts narrow parallel grooves in the soil. Doing this occasionally keeps the surface smooth. This technique is also called verticutting.

Niall C.
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Mr. Pokealotta
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