Taking care of a lawn properly can already be a bit tricky when it is nice and even; doing so when it is bumpy and uneven can be even more work for you. Lawns can become uneven for a number of reasons, such as settling over time, something that is pretty much unavoidable. The problem with settling is that lower spots sink in and develop in the lawn, leaving holes that you could step in and twist an ankle or just that makes it look dead and unsightly in some places. Sometimes, it can appear larger than that and just have one side of the lawn at a slope.
Benefits of an Even Lawn
When you start to level out the lawn, you should think about just how bad these spots are in the yard. A lot of the time, people use turfgrass lawns for outdoor activities and entertaining, which means they see a lot of foot traffic, which in turn makes these particularly bad while also raising the risk for injuries.
A level lawn is also logistically better for maintaining a nice healthy lawn, because when the lawn is even, it is easier not only for you to safely move around on it but also for you to move your machines and mowers over it. When the lawn is uneven, you can also accidentally scalp the grass while cutting the grass too high in other areas.
The Solution
There are a few different ways that you can level out the grass in these low spots and even out your lawn. No matter if there are just small holes or large craters, taking care of the problem on your own is possible.
Method #1: Uneven Lawns and Top Dressing
Topdressing the shallow low spots will be the least invasive method. Mix up some sand, compost and topsoil that can support turfgrass growth. Put an inch of this mixture on top of all of the low areas. Be sure it isn’t any deeper than that, so you don’t smother the grass. Rake out the top dressing and get it between the blades of grass. Then, keep an eye on the progress and repeat the steps until it is level.
Method #2: Leveling Out a Moderately Uneven Lawn
Topdressing is less effective when you have some super-low spots in the lawn because it would take way too long to actually work. This method is known as sweeping the dirt under the carpet, because what you are doing is essentially moving the sod and putting dirt beneath it. Simply remove the sod and set it aside. Put topsoil in that hole, and then replace the sod.
Method #3: Leveling Out Crater Lawns
This method is the most extreme and requires that you need to do a major renovation. This includes essentially establishing a newly graded lawn. Take the same steps you normally would to add a new lawn, choosing to either lay sod or just starting over with seed for a refreshed look.
No matter how bad your uneven grass looks and feels, there are ways to fix it. Assess the depth and frequency of the uneven lawn and take the above steps into consideration accordingly to level out your uneven lawn.
