# Best way to fix tire marks



## h22lude

I'm having a patio installed. The ground has been really wet so the dump truck made some pretty good tire marks. What is the best way to fix these? I want to make sure everything is level and obviously grass grows again. These two pictures are the worst of it. The other marks around the back are more from the bobcat tractor.

The landscaper said in the contract that he fixes all tire marks but I want to make sure it is done correctly. Since the ground is wet right now I figured it would be easier to at least get most of it level and then he can fix the rest when he comes back to finish the patio.


----------



## Cincinnati guy

I'd wait until they are completely finished In case more ruts are made.


----------



## ABC123

Pitchfork to fluf it back up would be best to protect from turf injury.


----------



## ken-n-nancy

Ouch. Been there. 5 October 2016 Lawn Devastation from Septic Tank Installation.










Fixing those properly is a fair bit of work. The compacted soil needs to be lifted / loosened. I think the spading fork technique is the best solution, but it's pretty labor intensive, so it probably isn't what your contractor was planning. There's also the risk of hitting an irrigation line if you have irrigation that is buried shallow in places (been there, done that, too...) A manual core aerator can help also.

Many contractors try to fix this kind of thing by just spreading new topsoil over everything, leveling it out, and tossing new seed over the top. The problem with that is there are still mechanically compacted tracks underneath the new soil, which cause inconsistent drainage issues and impede root growth in the severely compacted stuff. This isn't really a fix, from my perspective, but more like sweeping the problem under the rug.

After getting it all level again, adding seed would help if you don't have a lot of KBG in your northern mix to spread back into the ruts.


----------



## h22lude

Will a cultivator work? Seems like that would loosen up the soil pretty well, at least for the shallow tire marks. That section in the second picture I'll probably have to remove some of the soil, cultivate then add top soil.


----------

