# Bumpy lawn



## GT-lawn (Jun 27, 2018)

I need some advice on what to do with my lawn. The yard seems pretty uneven and bumpy when I look at it and when I walk on it. What steps should I take to make the lawn level? Should I dethatch and put sand down?


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## Suburban Jungle Life (Mar 1, 2018)

I usually do this process in the fall since it's a good time to seed but I guess you could do this in the spring. Set your mower low to scalp the grass and bag it all. Run a dethatcher or verticutter on a low setting to dig out all the thatch and grass clippings. It should help to knock down any high areas of dirt also. Mow again to bag the mess or rake it up. At this point, it'll look kind of bare with all the soil surface exposed. Spread 1 yard of mason sand per 1000 sq ft. Spread it evenly with a landscape rake, drag, or something. I would probably add seed at this time as well since it'll be a good base to grow more grass. Start this procedure once the grass comes back to life. It'll be stunted after this so it'll be a little slow to grow back in but it will. If you didn't put down some N fertilizer in late fall, put out some AMS at this time. A couple weeks before you start, when the ground isn't frozen, perform a soil test. It'll be a great time to put out any amendments you may need. The one drawback of doing this in the spring is any new grass will struggle to survive a hot summer. Repeat this procedure in the early fall. If you have KBG instead of rye or fescue, then skip the seeding as KBG will spread to fill gaps anyway.

Sorry, the steps were all jumbled. This is in order:
Soil test. Mow low & bag. Dethatch/verticut. Mow & bag or rake up. Sand. Level. Seed fescue or rye. Rake lightly or use drag to work seed into sand/soil. Fert if needed. Water as needed. Repeat in fall and if you don't care about your specific grass type, seed KBG so you don't ever need to seed again.


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## GT-lawn (Jun 27, 2018)

Thanks for the reply. If I did this in the spring, what could I use for a pre emergent?


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## iowa jim (Jan 22, 2018)

You might want to give your lawn a light rake as it looks to be matted down from the snow. Will help getting some airflow going.


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## MassHole (Jun 27, 2018)

Suburban Jungle Life said:


> If you didn't put down some N fertilizer in late fall, put out some AMS at this time.


Sorry - AMS?


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## GT-lawn (Jun 27, 2018)

Suburban Jungle Life said:


> I usually do this process in the fall since it's a good time to seed but I guess you could do this in the spring.


Would it be better just to wait for fall and deal with dethatching and leveling when conditions are better for seeding?


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## SNOWBOB11 (Aug 31, 2017)

MassHole said:


> Suburban Jungle Life said:
> 
> 
> > If you didn't put down some N fertilizer in late fall, put out some AMS at this time.
> ...


Ammonium sulfate.


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## Suburban Jungle Life (Mar 1, 2018)

GT-lawn said:


> Thanks for the reply. If I did this in the spring, what could I use for a pre emergent?


You could use Tenacity when you seed. If you break it down to two apps, then you could save an app for the fall. After a month, you can use quinclorac. After 2 months, you could put down a low rate of prodiamine to help hold you until fall.


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## Suburban Jungle Life (Mar 1, 2018)

GT-lawn said:


> Suburban Jungle Life said:
> 
> 
> > I usually do this process in the fall since it's a good time to seed but I guess you could do this in the spring.
> ...


If you don't mind the way your lawn is currently, you could focus on pre-emergent and weed control this spring. Then, research and prepare materials for the fall. Spring seeding is hard on the grass when summer hits. The roots aren't usually well developed and it's common to end up losing a bunch of the new grass.


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## Hieronymus (May 22, 2018)

I had to start off with a bumby lawn once. What I did was scalping like SJL said with a rotary mower at the lowest setting to get the bumps out, than verticut. Than I got a lot of fine soil and spread that over te lawn like a topdress but I used the rotary mower again in the lowest setting to spread it evenly. The mower will suck up the soil at the high spots en will drop it at te low spots.


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## jha4aamu (Oct 16, 2017)

Suburban Jungle Life said:


> I usually do this process in the fall since it's a good time to seed but I guess you could do this in the spring. Set your mower low to scalp the grass and bag it all. Run a dethatcher or verticutter on a low setting to dig out all the thatch and grass clippings. It should help to knock down any high areas of dirt also. Mow again to bag the mess or rake it up. At this point, it'll look kind of bare with all the soil surface exposed. Spread 1 yard of mason sand per 1000 sq ft. Spread it evenly with a landscape rake, drag, or something. I would probably add seed at this time as well since it'll be a good base to grow more grass. Start this procedure once the grass comes back to life. It'll be stunted after this so it'll be a little slow to grow back in but it will. If you didn't put down some N fertilizer in late fall, put out some AMS at this time. A couple weeks before you start, when the ground isn't frozen, perform a soil test. It'll be a great time to put out any amendments you may need. The one drawback of doing this in the spring is any new grass will struggle to survive a hot summer. Repeat this procedure in the early fall. If you have KBG instead of rye or fescue, then skip the seeding as KBG will spread to fill gaps anyway.
> 
> Sorry, the steps were all jumbled. This is in order:
> Soil test. Mow low & bag. Dethatch/verticut. Mow & bag or rake up. Sand. Level. Seed fescue or rye. Rake lightly or use drag to work seed into sand/soil. Fert if needed. Water as needed. Repeat in fall and if you don't care about your specific grass type, seed KBG so you don't ever need to seed again.


have you ever used/considered silica sand for topdressing and leveling? I was at my local siteone yesterday and guy there said it was considerably better than masonry sand. i had never heard of it before yesterday though


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## Suburban Jungle Life (Mar 1, 2018)

@@jha4aamu I haven't. I wonder if the cost is higher.


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## SpiveyJr (Jun 7, 2018)

Is your ground still frozen? My lawn is bumpier when the ground is frozen and when things thaw out everything settles. I would be curious to hear from people who have level lawns if they notice a difference in the winter when the ground freezes.


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## jha4aamu (Oct 16, 2017)

Suburban Jungle Life said:


> @@jha4aamu I haven't. I wonder if the cost is higher.


It seems to be a little cheaper than the masonry sand I've found in my area at only $0.10/lb. Just didnt know of its compatibility with existing soil/kbg


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## NewLawnJon (Aug 3, 2018)

jha4aamu said:


> Suburban Jungle Life said:
> 
> 
> > @@jha4aamu I haven't. I wonder if the cost is higher.
> ...


When using sand on a lawn you are buying by the to , not the pound. Around here masonry sand is about $35/ton or about $0.0175/pound. I would see what you can get from local quarrys delivered.


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## jha4aamu (Oct 16, 2017)

NewLawnJon said:


> jha4aamu said:
> 
> 
> > Suburban Jungle Life said:
> ...


i didnt price it out by the ton as i only have a small area the i need to repair (~500sq ft) ordering by the ton would be overkill


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## NewLawnJon (Aug 3, 2018)

jha4aamu said:


> NewLawnJon said:
> 
> 
> > jha4aamu said:
> ...


You would be surprised. I would guess you are looking around 1/2 to 1 ton to get 1/4" of sand over your 500 square feet.


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## DTC (Jun 8, 2018)

Suburban Jungle Life said:


> …
> Sorry, the steps were all jumbled. This is in order:
> 
> Soil test
> ...


what do you guys think about aerating during this process, right before seeding? my soil is clay btw
What about adding a peat moss topdressing over the seed? Then use a weighted roller?

I needed this thread!


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## Suburban Jungle Life (Mar 1, 2018)

DTC said:


> Suburban Jungle Life said:
> 
> 
> > …
> ...


I like the dethatch or verticut as it losens the top layer so it's easier for the seed to have good soil contact. It also pulls out a suprising amount of material. I would core aerate after the mow. A light peat moss dressing helps to hold moisture to the seed and rolling is good to reduce runoff of your seed if it rains heavy.

Hopefully this makes sense. I'm in the hospital all drugged up... maybe someone else can chime in.


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