# Lawn leveling /aerating, top dressing



## Lungal09 (Feb 19, 2020)

Hi all,

So I'm a new homeowner that took over a very poorly kept lawn and I made it my mission to make it the best I could. Since last June I got it from horrible to decent and this summer I'm looking to make it that much better. That being said I'm looking for some advice on how to do that.

I've researched a bit and thought that aerating would be a good first step in spring. It is also not as level as I would like. So my question is can i aerate, and then top dress with just coarse sand a bit heavy (without smothering it) and use that to level at the same time. Maybe throw some fertilizer down at the same time and start watering and that should be a good Kickstart in spring?

I've attached two pictures, a before and after from when I moved in, in spring vs late fall.

Thanks!


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## corneliani (Apr 2, 2019)

Aerating relieves compaction and allows oxygen (along with water & nutrients, etc) to get to the root zone easier. It's not a necessary part of leveling -- but it does make sense to do them together if you need both aeration & leveling done. As for material, I personally believe a sand/compost mix is the best of both worlds, if available.


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## Lungal09 (Feb 19, 2020)

corneliani said:


> Aerating relieves compaction and allows oxygen (along with water & nutrients, etc) to get to the root zone easier. It's not a necessary part of leveling -- but it does make sense to do them together if you need both aeration & leveling done. As for material, I personally believe a sand/compost mix is the best of both worlds, if available.


This may sound dumb but I hear everyone talking about compost, and by that do they mean just topsoil that's blended with nutrients by the soil provider or do you specifically buy compost from a home depot or something and use that?

So I would mix like 70/30 sand to compost and use that for better results?


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## corneliani (Apr 2, 2019)

Lungal09 said:


> corneliani said:
> 
> 
> > Aerating relieves compaction and allows oxygen (along with water & nutrients, etc) to get to the root zone easier. It's not a necessary part of leveling -- but it does make sense to do them together if you need both aeration & leveling done. As for material, I personally believe a sand/compost mix is the best of both worlds, if available.
> ...


Compost is basically broken down organic matter (leaves, branches, food waste, animal waste, etc). After a few months it turns into humus, which is the finest & most broken down form of compost. At this stage we can use it by tilling into our existing garden soils, or top dress lawns (either as a mix w sand/soil or by itself)... it is an awesome way not only to recycle nutrients back into our soils but to create tilth and raise soil CEC's. Nature is the ultimate manufacturer of fertilizer and soil conditioners! lol 
Anyhow, my local supplier sells a sand/compost mix specifically for topdressing lawns. They literally put scoops of compost + scoops of sand into a big mixer so you don't have to do it in a wheelbarrow. But you can do the same thing by buying bags of it if that's all you have access to.


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

Wow that's coming right along!

I'd skip the aeration unless it's extremely compacted. It can spread weeds by spreading rhizomes and stir up seeds in the soil.

For levelling, I'd do a soil test first. I'd avoid adding things that ay have weed seeds like topsoil. Peat and sand are more sterile. If your soil is structured more sandy, use more peat moss. Its not a huge area. I do like compost, make sure it's good, not green, which means it's been cooked well enough to eliminate more weeds.


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## Lungal09 (Feb 19, 2020)

HoosierLawnGnome said:


> Wow that's coming right along!
> 
> I'd skip the aeration unless it's extremely compacted. It can spread weeds by spreading rhizomes and stir up seeds in the soil.
> 
> For levelling, I'd do a soil test first. I'd avoid adding things that ay have weed seeds like topsoil. Peat and sand are more sterile. If your soil is structured more sandy, use more peat moss. Its not a huge area. I do like compost, make sure it's good, not green, which means it's been cooked well enough to eliminate more weeds.


Thanks for the input! I am happy with how it's come along but always room for improvement. I think i will do a soil test yet, but I'm pretty sure it's more dirt/clay and not very sandy here. 
Would there be any harm in leveling with just sand? Especially if it takes a few applications to get it to the point I want it so I can switch to a reel mower.


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

Is it bumpy or are you going for the pool table looking green? How unlevel?

Usually you get into topdressing sand when youb are putting down a fine finish, not fixing sails or low spots


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## Lungal09 (Feb 19, 2020)

HoosierLawnGnome said:


> Is it bumpy or are you going for the pool table looking green? How unlevel?
> 
> Usually you get into topdressing sand when youb are putting down a fine finish, not fixing sails or low spots


There are definitely smaller bumps you feel with your ankles when walking around that you can't see in the picture. It's not bad enough that my mower scalps it in places, but I'd like to Transition to reel mowing (not to cut it crazy short, but a bit shorter then a rotary mower can do) and just for the sake of having it as level as possible so I'm not noticing how bumpy it is when I'm walking around on it.

So for the sake of just leveling it out a bit, skip the aeration, and just put some some sand to level it out?


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## Gilley11 (Nov 3, 2019)

Shoot, if you're going to level then why not aerate? Is there a negative to raking up the cores and filling in with sand this time of year for cool season grasses?


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## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

Gilley11 said:


> Shoot, if you're going to level then why not aerate? Is there a negative to raking up the cores and filling in with sand this time of year for cool season grasses?


As @HoosierLawnGnome mentioned above, I would not core aerate unless there was an extremely compacted area. This would disturb the soil and bring weed seeds to the surface. Even an aggressive dethatching can result in the same (I unfortunately know from experience [spring dethatch/scalp/overseed]). Since a lot of progress has already been made, it would be a huge setback, if weeds took over.


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## Lungal09 (Feb 19, 2020)

Chris LI said:


> Gilley11 said:
> 
> 
> > Shoot, if you're going to level then why not aerate? Is there a negative to raking up the cores and filling in with sand this time of year for cool season grasses?
> ...


And I have been fighting weeds all last year too, finally having them more under control. (a ton of clover and creeping Charlie I believe) I'm sure it will pop up again in spring though.


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## Gilley11 (Nov 3, 2019)

If you aerate and remove the cores, wouldn't you be removing almost all of weed seeds that are brought up?

FYI, I'm not asking to be a SA, I'm asking because I don't know.


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## Chris LI (Oct 26, 2018)

Gilley11 said:


> If you aerate and remove the cores, wouldn't you be removing almost all of weed seeds that are brought up?
> 
> FYI, I'm not asking to be a SA, I'm asking because I don't know.


I see that as gamble, because the cores tend to break apart, so you never get everything up, especially if the cores are dry. They typically wouldn't be bone dry because you're not supposed to aerate under dry soil conditions (poor penetration because the soil is like concrete). If it's done after a rain event or watered as prep, that would help your chances to reduce seeds spilling out of the cores, but I wouldn't take the chance unless it's really needed. The GCs and sportsfields core aerate at least twice a year (spring and fall), but they do it to reduce excessive thatch (which kind of chokes out weeds, anyway) and they apply herbicides as needed. The lower HOC they use with frequent mowing also creates a dense turf which tends to choke out weeds.

The other option is to find an aerator with solid tines, but that's not likely. GCs and sportsfields will sometimes do that if they want to do an extra aeration during the warmer months when the turf will be stressed, to eliminate the pickup and abrasion to the surface (from scraping to pick up and dragging the sand in-solid tines are usually smaller and they don't always topdress).


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## sean_h (Jan 31, 2020)

I wouldn't let a fear of bringing weed seeds to the surface stop anyone from aerating, as it's one of the best things you can do for your lawn. Best time to aerate is in the fall, and it relieves compaction, helps bust up the thatch layer, opens the soil for air and water, and you can add fertilizers and amendments/topdressing directly into the root zone before the cores get filled in... and the whole point of aerating is to build a healthier and denser lawn, which is more resistant to weeds anyways.


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## Harts (May 14, 2018)

I agree with @Chris LI. Aerating isn't a necessary component of lawn care. If you have severe compaction, then I would recommend it. Take a screw driver and try sticking it into your soil - do multiple tests around your yard. How far down does it go? How much pressure do you need to apply to get it to go down? If you can easily slide the screw driver down 4-6" then I would skip aerating.

As far as leveling goes, mason sand is a good option. But keep in mind you're not going to go from bumpy to flat with one round of sand. It's a multi year process.

Golf courses and baseball stadiums core aerate multiple times a year. But they have far more traffic creating compaction than you'll ever have on your home lawn.

Keep in mind, I am not saying 'Don't aerate." I'm just saying it isn't always necessary.


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## Lungal09 (Feb 19, 2020)

Once the snow melts and ground thaws I'll check with a screwdriver. If it's not necessary then maybe I'll skip that for now. And yes, leveling will have to be a on going effort to get it to somewhat level.


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

The worst I've seen is when someone with quackgrass core aerated, then wondered why it spread months later. They basically split and multiplied the plants.

Raking up the cores would help mitigate that risk.

Always a tradeoff somewhere!


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