ᐅ How to Level a Lawn?

Hello,

our lawn is a bit uneven. How can we level it? Is it possible to do this by hand, or do we need the landscapers to come back a second time?

A little background: The landscapers helped distribute the soil mounds that were created during construction and leveled the flat site. I have to say, it was pretty much perfectly flat. We then seeded the lawn (removed weeds, tilled the soil with a motor tiller, smoothed it with a rake, seeded the lawn, and rolled it). Now, after about 1.5 weeks, the soil is a bit uneven in some areas. I’m not exactly sure how this happened. Most likely, the soil settled more in certain spots after being loosened. Is this normal? I should mention that it rained heavily and frequently: on the first day we watered a bit (although it probably wasn’t even necessary since it rained that night), and since then, it has rained every day, so we stopped watering. The uneven spots were very visible because of the large puddles. The grass is definitely growing quickly.

I wanted to upload a picture, but the file is too large (just a photo from the iPhone). The “craters” aren’t very deep (roughly estimated: a few centimeters (inches)), but quite wide (about 2–3 meters (6–10 feet) or so). Do the landscapers need to come back with a small loader and equipment? I have to say, professional landscapers have already worked on it. Or can we fill the holes with soil? Perhaps use a long board as a straight edge to smooth it out? Do you have any ideas? Can this be done by ourselves? How?

Our soil is sandy, loose, and quite absorbent (yet puddles formed because we had a real downpour).

I would appreciate your input and advice.

Best regards

Depending on the thickness of the soil layer applied in different areas and how well it was compacted, such settlements can occur. You might have to deal with this for some time. However, it depends on the thickness of the layer.

Of course, you can simply fill these low spots with soil and tamp it down. Whether the lawn will tolerate that well is another question. You might need to reseed those areas.

I would spread a mixture of topsoil, sand, and grass seed over the depressions. The grass will grow through after 2-3 cm (1 inch). Repeat the process next year, and it should work fine.

Usually, you wait for the first heavy rain before sowing and then smooth the surface again.

Knallkörper schrieb:
You usually wait for the first heavy rain before sowing and then smooth the surface again.

That sounds reasonable, but you never know when the first heavy rain will come. And weeding until then is quite a challenge with more than 1000 sqm (10,764 sq ft) of lawn area.

I have to say, there were about 3.5 weeks and some rain between the earthworks and sowing the lawn...

Rain can also be artificially created using a hose.

That is completely normal. We still have "grooves" as well and will be addressing them now.

The ground also shifts; I would even recommend waiting a year. Otherwise, you will have to keep making adjustments.