A lush green lawn is beautiful. But not if it’s all bumpy and lumpy! And uneven lawns aren’t just an eyesore: they’re a nightmare to mow!
Nobody wants a lawn that’s full of holes and pits. It’s horrible to walk on, and what’s more, it could become a real tripping hazard. Repairing an uneven lawn isn’t as hard as it sounds – in fact, the average home gardener can fix his own lawn quite satisfactorily and boost the health and vitality of his grass at the same time!
Firstly, it’s important to get to the root of the problem: why are the depressions in the lawn occurring? Before topping up the soil, it’s important to determine why it’s happening.
There are several common reasons for uneven lawns:
Poor Drainage
If dips and dead spots are occurring on your lawn around drainage pipes, it’s wise to enlist professional help. Its highly likely that your property has poor drainage, and if this is the case you may need to install more pipes and regrade your lawn to encourage water to drain away rather than pooling and creating flooding issues. Waterlogged soil will suffocate the grass roots, causing yellowing and dead spots.
Animals
Dips and small depressions in your lawn might be the handiwork of your adorable little pooch! Cats, dogs and chickens are all notorious lawn wreckers, as are nasties such as wild rabbits and foxes. Maybe you need to limit how much time your pets spend on the grass? As for wild pests, there are ways and means to stop them from destroying lawn – talk to the team at Greener Lawns about this.
Heavy Traffic
Rough and tumble, ball games and other normal childhood activities can impact on your lawn surface. So can heavy foot traffic when the lawn is wet and soft. Although the grass can generally repair itself, constant heavy pressure on the soil surface can have long-term effects.
Rocks and Roots
Of course, the soil contains rocks and tree roots which can create problems on the surface of your lawn. In this instance, the only cure is to dig up the affected area of lawn and remove the offending items, before refilling and re-seeding.
Leveling your Lawn
Once the cause of the issue has been identified and steps taken to fix it, it’s relatively simple to level your lawn and get it growing nicely again.
Begin by giving the lawn a good water, be careful not to over-water. For shallow depressions, i.e. dips or holes less than 2cm deep, you can top-dress the lawn with a mixture of compost, soil, and sand (approximately 2 parts sand, 2 parts soil and 1 part compost). Simply apply the mixture to the lawn and spread it out evenly using a rake. You may choose to gently compact the area using the back of your spade or your feet.
Allow the newly added soil to settle for a few days then spread out your seed. Water as necessary.
For deeper depressions, the soil will need to be dug out, any stones or large clumps removed and the soil replaced. Seed can then be spread. For more information on this, contact the team at Greener Lawns for expert advice.
Then, as a general grass booster, add a dose of the appropriate fertilizer to promote healthy growth.
We all want that perfectly level, lush, green carpet of a lawn, and believe us when we say you can achieve it! With a little extra TLC and attention to detail, your lawn can become the envy of the street! Contact the team at Greener Lawns on 1800 473 363 and get even more tips from the pros!