Will this work? Smoothing bumpy lawn

[Joe Gremlin]

Here's the deal folks. My property is divided into three sections more or less as far as mowing goes. My problem is with the front section.

The front section is a sretch of lawn which sits between the driveway on one side and a pond on the other. This area is more or less rectangular and measures around 50'x150'. There are a few trees, but otherwise its just lawn. The entire center section of this rectangle has a fairly well defined mound on it. I assume this mound was created when the pond was put in (its man made).

We bought the property last year and bought our 2305 shortly after moving in. When I first started mowing this area I noticed there were a few dips in the mound. As the mowing season went on, the dips seemed to become more pronounced and it seemed like there were more of them. I assume this was due to the weight of the 2305. The previous owner had a much lighter riding mower. Other than the dips, this area is terrific. The grass in this section is different than the rest of the property and its very green and thick and lush in the summer.

So before the mowing season gets started, I'd like to do something to smooth this area out. My original thought was that I'd just have to go at it with the loader and turn it all to dirt, then grade it, smooth it, roll it and replant it. But given that the grass in this area is otherwise perfect, and given that I wouldn't begin to know what type of grass to replant in order to replicate it, I'm thinking I might try something else.

What I'm thinking is to rent a sod cutter and peel all the grass off the mound. Then go in with the back blade and redistribute what ever is there and roll it all smooth. Then roll the lawn back over it.

That's my plan, but I really have no idea if it will work. Has anyone tried this sort of fix before? Will the sod cutter be able to deal with the dips as its cutting or will I end up leaving the low areas uncut? And once I get the grass off the area, should I do anything besides working it with the loader and/or back blade to smooth it? My neighbor has a roller. Should I run that over it? And if so, how much? All thoughts or suggestions are welcome.

 

[Reg]

Here's the deal folks. My property is divided into three sections more or less as far as mowing goes. My problem is with the front section.

The front section is a sretch of lawn which sits between the driveway on one side and a pond on the other. This area is more or less rectangular and measures around 50'x150'. There are a few trees, but otherwise its just lawn. The entire center section of this rectangle has a fairly well defined mound on it. I assume this mound was created when the pond was put in (its man made).

We bought the property last year and bought our 2305 shortly after moving in. When I first started mowing this area I noticed there were a few dips in the mound. As the mowing season went on, the dips seemed to become more pronounced and it seemed like there were more of them. I assume this was due to the weight of the 2305. The previous owner had a much lighter riding mower. Other than the dips, this area is terrific. The grass in this section is different than the rest of the property and its very green and thick and lush in the summer.

So before the mowing season gets started, I'd like to do something to smooth this area out. My original thought was that I'd just have to go at it with the loader and turn it all to dirt, then grade it, smooth it, roll it and replant it. But given that the grass in this area is otherwise perfect, and given that I wouldn't begin to know what type of grass to replant in order to replicate it, I'm thinking I might try something else.

What I'm thinking is to rent a sod cutter and peel all the grass off the mound. Then go in with the back blade and redistribute what ever is there and roll it all smooth. Then roll the lawn back over it.

That's my plan, but I really have no idea if it will work. Has anyone tried this sort of fix before? Will the sod cutter be able to deal with the dips as its cutting or will I end up leaving the low areas uncut? And once I get the grass off the area, should I do anything besides working it with the loader and/or back blade to smooth it? My neighbor has a roller. Should I run that over it? And if so, how much? All thoughts or suggestions are welcome.

Guesses; guesses, guesses, GUESSES...
It is probably the excavated material from the pond - if so the previous owner probably had a large wet patch there and decided it might as well be an ornamental pond as a mud patch.
If it is from a shallow pond bottom it is likely rich soil and since it is now piled above the surrounding terrain it drains well - so yes, I would expect grass to grow very well there, better than the surrounding areas.

It was probably dumped and piled up with very rough smoothing, if any.
You have dips because un-compacted soil has been driven on and it is almost the nature of homeowner mower folk that they go all the way to the edges on the first pass and then work their way in (same overlap by same overlap).
Always the same pattern, always the same tire paths, so tracks develop.
Your mower may have a different track width, your cutter may be a different width to the previous owner's mower, so some will match, others won't.


Here's the "issues" I see with your plan.
150 x 50 is a LOT of sod to cut, store & tend to while you level the area.
It WILL dry out and could die if you don't tend it, so at least keep it wet.
What you put it ON could also suffer,,, do you HAVE anywhere to put it ?
Hauling it back and forth ? Depends how far and how much you can carry each trip.
Picking it up & putting it down (Planet Fitness ad).

OK, then there is the volume of dirt or sub soil that you will strip off - as in, "where to put all this ?"

A LOT of variables to consider; If there is nowhere to get rid of the excess material and if you can't devote continuous time to the project you might have to just til it all in, grade it and start over.
Is this a week-ends only project ?

Personally the lifting of that much sod (~7500 sq ft ?) onto a trailer or into a FEL, then laying it out somewhere would likely be more than my back would enjoy.
Then the reverse operation to put it all back again... {Shudder}.

 

[SixHoeBob]

How big is this mound? Is it rectangular in shape? is it your sand mound for your septic system?

 

[jenkinsph]

Some pictures would really help.

 

[Hooked_on_HP]

I think I would rent a vibrating roller and see if I could smooth it out that way. If you can fix it without tearing it up I would do it that way. I know this way won't give you any seat time on the tractor but maby you could get a ride on roller
Bill

 

[retiredmgn]

"When I first started mowing this area I noticed there were a few dips in the mound. As the mowing season went on, the dips seemed to become more pronounced and it seemed like there were more of them."

You need to consider, it could be where the bodies are burried. As decay takes place the dimples in the ground become more pronounced.
Don't ask me how I know.

 

[J_J]

Why not put yellow sand , or something in the low spots, but not enough to cover the grass, until you are satisfied with the level. Works for the ruts also. . Have you used a laser to measure the low spots, with flags with number of inches low. You could dump the sand in a pile, and distribute as necessary. There are laser graders out there, and probably something to use a laser to spread fill to make things level or slant for water run off. They are accurate to about 1/4 in.

 

[J_J]

In a similar smaller situation, I removed plugs of dirt, and then packed the mound down. You keep taking plugs out of the mound and packing until the level is met. When you remove large plugs of dirt, and then pack it, it will lower for sure.

Have you ever pumped a slurry of water and sand, the water, will carry the sand and it will settle in the low spots. If water is standing in the low spots, that will give you a good indication of the low spots.

You can also find the low spots with a string, using a good reference for your level, or slope if that is what you want.

 

[jenkinsph]

I think I would rent a vibrating roller and see if I could smooth it out that way. If you can fix it without tearing it up I would do it that way. I know this way won't give you any seat time on the tractor but maby you could get a ride on roller
Bill

Funny you mentioned this as I am going to try this on a few spots tomorrow. I will leave the vibration off first to see if rolling alone is enough to fix it.

 

[jenkinsph]

If the bumps are small and pronounced you might try backdragging with the bucket. If the grass grows as well as you say it should recover within a month or so.

I use a landplane/grader to remove mounds and bumps in my work, with the blades set flush with the skids it down't damage the grass yet still cuts down the high spots.

 

[Joe Gremlin]

Here's the "issues" I see with your plan.
150 x 50 is a LOT of sod to cut, store & tend to while you level the area.
It WILL dry out and could die if you don't tend it, so at least keep it wet.

You are correct. But I don't intend to pull up the entire 150x50 section. The mound and a bit of the surrounding area where the dips are is probably 25x80 or so which is more or less near the center of the lawn section. So my plan is to just pull up that area and to roll the sod to each end of the lawn section. Just sort of pull it out of the way while I try to fix the ground that lies below it. Then just roll it back when I'm done.

OK, then there is the volume of dirt or sub soil that you will strip off - as in, "where to put all this ?"

Two thoughts on this. First off, I don't really intend to strip it off so much as just push it around and smooth it out. However I also have an 800ft path through the woods on the back section of the property that desperately needs fill so I've definitely got someplace to put anything I end up having to remove. But like I said, I don't really want to remove the mound as it provides a nice extra barrier to protect against the pond spilling into low sections of the lawn if/when the water table rises above normal levels.

Is this a week-ends only project ?

More or less yeah.

How big is this mound? Is it rectangular in shape? is it your sand mound for your septic system?

It is rectangular, but it is definitely not part of the septic system. The septic system is much closer to the house. According to my neighbor, both of the ponds (there is another on his property) were dug 30 or so years ago. This mound is almost definitely is from when the pond was dug.

Some pictures would really help.

I actually took some pictures this afternoon before I posted the thread. But I didn't bother to include them because they really don't show any of the contour of the lawn. You can't really see the mound in them nor can you see any of the dips. You can definitely see both clearly when you're standing there but I just couldn't get them to show up in pictures.

 

[dusty3030]

Sand. Grass will grow back through it.

 

[jenkinsph]

If the bumps are small enough that you can't see them in a picture then I would think rolling should work. I would not expect to have good success with cutting the sod and replacing it.

 

[Jim in ICT]

What's wrong with filling with good topsoil, floating the dirt with the bucket, and keeping it wet to allow the existing grass to grow through the topsoil? It's still early spring and you should be able to keep the grass you have and spread on some fill dirt to give you the seat time that you deserve.
We built four years ago and I still have a section of the sewer line that's still settling. Winter is a good time to do this when the grass is dormant.

 

[Joe Gremlin]

I could do the topsoil I suppose. But how important is the keeping it wet part? Keeping it wet would require 300'-400' of hose. I'm not in love with the thought of buying that much hose for one job and then storing it until I eventually need it again.

 

[Runner]

I'm getting ready to do a similar project and thought about the idea of stripping the sod. However, the logistics of doing this (and likelihood of actually having the sod live afterwards) led me to the conclusion that it will be easier to just strip the top soil, infill the low spot, move the top soil back and re-seed.

I plan on using a box blade and loader, and may need to bring in some more top soil before it's all done.

 

[Jim in ICT]

Joe, it's veryy important if you want the grass to grow back. Think about if you laid down NEW sod, it would have to be kept wet as well. What part of the country do you live in? Do you normally have a lot of spring rains, or is it hot and dry? What about erosion if you get the sod pulled up and get a heavy rain?
How about a water tank to fill and transport to the site and put down with a short hose? If I have a good stand of grass growing, I'd do almost anything to keep from re-planting.

 

[Ford tractor]

Get a yard of good black dirt, a yard of peat moss and a yard of sand. Add fertilizer, lime, any other needed amendments then mix well. Every 3-5 days go out and sprinkle that mix into the low areas, just enough to add material but not so much as to cover the grass. Rake it in good and if you have a roller, flatten it out. Mix more as needed and keep at it until the low spots are full.

It probably won't take more than one summer of effort.

 

[Joe Gremlin]

Get a yard of good black dirt, a yard of peat moss and a yard of sand. Add fertilizer, lime, any other needed amendments then mix well. Every 3-5 days go out and sprinkle that mix into the low areas, just enough to add material but not so much as to cover the grass. Rake it in good and if you have a roller, flatten it out. Mix more as needed and keep at it until the low spots are full.

It probably won't take more than one summer of effort.

This sounds feasible, and it sounds like its worth trying before I do anything more drastic. The peat moss and sand make sense and should be easy to find. What is the significance of the 'good black dirt' and where would I get some? I'm guessing Home Depot isn't going to have bags of it.

 

[Joe Gremlin]

Joe, it's veryy important if you want the grass to grow back. Think about if you laid down NEW sod, it would have to be kept wet as well. What part of the country do you live in? Do you normally have a lot of spring rains, or is it hot and dry? What about erosion if you get the sod pulled up and get a heavy rain?

I'm in Southwest Michigan. It ain't exactly Seattle, WA but we do tend to get a fair amount of rain. Mostly the gentle soaking kind as opposed to torrential downpours.

If I had to, I'd probably try to find a way to use a small submersible pump, plunk it in the pond and then just run a bunch of extention cords from the shop when I wanted to water. If nothing else, extension cords are more useful around here than 400' of garden hose would be.


Thanks to all for the input so far. This is all very useful information and some really good ideas.