Leveling topsoil for new lawn

[lzicc]

I relandscaped my side and back yard and have it close to almost finished. I am waiting for september to plant grass seed. I will need to purchase at least 4 tandem truckloads of topsoil. I am going to get the screened topsoil and have mushroom mulch mixed in, like a 50/50 mix. What would be the best way to spread this so I would have very little hand spreading to do? I have a box blade, but though about getting a 3 point landscape read to help level it off.

I will initially spread the topsoil out using the fel and get it somewhat leveled off, but once it is spread, what could I use for the final leveling off? Also, since most of the yard is on a grade, what would be good to use to cover the grass seed to keep it in place until it grows? I have straw, but if it rains really good, I don't know how well that will hold the seed from floating away.

 

[duffer]

The best thing I've found to do the "final" leveling is a spike tooth harrow. If there are clumps of soil/mulch mixed into the topsoil, this will help break them up, and assist in the final grading. (this assumes you get the topsoil pretty well distributed with your FEL and box blade)

But for the best finish, turn the harrow upside down, with the spikes facing upward. Go over the area 2-4 times depending on how level you want it, plant your seed, and go over it once again with the harrow to bury the seed. Did this on my 10 acres, and it works great, even on hills.

 

[lzicc]

Since the topsoil will already be screened, I wonder if this drag harrow would work if I can get the topsoil down well with the fel.

 

[atsah]

I have found with a little finesse with the bucket works best for me, finish it with a drag harrow if you have room otherwise a hand rake..

 

[skipperbrown]

I would think that drag would go a great job. Around here, they use a bobcat fitted with pallet forks and they put a pallet on it and drive it around with the front of the pallet slightly raised and the back touching the ground. My concern is driving those really heavy trucks over your driveway. Where are they going to dump the dirt?

 

[lzicc]

They can back up the driveway and backup to the side yard. The back yard I will have to move it up there with my fel. I did think about the pallet idea. That is a good idea also.

I would think that drag would go a great job. Around here, they use a bobcat fitted with pallet forks and they put a pallet on it and drive it around with the front of the pallet slightly raised and the back touching the ground. My concern is driving those really heavy trucks over your driveway. Where are they going to dump the dirt?

 

[TSO]

A LPGS (land plane) works excellent for good fresh topsoil. Especially with a hydraulic toplink so you can adjust the pitch on-the-fly.

I do a lot of this work with my landscape company (topsoil prep for sod/seed) and if the material is dry, and there's adequate space for a tractor to move around, the LPGS works wonders.

 

[TSO]

Perfect way to finish it after that is with a Landscape Tiller (ATI Preseeder is what I use). Very expensive tool ($12k) but the finished product is very nice.

 

[EddieWalker]

For me, nothing works better at shaping, moving material and final finishing the ground then my front bucket. I back drag it and adjust the angle of the bucket to either dig in, or feather the dirt up. If I need a little more in one area, I dump a little there, back drag it and decide if I need more or not, and do it again and again, until its perfect.

 

[Tractor Seabee]

I relandscaped my side and back yard and have it close to almost finished. I am waiting for september to plant grass seed. I will need to purchase at least 4 tandem truckloads of topsoil. I am going to get the screened topsoil and have mushroom mulch mixed in, like a 50/50 mix. What would be the best way to spread this so I would have very little hand spreading to do? I have a box blade, but though about getting a 3 point landscape read to help level it off.

I will initially spread the topsoil out using the fel and get it somewhat leveled off, but once it is spread, what could I use for the final leveling off? Also, since most of the yard is on a grade, what would be good to use to cover the grass seed to keep it in place until it grows? I have straw, but if it rains really good, I don't know how well that will hold the seed from floating away.

View attachment 615900View attachment 615901View attachment 615902

Mushroom Compost. I used some on my re-planted front yard last fall. This late spring I had a massive crop of mushrooms. I think that is the end of my mushroom composting. They are hard to get rid of due to the millions of spores they drop.

Ron

 

[lzicc]

I never had the issue with the mushrooms growing. I get a few here and there, but they seem to die down. I do know that grass grows like crazy with it.

These are some great ideas. I think I may roughly level the topsoil with the fel and they go over it with a harrow or pallet to finely level it off. That will also give me some loose stuff on top for the seed the get embedded in. I am going to rent a roller for my garden tractor to roll it down after I see it, then throw some straw over it. I just hope we don't get any more heavy rains that could wash my seed away. The topsoil I am getting is very soft and screened so there is nothing larger than a half inch in the dirt. So it should spread nicely as long as I don't run over it too much with the tractor.

 

[LukeDuke30]

I never had the issue with the mushrooms growing. I get a few here and there, but they seem to die down. I do know that grass grows like crazy with it.

These are some great ideas. I think I may roughly level the topsoil with the fel and they go over it with a harrow or pallet to finely level it off. That will also give me some loose stuff on top for the seed the get embedded in. I am going to rent a roller for my garden tractor to roll it down after I see it, then throw some straw over it. I just hope we don't get any more heavy rains that could wash my seed away. The topsoil I am getting is very soft and screened so there is nothing larger than a half inch in the dirt. So it should spread nicely as long as I don't run over it too much with the tractor.

This past spring when our house was finished, I went through the entire discovery phase of how to finish grade, level, spread topsoil, and then plant grass. I ended up buying a used Land Pride Pulverizer. I used it to smooth out the rough grade, and then added a layer of topsoil. The teeth did a nice job of mixing, and the weight and the fact that the pulverizer is made on steel I-Beam makes leveling effortless. I overseeded this area, and hit it again with the pulverizer to bury, and then firm the soil (roller with spikes on the back). Since it was basically drilled in, I did not need straw. Yard turned out nice.

 

[guitarman]

Since the topsoil will already be screened, I wonder if this drag harrow would work if I can get the topsoil down well with the fel.

View attachment 615904

Easy to build with a section of chain link and a bar across the front and back

 

[RustyA]

Chain link with bar front and rear works good for final level if you can keep some weight on top for downward pressure. Have also used a heavy oak pallet rightside up to start and upside down to finish pulled by an atv for maneuverability . An old partial piece of steel spike tooth harrow also works good with some concrete blocks on top removing blocks as level is achieved.