Have you ever taken a casual walk of your lawn and noticed dips or bumps in it? Those indentations may be the result of wear and tear, moles, drought, or frost that lifted the turf. One alternative is just to live with it. However, if that is unacceptable to you, there is a way to repair it.
A level lawn.
Things you will need to take on this project include:
· Half moon cutter
· Turfing iron or spade
· Garden rake
· Gardening fork
· Top-dressing
· Pre-seeder fertilizer
· Broom
· Lawn seed
· Garden hose
Slowly walk your lawn looking for hollows and bumps. If you discover some, here’s how to fix it.
Take the half moon cutter and slice a cross shape right through the center of the bump or hollow and beyond its edges. Try to make the cut as even as possible.
Take the turfing iron or spade and dig deeper into the cut while making a slicing motion and make four flaps in the turf. The depth of the dig should be about 1-1/2-inches to 2-inches (4 cm to 5 cm). Make sure that the spade is as flat as possible so that the cut in the turf is of an even thickness.
Peel back the flaps. Be careful not to break them. To prevent problems if the soil is dry, lightly water the grass before peeling back the flaps.
If you are leveling out a bump, dig out the soil until the ground is level with the surrounding turf. Gently fold back the flaps and tamp them down with the back of a rake. Start the taming at the edges of the square and work into the center. Check to assure that the ground is level. If so, use the broom to spread good quality top-dressing into the cracks. This will prevent the edges of the turf from drying out. Sprinkle some seed into the gaps and then water regularly to assure that the seeds establish.
If after you peel back the turf you wish to repair a hollow, then take the garden fork and toss over the soil to a depth of 2-inches (5 cm) to break up any compaction or large clods. Remove any large stones. After digging, lightly tread the area down to prevent it from sinking. Take the top-dressing and fill each indent until the location is level with the surrounding soil. Rake the area to break down the soil to a fine grain and add more top-dressing if necessary. Spread a pre-seed fertilizer over the soil and then gently fold back the flaps. Tamper down each flap with the back of a rake. Start at the edges of the square and work your to the center. Check to assure that the ground is level. Use the broom to brush top-dressing into the cracks to prevent the edges of the turf from drying out. Sprinkle lawn seed into the gaps and water regularly to help the seeds establish.
(Source: hgtv.com)
