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Message
Best way to level front lawn?
Posted on 4/14/25 at 9:13 am
Posted on 4/14/25 at 9:13 am
Every square inch of my front yard is consistently bumpy. I don't know what caused it, but I cant lower my mower blades beneath 3 inches without scalping some of the grass. I tried leveling a portion of it last year with a mixture of dirt and sand, but it made no improvement. My lawn is a very thick Bermuda grass that canopies over most of the small divots, so its difficult to force dirt or even sand into the dicots without puling back the grass with my hands.
I'm trying to avoid redoing my entire front lawn. Any suggestions? Front lawn is 30' by 60' and about 1200 square feet of grass (not including flower beds)
I'm trying to avoid redoing my entire front lawn. Any suggestions? Front lawn is 30' by 60' and about 1200 square feet of grass (not including flower beds)
9
Posted on 4/14/25 at 9:18 am to Ping Pong
I have the same issue with my yard. I tried renting one of those water filled rollers and waited until after a rain to use it but it wasn’t successful.
Posted on 4/14/25 at 9:19 am to Ping Pong
Not sure what you're saying about pulling it up to level. Put the sand on top. The Bermuda will grow through it easily. I order 5 bags of play sand from Home Depot multiple times per week. Delivery is $2.99.
Posted on 4/14/25 at 9:22 am to Ping Pong
quote:
Front lawn is 30' by 60' and about 1200 square feet of grass
Posted on 4/14/25 at 10:07 am to Tifway419
quote:
Tifway419
You obviously didn't read the text in parenthesis that said I excluded the flower beds from the square footage.
Posted on 4/14/25 at 10:09 am to LEASTBAY
quote:
Not sure what you're saying about pulling it up to level. Put the sand on top. The Bermuda will grow through it easily. I order 5 bags of play sand from Home Depot multiple times per week. Delivery is $2.99.
What do you do with that much sand? Also if I apply sand, what's the best way to level it out? I'm afraid my push mower will create tracks through it before its settled and hardened
Posted on 4/14/25 at 10:13 am to Ping Pong
This is the only way:
1 to 2 yards of sand per 1,000 sq ft.
This was 4 yards over about 2,500 sq ft.
1 to 2 yards of sand per 1,000 sq ft.
This was 4 yards over about 2,500 sq ft.
Posted on 4/14/25 at 10:15 am to Ping Pong
Have you tried level raking the sand, then using a push broom to force it down into the grass?
Posted on 4/14/25 at 10:17 am to Ping Pong
quote:That's not a lot of sand. You would need many dozens of bags. Just back up the truck like I did. Get sand, not river silt.
What do you do with that much sand? Also if I apply sand, what's the best way to level it out? I'm afraid my push mower will create tracks through it before its settled and hardened
You need to cover your entire lawn in about one inch of sand.
I used a shovel, a wheel barrow, a metal rake, and a leveling rake.
It took about 8 hours (2,500 sq ft).
quote:After you spread the sand, stay off of it for about 3 weeks. You won't get tracks. The watering that you do will continue to flatten it.
I'm afraid my push mower will create tracks through it before its settled and hardened
I've outlined my entire plan somewhere on this site.
Here's the thread from last summer
This post was edited on 4/14/25 at 10:24 am
Posted on 4/14/25 at 10:19 am to Ping Pong
I'm constantly leveling as I cut with a reel mower. It's so short I constantly see the imperfections and it's slowly getting better. I just saturate the sand real good, my Bermuda starts growing through it in a day or two. Completely covered the spot in a week. Fertilize with something strong also. Walmart has a good 30-0-4.
Posted on 4/14/25 at 10:20 am to Ping Pong
quote:Leveling Rake.. It pushes the sand down.
My lawn is a very thick Bermuda grass that canopies over most of the small divots, so its difficult to force dirt or even sand into the dicots without puling back the grass with my hands.
Are you in Baton Rouge? I'll do it for $600
This post was edited on 4/14/25 at 10:26 am
Posted on 4/14/25 at 10:28 am to Ping Pong
Order two yards of mason sand, buy a lawn leveling rake from amazon. Scalp your lawn and fertilize with 46-0-0. Using a wheel barrow start dumping piles of sand then use a shovel to knock down the piles. Walk in every direction multiple times with the lawn leveling rake. Take a push broom and work the sand in.
Posted on 4/14/25 at 10:32 am to Ping Pong
quote:I was just messing with ya bud. Most don’t consider flower beds as part of a lawn though. Unless your question also applies to your beds, I wouldn’t include them in the numbers.
You obviously didn't read the text in parenthesis that said I excluded the flower beds from the square footage.
Posted on 4/14/25 at 10:42 am to ronk
Dumb question but how would this work for St Aug? I have a bumpy front yard in a lot of spots that I would like to smooth out. Not nearly this bad but from old beds I ripped out, city ripped out two spots doing gas work, old tree spots, etc. I would like to level out all of those areas and make it all consistent.
Posted on 4/14/25 at 10:55 am to LSUDbrous90
quote:The same way. Just spot level with play sand if it's only a few spots. I add compost/manure for a bit of 'organic material'. Get that leveling rake or one like it so you can work the sand into the canopy. It's a little tougher to do in St. Aug than bermuda, but the process is the same.
Dumb question but how would this work for St Aug? I have a bumpy front yard in a lot of spots that I would like to smooth out. Not nearly this bad but from old beds I ripped out, city ripped out two spots doing gas work, old tree spots, etc. I would like to level out all of those areas and make it all consistent.
Posted on 4/14/25 at 11:07 am to bayoubengals88
This is the way. I have done about 3 acres this past year like this. Dump bucket loads, drag level, water, wait a month, mow, repeat. Slow process but the areas I have done are smooth. I add 1 bucket of top soil for every 4 buckets of sand. Using a tractor of course.
Posted on 4/14/25 at 11:15 am to bayoubengals88
Hope that sand came with a slightly bigger lawnmower 
Posted on 4/14/25 at 12:41 pm to bayoubengals88
quote:
I add compost/manure for a bit of 'organic material'
Another poster mixed in soil. Whichever, don't use just sand if the sand layer is more than 1" thick in the deepest depressions. The reason is that sand does not hold water.
My font yard was sand-leveled 10 years ago. The depressions filled in with sand dry very quickly and the grass in those areas is visually less vigorous than places with minimal sand. This past winter I had the most freeze damage in those same sandy spots.
If I do it again, I'll have lawn core aerated 1st then top dress with a mix of mason sand and composted cotton burr.
Posted on 4/14/25 at 2:30 pm to Tree_Fall
what if the lawn is really bumpy in some spots, I think from cutting down trees. Is play Sand still the way to go or top soil? i hate most of the topsoil now b/c its seems like all mulch.
Posted on 4/14/25 at 2:41 pm to FMtTXtiger
quote:top soil won't do the leveling job. It will just decompose and become part of the soil fairly soon after applying.
what if the lawn is really bumpy in some spots, I think from cutting down trees. Is play Sand still the way to go or top soil? i hate most of the topsoil now b/c its seems like all mulch.
You've got to add sand, or some kind of leveling dirt.
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