When you are dealing with a low spot more than an inch lower than surrounding grass, lift any sod that is still present. Fill in the hole in lawn with soil, mounding it about 1 inch higher than the surrounding grade. Replace the grass, pat it lightly into place, and water. The grass should eventually settle into place.
Fill the low spots with a 50/50 mix of dry topsoil and fine sand. Keep in mind that if you are filling a deep hole, the ground will settle a bit over time.
Fill materials should be fairly sandy and coarse. This will help the particles sift down among the blades, and the grass blades will grow up through a coarse fill better. It should be low in organic matter. Builders sand, pump sand and river sand can be used.
Gently Compacting the Soil
You can fill deep uneven sections of your lawn by compacting the soil gently and watering the section as you fill up the uneven areas. By piling loose dirt, the soil will settle without killing the grass. You can compact the soil by walking on it regularly.
Buy topsoil that's screened and free of weeds so you don't introduce new problems to your lawn. Use this topsoil to overfill any depressions with a shovel. Rake the soil across the depressions, but be sure to leave a little extra soil on top, as the topsoil will sink as it settles.
In geology, a depression is a landform sunken or depressed below the surrounding area. Depressions form by various mechanisms.
No, most grass will not fill in bare spots on its own. While a few types of grass will spread via their underground root systems, most patches on grass need to be seeded. Before you begin, make sure you properly prepare the bare spots to give the seeds the best chance to germinate and spread.
Due to the adverse effects of adding pure sand on your lawn by itself, it is better to use a mixture of sand and dry topsoil to level uneven sections on your lawn. You can make your lawn leveling soil by mixing pure sand and dry topsoil in a ratio of 1:1.
For a top-dressing material for level improvement, we always like to use washed plasterers' sand. It doesn't compact quite as hard as brickies sand. It is generally easier to screed and level due to the lower clay and silt content and reduces the likelihood of the surface crusting and become hydrophobic.
Shovel out a small amount of your material, working in small areas, a few square feet at a time. Using your shovel, “fling” the materials with a smooth, sweeping motion similar to hitting a hockey puck, spreading the topdressing over the lawn to a depth of ⅛ to ½ inch.
Make a top-dressing mix to fill in the area beneath the grass in sunken areas of your lawn from two parts sand, two parts topsoil, and one part compost. The sand helps maintain a level yard because it doesn't compact easily, while the soil and compost contain nutrients that your grass needs to thrive.
If you simply toss the grass seed onto the soil, you will end up with poor germination. Thoroughly rake the area to remove any loose debris and to create grooves in the soil.
Grass seed is surface sown, meaning lays and roots on top of the soil, so it does not need to be buried. It's usually broadcast over the ground with a hand or rotary spreader. In order for that seed to sprout, it needs good soil contact, which makes soil quality a major factor in growing a healthy, uniform lawn.
It depends on the type of grass. Kentucky bluegrass has runners that help it spread on its own. But many northern grasses are bunch-type grasses which don't spread, so seeding is needed to fill in bare spots. Perennial ryegrass and fescue are among the non-spreaders.
The cheapest way to level a yard is by using stakes, string, a spirit level, shovel, and wheelbarrow. You may also need some extra soil to fill in holes and a couple of friends to help you.
Can I level my backyard myself? Sunken spots, holes, or shallow depressions are easy to repair yourself. Large areas or lawns with extensive damage may require labor, materials, and equipment supplied by a contractor.
Minor Leveling With Topdressing
Topdressing involves spreading a leveling mix of topsoil, compost, and fine sand. The soil should not contain mulch or plant debris, which can smother the grass. The best sand to use is play sand, which you can buy at any home center.
Remove all brush, grass and other debris from the depression. Try to determine the extent of the hole by careful excavation and probing. Incrementally fill the depression with fill soil that has a high amount of clay and low amount of sand. Do not use use gravel or rock as a fill material.
Wilting of small, circular areas of vegetation. This happens because the moisture that normally supports vegetation in the area is draining into the sinkhole that is developing below the surface. Cloudy water is pumped from nearby wells where the water was previously clear. Depressions in your yard or street.
Sinkholes are all about water.
(This is called "weathering".) Water washes away the soil and residue from the voids in the rock. Lowering of groundwater levels can cause a loss of support for the soft material in the rock spaces that can lead to collapse.
The average topsoil cost is between $10 and $50 per cubic yard, or $150 and $500 per truckload, including delivery.