Is there an easy way to properly grade a lawn? I understand the desirable slope etc, but do you stake the lawn off in a certain way? or just sorta eyeball everything? ive tried lots of internet sites but none that ive found give you step by step instruction. thanks in advance!
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Oops, I posted a similar question. I hope we get a pro to answer both for us! The lawn care books and sites are really good about telling you how to till in ammendements, rake, roll and seed the finished grade, but they don't tell you how to get there in the first place, not how to get rid of an old neglected lawn.
Howdy folks,
I have been following this thread and haven't responded yet--as I'm really no expert on the subject. But I have dealt with such problems in the past (not currently--our current house has mostly rock around it!)
Of course those of you who know me know that my lack of knowledge on a topic almost never keeps me from responding :)
Regarding lumpy lawns, I've had good luck getting a pile of dirt and raking it into existing dirt. Personally, I don't worry about what this does to the looks of the lawn--as resulting gaps are just temporary. If the gaps are big, you can put down grass seed, or move plugs of grass from other parts of the lawn. But grass has a surprising ability to fill in.
In one house my back lawn was so lumpy I actually attached rope to two ends of a long landscape timber and pulled it around as if I were a beast of burden! This must've looked ridiculous but actually was quite effective. Again, supplement with extra soil and don't worry too much about what it looks like immediately afterwards.
My advice: be brutal! Use shovels, rakes, whatever it takes.
We also have gotten away from the uniform look of high-maintenance grass (with all the incessant fertilizing/mowing, etc) but this is probably a good topic for a "blog". I've seen some beautiful lawns of thyme and other plants. We have some grass but it grows kind of tall and I weed-whack seed heads once a year.
Hopefully we'll get some more 'takers' on this topic, but in the meantime, this might just get you going!, good luck!
Regards,
-k2 in CO
Moderator, Miscellaneous Forum
http://www.bobvila.com/BBS/Miscellaneous
I have been following this thread and haven't responded yet--as I'm really no expert on the subject. But I have dealt with such problems in the past (not currently--our current house has mostly rock around it!)
Of course those of you who know me know that my lack of knowledge on a topic almost never keeps me from responding :)
Regarding lumpy lawns, I've had good luck getting a pile of dirt and raking it into existing dirt. Personally, I don't worry about what this does to the looks of the lawn--as resulting gaps are just temporary. If the gaps are big, you can put down grass seed, or move plugs of grass from other parts of the lawn. But grass has a surprising ability to fill in.
In one house my back lawn was so lumpy I actually attached rope to two ends of a long landscape timber and pulled it around as if I were a beast of burden! This must've looked ridiculous but actually was quite effective. Again, supplement with extra soil and don't worry too much about what it looks like immediately afterwards.
My advice: be brutal! Use shovels, rakes, whatever it takes.
We also have gotten away from the uniform look of high-maintenance grass (with all the incessant fertilizing/mowing, etc) but this is probably a good topic for a "blog". I've seen some beautiful lawns of thyme and other plants. We have some grass but it grows kind of tall and I weed-whack seed heads once a year.
Hopefully we'll get some more 'takers' on this topic, but in the meantime, this might just get you going!, good luck!
Regards,
-k2 in CO
Moderator, Miscellaneous Forum
http://www.bobvila.com/BBS/Miscellaneous
grading Lawn
August 27th, 2004 03:24 PM
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One tool I've found invaluable for grading is a landscapers rake. It is a very wide rake with metal teeth. You can find them in a home store or you can rent them by the day. They are useful if you have somewhat loose dirt and want to make it even. I like the rope and timber idea but this may work as well.
As far as grading to to a certain level, we used something that may or may not appeal to you. We had to grade for a swale to make its way around septic fields. This meant grading 150 of lawn so it always had a slope when there was only an 18 inch difference between the top and the bottom. We did this with a $15 laser level and a bunch of stakes. We just worked our way from the back to the front laying the stakes and marking the level lines from one stake to the next. We then just interpolated the grading between the stakes to be roughly smooth. This technique will also work for more square areas. If you are just trying to get it into rough shape, maybe eyeballing it is best.
Good luck.
August 27th, 2004 03:24 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
One tool I've found invaluable for grading is a landscapers rake. It is a very wide rake with metal teeth. You can find them in a home store or you can rent them by the day. They are useful if you have somewhat loose dirt and want to make it even. I like the rope and timber idea but this may work as well.
As far as grading to to a certain level, we used something that may or may not appeal to you. We had to grade for a swale to make its way around septic fields. This meant grading 150 of lawn so it always had a slope when there was only an 18 inch difference between the top and the bottom. We did this with a $15 laser level and a bunch of stakes. We just worked our way from the back to the front laying the stakes and marking the level lines from one stake to the next. We then just interpolated the grading between the stakes to be roughly smooth. This technique will also work for more square areas. If you are just trying to get it into rough shape, maybe eyeballing it is best.
Good luck.
