How To Level Your Yard (Small To Large Lawn Leveling)

A lawn that is not level can happen over time; it can be caused by poor drainage, animals and insects, and many others. Although it is common to have a few spots of unleveled lawn in your garden, it is not desirable, so let’s find out how we can level it out.

To level shallow areas, add topdressing onto the grass. For lower sunken areas, remove the grass, add topdressing and place it back onto the area to be compacted to get the desired level. If leveling a small area, use a rake or shovel. Use compacting equipment for a large area.

A nicely leveled lawn is aesthetically pleasing, helps reduce soil erosion, and promotes proper drainage. Before leveling your lawn, you have to understand what method is needed and what tools you will need.

How To Level Out My Lawn

Before you can level out your lawn, you have to know what method you should use. The method is dependent on how big the areas that need to be leveled are and how many spots need leveling throughout the lawn. 

If you have shallow spots around your garden, you will use the topdressing method, and if you have deeper spots of more than 2 to 3 cm, you will have to start again. We will look at these two methods, when to use them and how to do it. 

What Tools Will I Need For Leveling?

The tools used will slightly depend on what method you will be using. Here are some of the tools you may need to do the job:

• Rods
• String
• A spirit level 
• A flat shovel or manual lawn edger
• Garden rake 
• Garden sprinkler
• A 2 by 4 piece of wood
• Compacting equipment
• Wheelbarrow
• Protective gloves and garden shoes
• Push broom

You will find that some of these you will not necessarily need for the topdressing method. For the method where you start again, you will find most of these tools very helpful to complete the job.

Leveling Out Shallow Spots

Leveling out shallow spots of an uneven lawn is much easier than leveling out deeper areas. This method can be used for areas 1 to 2 cm deep; this method will not work well for areas deeper than this. 

This method works by applying topdressing, a mixture of topsoil, compost, and fine sand on top of your lawn. The recipe for the topdressing is 40% sand, 40% topsoil, and 20% compost. The compost adds nutrients and promotes healthy grass growth, while the sand helps with proper drainage.

1. Mix the topdressing in a wheelbarrow that you will apply to your lawn; make sure it does not contain mulch or any plant debris that could smother the lawn. Make sure it is mixed thoroughly.

2. Add topsoil to the low leveled areas of your lawn; only apply to a height of ½ inch to prevent smothering the grass. 

3. Use the garden rake to spread the topsoil evenly over the area.  

4. Using a push broom, brush the grass back and forth to help work the topsoil into the grass; this is to make sure the mixture moves between the blades preventing smothering. 

5. Tamp down on the areas where topdressing was applied to help compact the soil; this can be done with a spade, flat side of the rake, or walking.

6. Lightly water the area without overwatering, which can wash the topdressing away.

7. Monitor the area to see if it has leveled out well; you will know that the topdressing has worked its way into the soil once the dirt has disappeared. If it has not leveled out entirely, you can repeat the steps above to get it to the level desired.

Leveling Deeper Spots

Leveling deeper spots of more than 2 to 3 cm will need more work than just topsoil application. These spots may be small areas or broad areas of your lawn. This method will require you to remove the grass and add a layer of soil underneath to raise the sunken spots.

1. In the sunken areas, use a flat shovel or manual lawn edger to cut through the grass along the edges of the sunken area. Make sure to cut through it with clean, vertical cuts to reduce any damage to the roots and have a neatly cut patch of grass. Watering the grass before will make this step much more manageable.

2. Remove the cut piece of grass without damaging the roots and out it to one side. 

3. Once removed, use a garden fork to turn over soil 5 cm deep, breaking up large clumps of soil and removing stones. Once turned over, tamp down on the loose soil to help compact it. 

4. Apply topdressing or potting soil that is free of any debris into the hole you made. Make sure you add enough so that it reaches the level of the grass around it. 

5. You can then put the cut piece of grass onto the soil and tamp down on it to help compact the soil, tamp down from the edges moving to the center. You can add topdressing around the edges of the piece of grass you cut; this will prevent it from dying. A rake, shovel, or even walking over the area will help with compacting it in small areas. If you have a larger area, you may need to rent some compacting equipment.

6. Water the area regularly without overwatering.

7. You can use the 2 by 4 piece of wood and spirit level to make sure the grass is leveled out; if not, add or remove soil to get to the desired level.

Additional Tips To Help With Leveling Your Garden

Here are a few tips that may be helpful when leveling out your garden:

• If there are sunken spots around areas with water pipes, it is advised to call in professionals.

• To help make sure your garden is level, you can use a 2 by 4 piece of wood with a spirit level or use the string method.

• Plan to level out your garden in spring; this is the best time for the grass to recover and for grass seed to grow efficiently.

• You can add grass seed to areas that have been leveled to fill in the cut areas and ensure it is thick and healthy.

• Use rakes or shovels for small areas that are leveled out. When leveling out a large area, use compacting equipment to ensure it is leveled out properly.

Wrapping Up

You don’t need professionals to help you level out your garden; you can do this easily with the above steps. You can level out small and large areas of your lawn; make sure you use the correct method depending on how deep the sunken spots are.

Ensure you use a spirit level of the string method to help level out your garden correctly. It is always beneficial to add some grass seed between the cut areas to help ensure you end up with thick healthy grass once it has recovered.