prepping for lawn, what should i use

[SnowSeb]

I would like some suggestions on what would work best with compact tractor to prepare final grading to prepare for lawn seed, sod or hydroseed. Rough grading already done, mostly for residential new constructions. Price being an important consideration but also ease of use and efficiency in getting job done with good finish.

 

[MidGALandscaper]

I use a harley rake. Makes final grading a breeze. They are expensive though (about $5500), but nothing works like a harley rake.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Nothing beats a harley rake, you may want to try your tractor dealership to see if they rent them out. Both of my dealers have rental equipment departments and rent out all sorts of 3pt equipment, various size tractors, excavators, etc. That would be the first option I could recommend.

If you can't rent one, then I would opt for 3 less expensive implements. First till the soil, if you have rough grade that probably means you got new construction, and that probably means you've got some pretty compacted soil. Till it to loosen it up, that will also break up the large dirt clods, and you may be surprised how many bricks you find buried about a 1/2" under the surface! Then take a landscape rake and spin it backwards use it to smooth things out even more, it will also compact the soil just a bit because the tilling will leave it soft. A roller would then finish the job for you, it will finish gently compacting the soil back down without crushing it into something the grass seed can't get into. Those 3 tools will do a job sort of similar to what a harley rake does on bare ground, it takes a lot more work but a lot less money.

 

[have_blue]

Nothing works like a tiller for packed soil.

Assuming you have fresh topsoil like most new construction, you don't need to do much.

Plant your grass, get it going real good, and either roll it or dump a load of coarse sand and spread it to even out the lawn. I like the sand method. After a good rain, the sand will wash into the small low places and your yard will look like a pool table. Years later, you may get more whoop-de-do's, and you can repeat the sanding.

 

[anthonyk]

I was surprised to read your post. I've got all sorts of dips and low spots in my yard. A couple of TBN posts suggested sand too, but in small amounts. Did you really drop a load of sand and spread it around, AND have the grass grow up through it?
I"ve been sort of toying with the idea of a couple of buckets of sand, but somehow can't seem to picture it working.

Anthony

 

[Bird]

Anthony, I bought several bags of sand (I think they call it play sand for sandboxes at Home Depot) to fill in low spots in our yard, and the grass came on up through it. I think I've used about a thousand pounds of it for that purpose; most places only a couple of inches thick, but 4 or 5 little sink holes that were 4 or 5 inches deep. I did that last year and now you can't tell where I did it.

 

[have_blue]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I was surprised to read your post. I've got all sorts of dips and low spots in my yard. A couple of TBN posts suggested sand too, but in small amounts. Did you really drop a load of sand and spread it around, AND have the grass grow up through it?
I"ve been sort of toying with the idea of a couple of buckets of sand, but somehow can't seem to picture it working.

Anthony )</font>


Hey Anthony,

I recommend sand for the more shallow dips. Work the large dips out with a drag of some sort, and plant grass.

Once the grass is growing vigorously and 1-2" tall, you can spread an inch or 2 of sand. The sand will sink a bit, so your grass will poke through it right away. It will not suffocate the roots like soil will do. The real magic begins when is rains. The sand seeks the lowest levels, and migrates to the holes and dips.

My last sanding project was ~4-1/2 years ago. I had a 500' long grass road. It was OK I guess, but had little whoop-de-do's (or washboard effect). When it rained, cars and even my riding mower left black mud tracks unless I waited until it was thoroughly dry.

I sanded the road with 2 inches of coarse sand (mortar sand, my supplier was out of the cheaper stuff) For 2-3 years the road was very smooth and level, and drained instantly after a rain. I could run on it right after a hard rain without leaving ruts or mud tracks. The grass became very smooth and attractive, and the sand did not show on the surface. Unfortunately, it's getting time to do it again. The next sand job will probably last a lot longer, because some of it is still there.

You should get the same results on your yard. However, the flatness will last longer because you will probably just run the mower on it.

Only down side is the weather! If you have a long dry spell right after sanding, you can't mow. Wait until most of the sand is hidden beneath the grass before mowing. Mow high, and keep the blade RPM down just a bit until the sand settles in, or it will be blown away.

 

[anthonyk]

Well I'll be darned. Who'da thunk it?

I know exactly what you mean about the play sand.
I saw somebody carrying a basketfull of the stuff in bags.
Now I know what it was for.

 

[Tom_H]

Boy, folks have given you some really good advice here. Just a thought about the sand. If you really need a lot of it, check the price of having a sand and gravel business bringing a truckload straight from the quarry to your location. Lots of those bags from the home center can really add up in price. Also, playground quality is not needed for this purpose. Assuming you have a FEL, you can take it around to the places needed and at the time you need it. I'm rural and keep a 5 yd. pile of sand and another 5 yd. pile of gravel on hand all the time.

 

[anthonyk]

that's exactly what I was thinking of doing.
Just having it delivered and dropped by the truckload.
Take from the pile as I need it.

anthony /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif