How to flatten a washboard lawn.

[RalphVa]

One of our master gardeners recently wrote an article where she described using up to 3" or more of compost to improve her lawn. Would such use be a way of evening out the washboard? Yeah, at the high points, you wouldn't have much compost, but it would fill in the low points.

She actually showed pictures in the article of just about burying the grass in compost. It recovered from the almost burial and came out better for it.

Ralph

 

[Sysop]

Grass is pretty tough stuff to kill, the big thing is making sure no weeds take hold while it is recovering (typically healthy lawn grass keeps most weeds choked out). The 100x70 garden I just recently tilled up to plant had been nothing more than "the west lawn" for the past 30 years and was a nice looking yard. Even after plowing discing and tilling, grass was the first thing to come springing back up. If you just till the tops off the humps and down into the low spots about a half inch, then smooth it all and roll it all, your yard will be a yard again in under a month. You can generally put up to 4" of loose topsoil or compost on grass and the grass will come right back, the problem with this is the density of the surface varies so much it is impossible to get it to stay put and actually end up level or smooth. Tilling the entire surface loose (even if only down a half inch in the low spots) then rolling it all gives you a more consistent surface density and stuff will stay put better... Any other solutions require a lot more follow-up work to get as good of results. The plugging I mentioned in my previous post is better than bringing in loose compost or topsoil to add, the plugs are already closer to the same density as the rest of everything and will actually stay put quite a bit better than any new loose material.

 

[Will_C]

For an acre, I would recommend the plugging/rolling routine. It is a real act of timing to find the proper time to roll-so the ground is wet enough to smooth but you don't leave ruts. Believe me, I've erred on the wrong side more than once!

The amount of soil needed to smooth even small ridges would be considerable-it doesn't go as far as you may think!

Will

 

[srs]

Check this out.

Kesmac Inc. :: Kesmac Walk Behind and Large Field Turf Rollers

 

[AxleHub]

For an acre, I would recommend the plugging/rolling routine. It is a real act of timing to find the proper time to roll-so the ground is wet enough to smooth but you don't leave ruts. Believe me, I've erred on the wrong side more than once!

The amount of soil needed to smooth even small ridges would be considerable-it doesn't go as far as you may think!

Will

I've been quite pleased with the number of
Varied suggestions users have offered so far. I kniw from experience that any form of top dressing .5 to 3.0 inches of soil or compost) would be several quad truck loads of material for an acre . . and then the settling would commence.

I never considered plugging at all until a couple different people mentionef it.

As an initial effort after reading suggestions . . I'm thinking I will spray broadleaf weed killer rather heavily with my new 3pt sprayer. Wait three days after application and then runner a plugger over everything . . and then roll damp lawn (but not soaking lawn).

My thinking is the plugging if evenly done will reduce compaction and allow roller force to adjust the ground some.

Then let it set for 15 days and see if it has flattened.

If not flattened . . I'm hoping posters will have already added other suggestions. Again I'm not looking for a golf course . . at the same time I don't want to be both a shaker and a mixer while riding the mower.

 

[dragoneggs]

As Sysop and Will suggested, plug and roll when wet enough. Also adding sand if you have cheap access (as long as it isn't salty!) is effective in slowly improving that clay so it drains better and roots go deeper. Topsoil is nice too but that can get expensive. The sand will cut into the clay better. Good luck. Seems we all would like a smoother lawn. My issue is that my rocks grow!

 

[Brad_Blazer]

It might be worthwhile to contact your county extension office to see if they know of any local successes in dealing with your problem. UWEX Cooperative Extension--County Offices

 

[AxleHub]

More good ideas . . the Extension is not something I ever think of or come in contact with.

And a special compost is something I used extensively before we sodded and seeded our new house lawns . . but I never thought of overseeding with compost . . which I might try at the new house.

As I said before . . I'll consider almost any idea short of tearing up the sod at the washboard lawn or dump trucks of dirt piled on top.

 

[Creamer]

I was looking for answers to this same question - what have you tried and what are the results?

I was thinking of a rigid spike toothed harrow where it drags harder on the high spots and hopefully the loosened dirt makes it way to the low spots - thoughts?

 

[tonyq60]

If heavy clay soil and was farm land it was likely deep ripped.

Imagine a pair of D8 Cats together dragging a hook 10 foot deep into the soil breaking up the hardened layers.

What is likely happening is the chunks of clay and lower soil are freezing at different rates and moving.

Best advise we can give is to suggest a visit to local ag or farm office and see what they have to say.

Local geological folks at college also good source.

You may have easy fix or none.