lawn compressed by tires.

Cliff_Johns · Jul 22, 2004

I have two stripes in my yard now from a bobcat. The compression is from 2" to 6" deep. The deeper parts seem to have squished out as much as compressed.

The question is, what's the best way to loosen this hard rut and get a flat lawn again. I thought I might stab the rut with a fork and rock the fork a bit to loosen the soil, then fill it to level with good top soil, add some seed and walk over it to give the seed some contact. Where any squished out to form a ridge, I thought I'd wet it, then stomp it flat, sort of squishing it back into the rut. The grass in the rut is still growing in some places, but in others it's just compressed dirt.

The ground is black midwest dirt, a little clay mixed in to make it firm. It gets hard and cracks when it drys out.

Any thoughts on a better way to fix these ruts?

Cliff

Chuck52 · Jul 22, 2004

Got a tiller? One of the uses I have found for my 60" KK tiller has been to smooth various ruts left by gravel trucks and such.

Chuck

Junkman · Jul 22, 2004

My lawns are full of ruts since the heavy equipment was here for the past 10 days. I just wait till there is a good soaking rain, and then wait till the ground is just pliable enough to roll everything flat again. If there is a particular rut that doesn't want to come out, then I just top dress with a little loam each week until the rut is filled and the grass keeps coming up to the top. Don't make a mountain out of a mole hill and don't make a rut into a major project. In fact, nature has a way of working them out of the ground on their own. When the oil delivery truck drives across the lawn, there are ruts left in the sod. After a week or two and a couple of rains, the ruts are gone on their own. Remember it is a lawn, not a golf course. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Cliff_Johns · Jul 22, 2004

( . . . Remember it is a lawn, not a golf course. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif )

Actually, it's a yard, not a lawn so I take you're point. It wouldn't bother me so much except that it's a real rough ride when I'm mowing and it's been four weeks already.

I hadn't thought about rolling it. I guess that would level things out. I don't have a roller, but the water ones aren't very expensive, and I could use it to carry water to the way back.

Cliff

wroughtn_harv · Jul 23, 2004

Morning Cliff,

Cushion sand will do it fine.

What we do here in Norte Tejas where we have seven varieties of gumbo clay on ruts is fill them with cushion sand. The grass will grow up through the sand and life will be good again.

It the ground is bulged up along the sides then a simple walk along it when wet will smooth that out.

But short of a ton of work sand does the trick. We do it all the time and you'd never know it after the grass is grown back up.

Yankee · Jul 23, 2004

"I just top dress with a little loam each week "

What do you use to top-dress?

Yankee · Jul 23, 2004

"I thought I might stab the rut with a fork and rock the fork a bit to loosen the soil, then fill it to level with good top soil, add some seed and walk over it to give the seed some contact. Where any squished out to form a ridge, I thought I'd wet it, then stomp it flat, sort of squishing it back into the rut. "

If the ruts are short enough to do this by hand reasonably, this will work very well. You won't necessarily even need to top dress. I had to fix an island in the middle of a cul-de-sac after a moving truck rolled over it, plus he clipped a section of a neighbor's lawn. Probably a total of about 60-70' damage, and deep. I forked it and stomped it as you've described. A few weeks later it was looking pretty good. The following year you'd never know. You do need to work it when damp.

Junkman · Jul 23, 2004

( "I just top dress with a little loam each week "

What do you use to top-dress? )

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Yankee · Jul 23, 2004

I mean, how do you get it out there and spread it? Are you using your loader, spin spreader, manure spreader, compost blower, landscape rake, harrow, or just what?

Junkman · Jul 23, 2004

I put some loam into the loader bucket and then just shovel a little into the rut as needed. Use a metal rake to spread it out a little and it is done. I have never top dressed the entire lawn, because that would be too much work. I have seen machines that you can purchase that will top dress large areas, but it isn't anything that I would consider for my self. I rarely worry about ruts in the lawn because I know with time that they will work themselves out.