Leveling Low Spots in Your Lawn: Two Effective Methods

Even with careful preparation, lawns develop low spots. Best time to level: during vigorous growth (fescue: fall; warm-season grasses: early summer). Two methods work well:

Method 1: Topdressing

1. Mix 1 bag dry topsoil with 1 bag fine play sand in a wheelbarrow. If clumpy, spread on a tarp to dry.
2. Shovel mixture into low spots, no more than ½ inch deep. Use a broom to sweep soil off blades and sift it down.
3. Maintain normally until grass grows through the first layer.
4. Repeat until low spot is filled.

Method 2: Fill and Patch

1. Use a flat shovel to remove grass from low spot in 10-inch squares. Set aside.
2. Fill depression with excellent quality planting soil.
3. Replace grass clumps. Water as for newly planted sod.

Common Question

Q: Can I put sand over existing grass to fill low spots in my Bermuda lawn?
A: No. Pure sand doesn't match your soil texture and dries faster, causing drought injury in those spots.

Case Study: Leveling a Lumpy Zoysia Lawn

An Atlanta gardener had zoysia sod laid in spring 1999. Ten months later, low spots, high spots, and tufts remained. Mower wheels scalped low areas. Zoysia's slow growth requires gradual leveling.

Step-by-step plan:

1. Wait until grass is 50% green, then fertilize and water in.
2. Mow off brown foliage to 1–1.5 inches. Allow full green-up (a few weeks).
3. Use sand mixed with dry topsoil (not pure sand). Bagged topsoil may be too moist – dry on a tarp first.
4. Family activity: one drives wheelbarrow, one shovels, one brooms soil into place. Only ½ inch at a time, leaving green leaves visible.
5. Let grass grow through for a month.
6. Six weeks later: second fertilizer application, another ½ inch topsoil in remaining low spots.
7. Third fertilizer in early September. Raising soil 1 inch per year is the practical limit.

Result: a much less lumpy lawn by season's end.