Step-By-Step Guide To Leveling A Bumpy Lawn
Achieving the perfect lawn is always a struggle. Some yards are invaded with pests, while others are covered with weeds. However, there’s usually some type of simple fix for those issues! After all, you can always invest in pest control and weed control to get your lawn healthy again.
Some issues aren’t as easy to fix though—issues like a bumpy lawn. If your lawn looks like a rollercoaster ride, then this is the blog for you!
While leveling a bumpy lawn can be difficult, it’s not impossible. Below, we have listed a step-by-step guide to leveling a bumpy lawn. With any luck and a lot of hard work, this guide will give your lawn the even, smooth and healthy look you’ve been longing for.
Ready to say goodbye to a bumpy yard? Let’s get started!
Step 1: Determine Why Your Lawn Is “Bumpy”
There’s a reason your lawn is bumpy! Here are some of the most common causes of lawn bumps:
Your grass could be too thin. In a thicker, more dense yard, bumps in the lawn are hardly noticeable. If your grass is weak or thin, you will be able to see bumps much easier.
The change in seasons. In early spring, the soil is beginning to heat up and thaw out from the winter. This change in temperature may cause lumps.
An excess amount of earthworms. While earthworms won’t harm your lawn, they are known to shift around the soil, causing bumps. If you are noticing an excess amount of earthworms, you may need to check the pH balance of your soil.
Your soil may be waterlogged. Since we live in the Carolinas, you never know what weather we’re going to get. If your lawn experiences periods of heavy rain, and no time to dry out, you may notice lawn bumps.
Your soil might be compacted. Aeration is important for any lawn, and without it, your soil may become compacted. Compacted soil could be the cause of a bumpy lawn, too.
Once you have determined the cause of your bumpy lawn, you can move forward with these next steps.
Step 2: Irrigate Your Lawn
If soil compaction is an issue, irrigating your lawn should help. You want to be sure to water your lawn thoroughly, but don’t give it too much water. The water will help loosen up the soil, making it easier to level.
The best time to begin leveling a bumpy yard is in the spring since this is when your grass seeds are beginning to flourish. However, if you’re ready to attempt leveling your lawn in the summer or fall, contact a lawn care specialist for the best leveling techniques.
Step 3: Fertilize Your Lawn
Bumpy or not, fertilizer can offer significant benefits to any lawn. Chances are, your lawn isn’t getting the nutrients it needs, which may be what is causing the bumps.
Fertilizer can give new life to a malnourished lawn, and replace the nutrients you may have lost during irrigation.
While you’re at it, don’t forget to fertilize your trees and shrubs too! Everything in your yard should be able to reap the benefits of fertilizer.
Step 4: Aerate Your Lawn
As we talked about earlier, aeration is an essential part of leveling a bumpy lawn. Over time, weather, wildlife and regular wear-and-tear can cause the soil to become compact, preventing your lawn from getting the nutrients it needs.
To reverse this, aerate! Aeration is the process of drilling tiny holes into the soil’s surface. These holes will break up the soil, allowing water, oxygen and nutrients to reach the grassroots.
For additional information on aeration, read our blog:
Aeration Tips and Tricks To Keep Your Yard Nourished
Step 5: Break Up The Bumps In Your Lawn
Once you have irrigated, fertilized and aerated your lawn, it’s time to break up those unsightly bumps!
Start by using a power rake to break down the bumps and soil cores. Once you have broken down the lumps and bumps, rake the thatch out of the lawn. Lawn thatch is a combination of living and dead organic plant matter that accumulates on your lawn.
Continue raking, and remove any thatch that continues to come to the surface.
Step 6: Feed Your Lawn
Overseeding is the process of distributing and planting grass seeds to fill in bare turf spots. This process won’t harm your lawn—after all, we don’t want to undo all the progress you’ve made!
Overseeding will help your grass grow back thicker and healthier, and hopefully with no bumps! We know first-hand how overseeding can turn an unhealthy lawn around, so don’t forget this step when trying to level your lawn.
Lawn Care Doesn’t Stop There!
Once you’ve completed these six steps, don’t stop there. Your lawn needs year-long care if you want to keep it healthy and bump-free!
You’re going to want to apply starter fertilizers and winter fertilizers to make sure your grass stays healthy through fall and winter. These fertilizers (among other things) will be crucial in maintaining the health of your lawn.
Want to know what else it takes to maintain a healthy lawn? Read our blog:
8 Reasons To Invest In Year-Round Lawn Care Services
While a six-step leveling process may not sound too difficult, it’s harder than it looks—trust us. So, when the going gets tough, rely on the Killingsworth team to take care of your bumpy lawn for you!
We can test the pH levels in your lawn to determine if high levels of acidity are causing lawn bumps, or if it’s something else entirely. Our team of lawn care experts will be able to tell just what your lawn needs—from irrigation and fertilizer to aeration and more!
When you invest in our services, rest assured we will do everything we can to make your lawn the best-looking yard on the block! Most importantly, we’ll get your lawn bump-free in no time. So, don't wait! Schedule a service now.
