Lawn rolling???

[Dreamer88]

I've had a lot of new calls asking for lawn rolling. Does anybody do it? I heard at one time that it is not good for the lawn. Throughts?

[georgiagrass]

We roll areas where we have installed sod.

[greendoctor]

Why do people want their lawn rolled? If it is because of frost heaving of the soil, ok. If it is because the soil has settled in an uneven way, abosolutely not. The correct way to level a lawn in that condition is to topdress it with a suitable material or in cases of deep divots, lift up the sod, add material underneath and replace the sod. The worst thing I have seen done to lawns is running a roller normally used to compact the base layer under pavement to get it flat. If a 200 lb water filled roller does not push down the high spots, stop. The soil is as compacted as it should be.

[grandview (2006)]

Big money here in the spring.

[mdlwn1]

Big money here in the spring.

Big money for doing what? Rolling to accomplish what? I'm curious.

[1993lx172]

Big money for doing what? Rolling to accomplish what? I'm curious.

I used to live in up-state New York when I was little, near where Grandview is ( I'm from Newark, NY and still have family there) and every spring the yards would be very rough due to the frost heave. When water freezes it expands and pushes whatever is containing it out of the way or pushing it on a path of least resistance, i.e. the surface and you are left with heaves or bumps in the yard. In up-state you get very deep frosts and because of this the frost heaves are worse, I've mowed for family that still live there and if they haven't rolled it in the spring it makes for a very rough ride. And if you let it go long enough you can end up scalping the tops of those frost heaves every time you mow.

You are rolling to get rid of those frost heaves.

[meicher806]

I will roll lawns if requested, but i request to do a spring and fall aeration first. nine times out of ten by the next spring there lawn in healthier and smoother, so they keep up the aerations and forget about the lawn rolling.

[Craig3]

I have a lawn that has mole issues. We've tried everything to get rid of them, but they just move to a different part of the yard. I was thinking about rolling this spring then aerating to push down the mole tunnels then de-compact....any thoughts?

[txgrassguy]

Here in C. Texas my crews roll a fair amount of lawns - enough that we have a walk behind roller that can be towed behind a ztr as well.
The idea behind rolling is part of a cultural maintenance program including hollow core aeration, top dressing and proper fert/irrigation practices.
The purpose for the rolling is due to improper sod planting practices by previous contractors so we have a fairly heavy two year schedule of aeration and rolling.
Once we have achieved a reasonably uniform turf area the rolling stops but the aeration still occurs 2 X yearly.
When I ran a course up north in NE PA I had the crews roll 3 X weekly all the greens.
Golfers saw the tournament roller used and I allowed certain crew members to have a bit of a "side" business rolling residential turf sites following spring thaw.

Craig, you are wasting your time rolling a lawn trying to rid it of moles. Kill the food source attracting the moles in the first place then start spring trapping the moles. After no new mole tunnels appear then you can finally address the turf site.

[jhawk60]

I have a lawn that has mole issues. We've tried everything to get rid of them, but they just move to a different part of the yard. I was thinking about rolling this spring then aerating to push down the mole tunnels then de-compact....any thoughts?

The tunnels will just reappear.

I have a customer that had a mole problem and what a pain it was trying to get rid of them. They would trigger the traps, but never get spiked by them. None of the baits seemed to work until we got the poison "gummy worms". Those finally took care of the problem.

[Landscape Poet]

I have a lawn that has mole issues. We've tried everything to get rid of them, but they just move to a different part of the yard. I was thinking about rolling this spring then aerating to push down the mole tunnels then de-compact....any thoughts?

Try Casteroil - dilute it in water and spray the lawn - the moles will get it on their paws and consume it - it has the same effect on them as it does us- their survival instinct kicks in and they figure their environment is making them sick - so they leave. I have never used for moles, but this was told to me by pesticide supplier, I have done in several lawns with armadillo's down here, it has worked every time. Very cost effective for the more frugal customers. :hammerhead: