[jkearnan]

Well I thought my lawn was pretty flat.....until I picked up my Gravely ZTR mower here a month or two ago. It's not flat as my kidneys can attest.

This is a new lawn, about 1 acre, just planted last year on an old reclaimed walnut grove. Stumps were not removed but instead were attacked with a grinder....and I think one of my problems now is settling as the sawdust decays. Other issues are rodents, who don't do much damage (I tackle them quickly), but my dogs trying to get at the rodents do create damage....a 140 lb St Bernard can dig a big hole pretty quickly! (we refill the holes they create but it is never perfect).

I don't need a perfect lawn, I really initially put it in for dust control as the grove/trees/dust were making havoc with our family pool (surround by the area).

Is there an easy way for me to remove some of my lawn bumps and make my ZTR ride a bit smoother? I am just slowing down now, so it's not a major deal, but it would be nice to have it smoother. I would hope I don't have to disc the whole lawn up again and replant....it was tough enough to get this grass to "take". I did bring in two full semi's of top soil and compost which I then distributed myself (I have a small 4WD tractor w/ disc & scraper). Part of my problem might have been trying to level it myself!

My plan is to seed again in areas that are a bit sparse and/or have "weed grass" in them. In some areas the grass mix looks great, very thick and lush, in others not so good.

I can post some pics if it helps.

Can I water this a bunch and then rent a roller or something from my local equipment rental place? My only idea so far.

Any suggestions are welcome.

 

[cgaengineer]

Well I thought my lawn was pretty flat.....until I picked up my Gravely ZTR mower here a month or two ago. It's not flat as my kidneys can attest.

This is a new lawn, about 1 acre, just planted last year on an old reclaimed walnut grove. Stumps were not removed but instead were attacked with a grinder....and I think one of my problems now is settling as the sawdust decays. Other issues are rodents, who don't do much damage (I tackle them quickly), but my dogs trying to get at the rodents do create damage....a 140 lb St Bernard can dig a big hole pretty quickly! (we refill the holes they create but it is never perfect).

I don't need a perfect lawn, I really initially put it in for dust control as the grove/trees/dust were making havoc with our family pool (surround by the area).

Is there an easy way for me to remove some of my lawn bumps and make my ZTR ride a bit smoother? I am just slowing down now, so it's not a major deal, but it would be nice to have it smoother. I would hope I don't have to disc the whole lawn up again and replant....it was tough enough to get this grass to "take". I did bring in two full semi's of top soil and compost which I then distributed myself (I have a small 4WD tractor w/ disc & scraper). Part of my problem might have been trying to level it myself!

My plan is to seed again in areas that are a bit sparse and/or have "weed grass" in them. In some areas the grass mix looks great, very thick and lush, in others not so good.

I can post some pics if it helps.

Can I water this a bunch and then rent a roller or something from my local equipment rental place? My only idea so far.

Any suggestions are welcome.

Do you have access to a manure spreader? I would spread a thin layer of soil that matches the existing soil and then backdrag it with some sort of drag.

You could rent a topdressing machine but I would imagine it would take forever for 43,560 sq ft of grass.

 

[jkearnan]

Here is just a quick example of what I am talking about.

This side section has some decent areas where the new seeding did well (close up picture and dark green areas in larger photo) but also has areas (lighter green) where who knows what I have growing, some grass, some weeds, etc..... It all keeps the dust down but my preference is the darker green look!

You can see the area is relatively flat but it's not perfect.

The entire area recieved the same seeding rate and it was covered by straw to help it get a foot hold. Water is not an issue as the whole area is covered by large pop ups that were previously set up to water the grove/trees. I can put 3 inches of standing water on this if needed.

 

[Ted Bell]

I had the same problem with 4 acres, which was once a pasture, and ended up tractor tilling the area just before spring when the grass was dormant, and going over it multiple times it with a spike harrow. I was pleased with the results, though I needed rain after the tilling and between harrow sessions to help smooth things out. I'm not sure this will work for you given your tree stumps though and of course you need to be mindful of utilities, water lines etc.

I thought it was a invasive approach at first but the grass had no problem getting re-established and I can out right fly on my 60" ztr now.

 

[KarlP]

It doesn't look too bad in the pictures. Have you considered the simple solution of a wheelbarrow, metal garden rake, shovel, and ~10 yards topsoil?

Move ~4 wheelbarrows of topsoil into the low spots every day after work for a week, and level it out with the garden rake.

 

[betmr]

It doesn't look too bad in the pictures. Have you considered the simple solution of a wheelbarrow, metal garden rake, shovel, and ~10 yards topsoil?

Move ~4 wheelbarrows of topsoil into the low spots every day after work for a week, and level it out with the garden rake.

That's your answer, fill in the low spots. And if the high spots are way too high, cut them down, and reseed the new bare spots. Change your mowing direction each time you mow to avoid compaction rutts.

 

[Gunnels Grounds & More]

water heavily then roll it.

 

[georgiagrass]

water heavily then roll it.

I agree with this approach, except top dress it with sand first.