The Wet Spot

[Mr.Ziffel]

I filled a low area [over 500 cu.yds.] and seeded on 9/27 and now have a beautiful stand of lush green. Had our first heavy rains last week which clearly showed up my low spots. I have two which are about 4-5' wide by about 8-10' long and about 4" deep at the center, with a couple smaller ones here and there. All in all I'm not too unhappy with my grading job considering the confined area I had to work in and time constraints. If it was a pasture I wouldn't even be asking this question, but it's a play/soccer field for the kids so...

Should I start now with a layer of sand and topsoil and gradually bring the spots up to level over the winter, repeating this process several times. I would place only enough material for the growing grass to push through each time [we get slow growth most of the winter here unless a cold spell hits] OR

wait until spring and just fill and grade to finish level and reseed then? I've also thought of filling in and topping with sod in the spring, but I'm not sure I can match the look and the new sod would stand out in the new rye. It's not an option to drive on the new grass yet, but I can walk on it ok [soil too soft for tractor or mule]. The low spots have drained and the grass looks OK there now but they're holding too much water to just leave them. Thanks for any suggestions. Will M.

 

[FIREMAN]

DO IT ALL AT ONCE..LET IT SETTLE FOR THE WINTER THEN IN THE SPRING RE-GRADE AND SEED...

 

[Nathan]

I know how frustrating it can be when your personal expectations exceed the customers. If they feel the job needs to be fixed, you are only talking about 50 sq ft. Those spots would only require about 1/2 yard to finish grade. If you think you have time before frost you could probably have a pretty quick and easy fix, but if the customer isn't super picky ask them to let you wait until early spring, finish it and seed and apply a starter fert. and you should get a uniform color.