Lets first identify the root of the concern. Is the lumpiness coming from an unevenness in the top soil or is it the appearance of the lawn as it grows?
Unevenness in the top soil:
If the top soil is rough, is 'lumpy', or has dangerous ankle-bending holes, you have a couple options to work towards a smoother, safer lawn. First, you can add more black top soil in the low spots, packing it in, while seeding a few inches below and over the top of the soil to be added. The limitation to this method is the height of the grade around your house. You can only add soil to places that lie below the overall grade of your lawn. Add too much and you could cause issues with drainage. Usually with small holes and a few lumpy highs and lows, you can get it to a point where you have filled in the low spots without changing the grade. If you have kids or you just want to be able to walk freely within your yard without twisting and ankle, this would be a great way to start. We do offer this repair and the cost associated with this is determined by a free on-site analysis.
If the grade is too high to add any dirt or if you recognize any issues with the grade that may direct water back towards your house your yard may require a grading repair. In this case contact us and we will come out to assess the concern and recommend proper repair, free of charge.
In the case that you are trying to have a yard that looks flat but you’re not worried about walking around on it you can try to raise your mowing up to a higher setting. This will prevent your mower from scalping the high spots which can help with the overall color and appearance of your lawn.
Appearance of the lawn is lumpy (but topsoil is flat):
Sometimes lawns can develop a lumpy appearance due to invasive grasses which can grow at different rates. Invasive grasses can be very difficult to combat and the best option is prevention. Part of our 5-step weed control/fertilizer program includes a spring pre-emergent which prevents invasive grass seeds from germinating.
If you are past the point of prevention you can still take action against invasive grasses. This usually includes a few hand treatments of round-up over the affected areas to completely kill the invasive grass. After the spots have died off you will have to re-seed these areas and add a thin layer of topsoil to secure the seed. The cost associated with this treatment is determined by an on-site analysis. This treatment is only effective if the invasive grasses make up less than 25% of the yard. If the problem is much worse we have learned from experience that if you want to completely rid your lawn of invasive grass that you may have to cut it all out and start over with new sod. Although the cost is much higher, it can outweigh the potential years of battling against existing invasive grasses.
