Leveling the Lawn Before Reseeding Part 1
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- Опубліковано 12 вер 2024
- We are almost to the point of reseeding my lawn as part of my lawn renovation but before that happens I wanted to try to level the lawn as much as possible. I am using topsoil here because that's what my native soil consists of and over time I will begin to introduce sand as topdressing to further level things out. I also decided to aerate before leveling to open up the soil and have some room for the new seed to better root into the existing ground.
Lawn leveling tool I used - ryanknorrlawnc...
Grass Seed I Use - ryanknorrlawnc...
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Lawn leveling tool I used - ryanknorrlawncare.com/product/lawn-level/
If you're interested how this project turned out...check out the full playlist with everything from start to finish! ua-cam.com/play/PLzripA58GQvHb7OCzWrvmCcan8g4Sz0WR.html
Hi Ryan. Thanks. Please tell me if you use de 30 or 36 inch in thé vidéo ? Thanks
Its always good to have a brother watching you work....as long as you are the brother. Good stuff...I can almost see the grass growing already!
Haha
You know I love that lawn level. Good to see you grabbed one. Nice work brother!
I was amazed at how well it works.
Lawn Tips Where did you buy it from?
Intelligent Investor I’m a greenkeeper and work on a golf course. So I got mine from work
Lawn lutes . They are bloody expensive for what they are here in the UK . I’ll make my own from angle iron
Well have to use a stimpmeter to see who lawn is faster...Connor or ryan....or ware
The hard work is going to pay off. It's looking good. I'm doing the samething but I'm a couple steps behind which works out perfect watching these steps . Thanks for the tips
Glad to help! I'm still perfecting it and will be seeding soon.
Had to come back and watch this. I received my lawn level rake I purchased from you. 💪🏼
It's crazy to me because I just did this to my lawn the whole front almost exactly the way you're doing it. I looked all over UA-cam for videos and found nothing to the degree I was doing it. Glad to see you taking the same steps I did. I used a compost blend for my top soil, dirt sand and compost. Lesco blue/rye seed and I've had great results so far, about 16 days in and I'm pretty well covered with grass. I did do an inground irrigation though. Can't wait to see your results.
Sounds great. Good luck with the rest of the project!
A cinematic and musical masterpiece! You and your brother work good together👍.
Thanks!
Getting me pumped to start my reno. Weather has been wacky down here. Tons of rain but we are dry in the forecast for the next few days so I can get my glyphosate put down and start killing the Bermuda. Great video as always Ryan!
I wish you all the best!
Exciting and informative...great idea prepping the ground, looks like good soil, and then rolling it too. Gonna be nice to see the seed, see how much it likes watering and how fast it grows!
I am excited to get it all going.
I took some 1x4s and 2x4s and made a lawn leveling rake. I'll be leveling my yard this weekend and hopefully laying seed by Sept 1st.
Your Reno is coming along nicely
Update, how did your DIY go?
Not my first time watching this but it is my first time noticing Fulda!!
I should’ve used one of those when I laid down my sod. I will still get one anyways for leveling with sand come spring. It’s coming along and it’ll be well worth it in the end. Good job, Ryan! Looking forward to the progress.
They are also great for topdressing so I'm looking forward to using it for that too!
I did this a couple of years ago where a big bump was in the back yard. I didn't know the bump was created from every large rock dug out of the foundation hole back in 1944 and covered with topsoil. Now it's 100 times better than it was... but still a work in progress.
Seed bed is looking mint. Excited to see the next couple videos.
Always nice to have a partner to help out in these kind of projects. That lawn levelling rake is fabulous ... awesome job Ryan !
The lawn level is incredibly useful. I got the one made by rocklin industry on amazon.
Hi Ryan , I believe the correct name for the tool is a Lute.
I’m doing the exact same thing on Friday !!!! Great to watch this video
Awesome. Good luck!
YOU are such a hard worker..good job👍👍👍👍👍
Thanks!
Where do you actually source bulk topsoil that isn't full of rocks, mulch, twigs, clay, shredded plastic, glass shards, plastic pieces, bits of asphalt, chipped concrete and wire jacketing? Because that's basically what what makes up about 60-70% of the weight of any soil product you buy these days. Even suppliers that claim they have screened soil still deliver a pile of trash in your driveway.
I just bought 30 cubic yards for my back yard in NJ . paid $16 per cubic yard . I needed to add about 3"- 4" to my 2,500 SQ ft yard that was all rocks and crap and never had grass before. I hope it works . seed down date is sept 1st
Nice! Looks like A lot of work, but the end result will be worth it! Looking forward to the before and after!
It certainly has been a lot of work but I look forward to some mowing yet this fall.
Looking good cant wait to see final video on how it looks.
I'm excited for it as well.
Hi Ryan. Thanks so much for the content - it’s fantastic.
Is there ever a scenario where you would use a tiller to turn the soil and dead grass after the glyphosate rather than scarify and aerate? I am new to this but I was surprised that you can add topsoil on top of the dead grass rather than break it up. Appreciate any thoughts on this.
Good job Ryan, process progressing well. Did you see The lawn Rebel pull it off himself (aerator off the truck) ,he don’t need anyone to help him he says but he had ramps. Keep up the good work ,thanks for sharing👍👍😎
I'm not that much of a rebel!
We have gotten so much rain here in New Jersey if I could I would give you some of the rain or direct the weather pattern we have to you because I wanna see ur lawn green again and ur project to work out cuz your so awesome!!
I appreciate that. We had a super dry July and early August. I am anxious for fall.
Really good content, glad I found your channel. One thing that I don’t understand, and have seen others do this too, is why aerate only to cover with soil? Surely you’re just filling the holes you made and re-compacting?
That's the point. The soil going in is not compacted and helps incorporate a better soil into those holes if you're trying to change the composition or structure of what you have.
Hey there, anyone know of a site shipping worldwide?? We dont have this rake in Denmark, Europe.... and I need it 😁😁... please advise.
I need it to in Denmark
Thanks for your hard work...Go Bikes!
Hi Ryan,
You are my guide for lawn, thank you! I’m going to do a spring over seeding, and going to use Tenacity. I also need to do some leveling so I’m curious in what order to proceed? In your spring overseeing video it was
1. Fertilize
2. Seed
3. Tenacity
Please tell me where I fit leveling in.
Thanks in advance.🙏🏼
Hi Ryan. My Lawn is not even is has a bump and then goes down. I watched your videos and brought sand. All I need to do is rake the sand evenly for the lawn to grow highly and evenly????
Man, you guys work fast!
If you ever do a giveaway, the lawn level would be a great prize. I hella want one for myself
I was kind of shocked how well it works.
Agh! Should have found your channel sooner! So I’m in the process of starting my lawn over. I killed the grass and had it tilled. Thought it was a good idea.. then I added soil to amend it. I’m trying to get it leveled out but now I’ve got clumps if dead grass all mixed in. Guessing I went about wrong.... Suggestions? I’ve cleaned some of the old dead grass out but doubt I’ll get it all.
Ryan... do you happen to remember how much dirt you bought for leveling your project area and if you had a chance to do it all over again, would you have put more down? There are mixed opinions on leaving cores or picking them up. What was your thinking?
I was going for leveling so cores would not work in that situation unless you can completely crush them up. I don't know the exact amount of soil but it turned out to be fine in the end. If I had to guess it was somewhere around 4 yards.
Crazy, my restoration project this year looks EXACTLY like yours. My main front lawn looks good, but my right side is what I'm renovating. I had a large shade tree cut down on that side so the type of grass the previous owners planted there sucks. I hate it. Like fine fescue. Reminds me of "thin old man hair" stays matted down. So tree was cut getting the stump ground this week, but put down the Glyphosate last week and grass is dead. As soon as the stump is gone, I'll be ordering top soil and trying to catch up to you. Alot of work. Hoping I don't run out of time here in Minnesota.
Yep sounds like fine fescue for sure. Unfortunately it's all that really grows under large shade trees. Good luck with your project!
@@ryanknorrlawncare, yup. I understand. But now that I cut it down, it's ALL sun. So I'm going to go with either KBG or Turf type tall fescue. I'm running out of time and a bit worried about time it takes for KBG.
Very true. Depending on how late it gets you may have to go fescue. Bluegrass is a real pain in the you know what when it comes to establishment. It's great once it's there but before that it can get on your nerves.
Hi 👋 Ryan great 👍 video I have used one of those machines thy are really heavy got some grass seed my self so I can get on with reseeding my lawn ❤️david 🇬🇧
Great project!!
The levelawn is a total of $170 on Amazon. Ordered mine on Reinders. 116 retail 30 shipping total about 150. Found this to be pretty typical, everyone had expensive shipping charges but still 20 cheaper than amazon
I cant believed how expensive lawn level tool is.
Would you change when you
Aerated the lawn? Before or after the new dirt
Those dirt guys sure need a tilting trailer
We're in sync. I just aerated two 4000 foot areas (front/back) with a $150 pull behind plug aerator and over-seeded. Review is on my channel. Two Orbit traveling sprinklers set to the right width provides uniform and gentle watering.
Hey Ryan, great videos! Are there any pro or cons between soil vs sand when leveling your lawn?
Yup, lot of work.... Ryan can you share with us your choice of going with screened topsoil vs sand to do the leveling? Here I use mason sand or play sand (screened and washed) to do leveling. With my Locke reel mower, which was designed for level lawns, I have found that sand has had the longest persistence and once put in place it tends to stay in place. Where I have used topsoil, there can be wash out or wash away as well as breakdown over time as the topsoil decomposes. Anyway for sure your efforts will pay off with all that hard work. What is next in your process?
Yep my decision was because my native soil is not sandy. I have to introduce sand in lighter doses so I don't create layers in the soil. I'll begin topdressing sand next season if all goes as planned.
That lawn levelling rake thing looks cool, but I saw the price. It would be good to see you do a real-world comparison review of that and 'lesser tools' like a garden rake or whatever for this task.
I"ll try to touch on that in the next video. The width of it and design helps to evenly spread soil and put it into lower spots. Garden rake is not quite wide enough to do it accurately but it depends on how much you care about perfection.
Ryan, I think that after killing off the grass, you should have tilled your whole yard, and maybe mixed in some good soil at the same time. Then you could have leveled it all and rolled it with one of those heavy barrel rollers. That's how I've seen it done by others, plus it would have really broken-up/ softened the ground. Since you are taking this big project on, and probably not going to do this again anytime soon (ever?) .. I think it would have been a really healthy step that you won't get another chance to do. Is this something you've heard of before? Or maybe a reason you chose not to do it? I'll be following along, I've been watching for a while and love the videos. Thanks for all of the good information and keep them coming bud
I completely tilled my backyard in the renovation I did there about 5 years ago. At that point most of what came up was weed seeds and I had a massive crabgrass invasion. I am much more knowledgeable at this point so I don't see tilling as a terrible idea but it also settles and doesn't necessarily end up super level. This was an experiment for me in adding soil on top to see what will happen. I may change my mind after this but so far it's going ok. Thanks for watching!
@@ryanknorrlawncare Cool man, thanks for explaining.
So I am n ow at this stage and rather than getting a roller that filled with water is 250lbs I think I am going to just use my greens mower with the HOC all the way up. The machine weighs about the same and is self propelled.
I tried mine but it wasn't quite heavy enough and the grooved roller didn't work out so well
@@ryanknorrlawncare What does the Edwin weigh? I have a smooth front roller.
@@ryanknorrlawncare The Edwin is about 130Lbs
Would it be better to level first and then aerate? Really just asking not trying to be a wise guy. I’m getting ready to do this soon so was just wondering. Thanks for your help. Great video!
If you took the aerator over it then you'd likely have to level again because the ground would be soft enough that it would move the soil around. Good luck with your project!
Hey buddy, great tutorial video! How many scoops (cubic yards) of topsoil did you use here? Thank you!
hey ryan tjat dead grass/weeds will ever be comin back?planning doin the same thing on my yard.
I have officially decided that I am NOT doing this to my 17,000 sq ft lawn. Thanks for the video!
Same here man. I have a huge yard about 40,000 square feet and seeing this guys work, i think ill use the bobcat to do all the leveling and then aererate after. I have a harrow made out of expanded metal that will work perfect to level out.
First thing I can tell you that I've learned is that if you have any decent sized yard, you will need equipment that is not man powered..haha
I've got about 7500 and i have been planning this job for at least a year now. Awesome timing Ryan. My bumpy back yard really needs it!
I won't be doing this either my Iawn is to big so I will be renting a slit/slice seeder
You aint kiddin. 31,000 here. Not gonna happen.
Hi Ryan, I'm planning on renovating this fall. Do you order 3 cubic yards of screened top soil per 1000 sq ft? Also is it always core aerate then level or can you level with topsoil, then core aerate? If you aerate first, doesn't the top soil fill in the holes?
Hey Ryan I have an idea put sod down instead it will work perfectly cuz U have full sun there !!!
I already have my seed! :)
Ryan Knorr Lawn Care ok lol
Excellent!
I’ve been considering to redo my yard for a while. I will most likely do it next season. But we may be getting some huge pine trees removed so then I will have an excuse to do it. 😂. Also great video.
I love pine trees but man do they ruin grass.
Ryan Knorr Lawn Care Yep. I have no grass under them and in the winter so many branches come down
Does it matter that you leave so much dead grass before adding soil? Would it be better to fill it all in and turn the soil before starting over?
I like the new logo. It looks like you've taken a page from the Swardman playbook.
My brother that was in the video designed it. :)
Now I'm seeing that darn six-sided shape everywhere. McDonald's is using it for their signature crafted sandwiches logo.
Is there a benefit to scarifying and aerating?
Love you videos and how to make your lawn look great during summer time. May I ask, do you ever entertain others by allowing them to send photos of their lawn to get advice? The reason I ask is because I just recently had my front yard oak tree cut down and removed. I knew the equipment would do some damage on my lawn but also the grinding of the tree stump. They cleaned up the stump area and kind of leveled it out. There are wood chip and rubber mulch mixed in. Any advice you would recommend? Thank you for your time. R/David Gutierrez.
Loved the videos Ryan! I’m a fellow Minnesotan looking to do the same thing to my property. Did you nuke that portion of the yard first before you started this project?
So did you completely cover up the dead grass before reseeding your lawn.. Looks fabulous
Very close yes...I had dethatched the dead stuff so it was thin and then smothered everything
@@ryanknorrlawncare after using round up how long did you have to wait to start reseeding.. I'm thinking about killing it off this fall then replanting in spring
Did you purposely previously kill the grass in that section?
Do you think renting a stand up skid steer with a Harley rake would have been less labor intensive or overkill?
That’s a cool rake, where did you get it? Just subscribed man!! Looking great so far
If I had a big yard to do (like my front yard) I would probably go with powered equipment for sure. We'll see what the future brings but I have that in mind.
I have the rake in the description if you'd like to check out more info. Thanks for checking out the videos!
Ryan, for a lawn renovation, do I need to lay new soil or can I just aerate and seed/fert?
You do not need to add the soil like I did. I did this mainly because my current yard was bumpy. If you just had existing soil there you could just broadcast the seed or slit seed it into the ground. If you do broadcast then I would make sure the soil is soft enough that you can roll it into the existing ground.
Very cool tool, I'm in the process of doing the same except I tilled everything so have around 4" of loose soil to level not sure how I'm going to do it yet😀
I had my backyard tilled years ago and it went ok but certainly settled over time. Probably raking it or dragging it level should work fairly well.
Call me thick, but why are you covering dirt over the holes you just made with the coring aerator? I bought a manual core aerator (the kind you step on) because I plan on overseeding my lawn for the first time. I thought that some of the grass seeds are supposed to go into those holes? My neighbor had a whole new lawn planted last year and they core aerated his whole yard. I used the same company as he did to make me a whole new lawn, but I don't remember if they made holes in my lawn. I moved to the suburbs a few years ago after having lived in a city since I was ten and I am so confused. I thought the holes were also so water and nutrients can get deeper into the dirt.
Hi Ryan.
How did you knew that the topsoil you used to level your lawn was compatible with your existing soil. I'm about to level and ressed my lawn and I'm just curious about it.
I really appreciate if you can reply.
Thanks.
How thick does the layer of dirt need to be?
Shoveling dirt is heavy work ... they couldn’t deliver with a dump bed? doubled your work. Keep the videos coming enjoyed watching.
Well the dump bed decided not to work when it got to my house. :(
Are you going to water in the soil? So that you don't have any settlement issues later on. I guess that roller kinda does the same thing.
Looking good, nonetheless.
2 inches of rain did that for me. Update coming soon. :)
Would this amount of top soil suffocate near by trees?
Legit question. Why do you aerate and then fill in with topsoil? Doesn't that defeat the purpose?
How was the debris in the dirt? You going to take out any stones, twigs, etc? When I order screened topsoil I inevitably get junk in it and I always end up spending several hours cleaning it up...at least the bigger debris at least.
Info coming in part 2. :)
@@ryanknorrlawncare good luck with the weather. Looking forward to seeing the results.
The weather will always be a factor but I'll do my best!
How long do you recommend waiting after you do your last application of the weed & grass killer in step one?
Hello, is lawn leveling better in Spring or in Autumn? 🤔
HI Ryan! great video - do you perform these steps before weed and seed?
You make work look like fun haha. The glyphosate you sprayed won't affect the new grass?
Whew if you would have felt the humidity level that day you would disagree! Haha
My bottle of spray says seeding can begin 7 days after application. I'm at about 3 weeks or more now.
Ryan how much rain did you get yesterday? We got 8 inches! Fortunately seed isn't down yet. I expect delivery this week and will probably seed and to dress this weekend. I'm starting to think we are going to have an early freeze so I'm pulling the trigger a week early
I got about 2 inches and it was kind of a slow rain so I got lucky. That's crazy on the amount you got!
Just curious, I know that they make the levelers in different widths. How do you decide on the one you bought? I would assume that the wider the better but I could be missing something. Thanks for all the information.
You are correct. Wider the better but I wanted something I could handle easily with just doing it manually. I got the 30 inch and they make a 36.
Another name for your leveling tool is a "lute", yes, the guitar of 1604!
Agree!
A true lute!
Hello Ryan. When you say dirt, is it a mixture of compost + top soil in 50:50 ratio? Please clarify. Thanks in advance.
Just Iowa topsoil. No compost
This was your chance to put in an in-ground sprinkler system. Then you wouldn’t have to dig up your good grass when you decide to add the system.
Yup. i'm sure he's thought it through
If you have it pro installed with a pipe puller it does minimal damage ;)
True, but could have saved some cash by DIY while there is nothing to damage. Call 811 of course. Haha
Yeah why would you not bury some lines yourself while it’s completely torn up anyway?
Yep.
Do you remember about how much topsoil you needed for that 1000 sq ft area?
My husband and I have been watching all tour videos! We have already killed off the grass in our backyard and will start leveling this weekend. Any suggestions on how aerate with out an aerator? Our back yard is fairly small.
They make manual ones but they are definitely some work!
What month/time of year did you do this? Cool season grass guys here. Northwest Indiana guy here thinking about doing a reno on my older lawn. Full reno.
Nicholas Clay from my understanding he started the process in July and seeded late August.
Yeah start about now and seed can go down late august
why didn't you use compost?
Is that the 30 or 36 inch leveler? I'm curious as to how much more physical effort is needed between the two sizes.
Gotta ask why you didn’t just use a sod cutter ?
Was that one yard of dirt?
I dont know anything about lawn care but found your videos, great content! I have a question for you Ryan, in my backyard there seems to be some leveling issues and it was suggested by our inspector that we put down some top soil to level it (so water doesn't pool around the house when it rains), however in my mind (knowing nothing) I felt that would just create a lot of mud when it rained. What else could I be missing from their suggestion? After watching your videos I really want to kill everything and start over to relevel. We have so many variations of grass and weeds its hideous. Your thoughts?
Yes you want the grade to move water away from the house but you would want to do that a time of year when you can get grass growing on it right away so you don't run into erosion problems. Starting over with a new lawn is not as scary as it might seem and I have had fantastic results compared to my mix of random things before
Ahh, timing is key. Thank you for your reply and your video content. Very helpful
What is the brand of lawnmower you use?
Is that topsoil of Black dirt?
So I think after watching you aerate 1k sq. feet, I'm going to hire it out instead of renting from HD. (7k sq ft.) Any recommendations for a local company? Just out of curiosity, what day did you do this work? Was it before or after Monday's rain? Great videos as always.
I usually just checked craigslist before and found someone that way. I did this last Saturday so it was before rain.
Ryan Knorr Lawn Care I had the same question. I would of never thought about looking on Craigslist . Thanks for the suggestion!
Hey Ryan. How thick should the top soil be? Thanks.
How many cubic feet of soil was that?
Did you kill it first?
Looks like a healthy soil, what was it called when you ordered it? I feel like if I ordered “dirt” I would not get this stuff in my area. Thanks!
Here in Iowa we call this topsoil but black dirt is not hard to find here. Nearly the entire state is covered in farm fields and there's a reason for that because of the soil we have. Screened topsoil is what you're looking for if you want the same stuff I used.
Ryan Knorr Lawn Care thank you!
Doing a lawn renovation myself following these steps. Do you think that aerating the lawn and also a cover such as peat moss is necessary if I plan on using a soil seeder?
Should not need to use any cover if you are using a slit seeder. Aeration still depends on if you have compaction so it's not a bad idea
Hey Ryan! thanks for the video uploads all the way from the UK! I was wondering what the 'soil' is that you are using? is it a true soil so to speak or is it a compost/ soil mix or is it 100% compost for example? many thanks!
no compost...soil here is just pulled out of the ground and screened of all the debris
From that drone footage it looked like your KBG in the back was struggling? Hope your not letting it die off!
No rain in July and part of August will do that. It's been dormant for a while but I keep water on it every couple weeks. It's just now starting to wake back up a bit. I'll update soon.
Hey is that the 30" or 36" levelawn? I'm trying to decide between that or a dragmat. Got a small reno to do in the back and topdress in the front.
Hey Ryan, I bought my house last year and had a new well and mount septic put in. The installers really chewed up my lawn leaving bumps up to six inches high. I’ve watched all your videos and looks like your lawn leveling isn’t as drastic as mine would be. Just wondering what you would recommend to fix my issues. Thanks! And your videos are great!
You may have to come in with a bunch of soil and really level that area out. Long term it will be worth it