Question
I have a very sandy based soil in my backyard which is eroding away largely in part  to the fact we have five dogs. I have a tree in the backyard whose roots are showing and i just need to know the best course of action to restore the grass. My yard also slopes toward the back which probably adds in the erosion factor. I want to have topsoil dumped and spread out to even the yard and was thinking of using crushed stone and drainage pipes to redirect the flow of water. Please help.

Answer
Hi Gene;
That is a good idea to help drain. I would also put a little bit of a retaining wall to stop the soil from leaving the yard.
You can make one with attractive natural stones, or buy the Windsor stones or other things the nurseries and home improvement stores carry.
If the tree trunk is right at ground level, and you think you have to add enough soil to bank it up on the tree trunk, I would get some kind os stones and build a crater for the tree around the trunk. Make it big enough around to accmodate the tree growing larger, and you can dump 2 feet or even more on the roots without harming them.
Deep watering around the tree roots will encourage them to go deep into the soil, and help to prevent them coming to the surface again.
Some trees are naturally shallow rooted, and tend to send their roots up to the surface.
Fruitless Mulberries are bad about that, and they are a quick growing, short lived tree.
I have one in my front yard,m and it has been there for 41 years.
I started watering it with a Ross Root Feeder as soon as we put it in, and when the roots came close to the surface, I put a ring of rocks around it, about a foot away from the trumnk on each side, and put 10 inches of soil on top od them. I made a half circle bed from the house down around the tree, and planted it with juniper spreaders, Asian Jasmine for ground cover, and put in flowering things too.
It looks gorgeous, and adds another demention to the yard.
I don't care for a just flat, square yard.LOL
I like different levels, and different shapes.
I am an artist, and I like the painting l;ooik n my yard.
Charlotte
Charlotte