Question
Hello Lawn Expert.
I live in Rhode Island and have a couple lawn questions, hopefully you can answer them. At the end of summer, I had to rip up parts of my lawn because of over fertilizing, I reseeded and the grass came in pretty good, but not as full as the existing lawn.  I did notice that the areas that I reseeded sunk a bit and you really can tell the difference from the rest of the lawn. Any suggestions on how to get the entire lawn level or even? Do I need to put down more soil on the reseeded areas? If so, will the grass grow through the new soil?

Also, should I put down more seed in these areas, to get the grass fuller? I'm thinking some of the seed didn't take when I reseeded at the end of the summer.

Thanks for your help!

Answer
Hi Bob,

>>"....how to get the entire lawn level ...?"

The classic way to achieve a level plot of ground which is already planted with turf grasses is to add some extra top-soil and rake it as level as you want it to be.  Your city probably has several trucking companies and top-soil suppliers.  Use the best top-soil they have to improve the existing soil and this will pay-off with a healthier lawn later.  If the area is not so large, you can also purchase top-soils and rich potting soils at the garden center and rake these out where needed.

Low mow and power-trim back the existing turf-grass and then distribute the new soil allowing for some settling of the aerated soil with watering.  Spreading top-soil can be a rather labor intensive task, so you may want to hire some help.  Otherwise all you will need to do the job is a wheel-barrow and rakes and shovels. Calculate the volume of top-soil you will need and try not to order more than you really need.  You may be able to share a truck-load of quality top-soil with some neighbors. Some top-soil suppliers will let you formulate the soil mixture so you can add some sand or compost or other soil amendments to improve your lawn's root-zone.

Landscaping Companies in your area may offer a commercial 'Roller' service.  This is another way to iron-out a moderately un-level area of turf.  It involves rolling a heavy cylinder over the area to compress the high places. The roller cylinder is pulled by a tractor or riding-mower, so it isn't practical for a small lot.  This type of service is routine for sports and amenity fields where traffic has cause a lumpy or bumpy or disturbed terrain.  I have never use Roller compression, so I cannot really recommend it.  It might solve your bumpy lawn problem and be less expense and work than the adding new soil method. But this is something you will have to decide and learn about.

Depending upon your grass-type, ...you may have to re-seed or sod your turf-grass to re-establish a coverage where the new top-soil is added in leveling events.  All of the 'tufted-cool-climate' grasses (Fescues, Ryes, Bluegrasses,...etc.)  will not tolerate being buried under even a few inches of top-soil.  Bermuda grass and the stoloniferous warm-climate grasses can be buried several inches,... and as long as a few leaves get some sun-light, it will eventually surface to re-cover the new soil.

In summary, your best bet is to raise the grade with some new soil which you can rake as level as needed.  Then you can re-seed with your grass-type and start anew. Try to get your seeding done before the summer heat arrives because getting the grass seedlings well established in the heat can be nearly impossible.  Areas may need to be watered as often as twice a day for a while.
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With a good fertile-loamy well draining top-soil, best quality hybrid grass type(s), 1-3 inches of water per week, plenty of sun-light, ...almost anyone can have an excellent lawn with a minimum maintenance effort.
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I Hope this has answered your question(s)!

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