I have 3 areas in my backyard lawn that I need raised. The previous homeowners probably had gardens there and I want to raise the sod that has sunk. Each area is about 6'x13' and from 3" to 6" deep.
I found some info on the web about leveling it out. It consisted of rolling back the sod, leveling with topsoil, humus and fertilizer.
Anyone know what's the best and safest (for the bermuda lawn) way to raise the sod? How far down should I cut with a shovel to get the sod to come up in strips?
TIA.
tbird

 

Grass is very resilient. You can cut it just about any depth and it will grow. The thiner will require more regular watering, and will break easly. Thicker is harder to handle as it gets heavy and you just can't lift it. If you just plan to roll it back in place then thicker is better.

Your best bet is to rent a sod cutter as the work it saves in cutting the grass is well worth the money. For your job its a no brainer.

gardenweb.com is a good site with a lawn forum.

 

if theres grass on the field play ball............errr something like that

 

Years ago my Dad had a Bermuda lawn. He took care of the low spots over a year or two by just spreading a thin layer of sand over the grass. It would grow through, then he would spread another thin layer, soon the ground was level.

 

Yeah, that's what you do here in FL to. Any kind of soil will work as long as the grass can grow in it. Some people like peat moss soil here.

If it's a problem that you need to take care of right away I would say get a sod cutter for that kind of area. Digging it will be a whole bunch of work. I replaced a small front yard by hand a while back. Even digging up the old grass that had been roundup'd was a royal pain in the rear. Live grass is 10X worse. If you do decide to try it by hand, cut it in 1-2ft wide strips with a pointed shovel. When you do that try to get under the grass as much as possible. Then you can roll it back without much more pulling. It'll take you a while to do it that way. I've done this on small sections of St. Augustine.

 

if rock pick decides to reply please disreguard any comment he makes about lawn care