Forums > Specific Focus > Home, Garden & Construction in Mexico

AlanMexicali

Aug 7, 2012, 7:48 AM

Post #1 of 14 (5911 views)

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I need to level my lawn, how?

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I just have given up waiting for the once every two weeks gardener to come and have bought a Black and Decker small electric lawnmower.

The problem is the sod was poorly cut and rolled and there is virtually nowhere where the lawn is level and the small wheels dip and make the cutting of the grass very uneven and brown spots appear until it grows for a few days, not to mention hard to cut as I have the wheels all the way down and it sticks on deeper holes.

How can I add soil to level the surface and not kill the grass? The type of grass is the average Savana grass that is everywhere and is only 10 months since the sod was laid on about 3 or 4 inches of good fertile level soil.

Do I use composted type soil/mixture and slowly add it and water it right away or add good regular garden soil until it is leveled out and not water it right away or what?

Is steer manure mixed with chicken manure a good fertilizer for the lawn? Someone recommended this. What is a good fertilizer to use?

Thanks in advance. Alan

(This post was edited by AlanMexicali on Aug 7, 2012, 8:13 AM)

Rolly

Aug 7, 2012, 8:07 AM

Post #2 of 14 (5901 views)

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Re: [AlanMexicali] I need to level my lawn, how?

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Cow and chicken waste must be well age (composted) before application to any plants.
Raw manure will burn the grass as well as stink really bad.

Rolly Pirate

sparks

Aug 7, 2012, 9:49 AM

Post #3 of 14 (5885 views)

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Re: [AlanMexicali] I need to level my lawn, how?

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If it's Burmuda grass that crawls it's pretty tuff. I would add 50% sand to whatever soil you put down so it doesn't compact and choke the grass. I'd water normally

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AlanMexicali

Aug 7, 2012, 10:18 AM

Post #4 of 14 (5877 views)

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Re: [sparks] I need to level my lawn, how?

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In Reply To

If it's Burmuda grass that crawls it's pretty tuff. I would add 50% sand to whatever soil you put down so it doesn't compact and choke the grass. I'd water normally

Yes it is Bermuda grass. If I add 50% sand to some good soil do I add it gradually [ the mixture] and water it right away or add it all at once and then wait to water it? etc.

sparks

Aug 7, 2012, 1:10 PM

Post #5 of 14 (5858 views)

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Re: [AlanMexicali] I need to level my lawn, how?

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If there are large patches I would add slowly. If they are small and just turf that didn't fit well I would fill them to level. Probably water once to settle and regular after

Sparks Mexico - Sparks Costalegre

rockydog85251

Aug 7, 2012, 4:35 PM

Post #6 of 14 (5834 views)

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Re: [sparks] I need to level my lawn, how?

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In our jardin here in Comala, there have been some plants/small trees removed or died and all I did was to just put any potting soil I had left over in pots right on top of the indention or low area, if it was an older removal......watered it down, then waited a couple of weeks to watch how it did with the crawling type grass and if necessary I added a bit more, leveled it, tamped it a bit and now most of the places that I have worked on are just fine. It takes a bit of patience but pays off in the end! Now to just get some of these trees trimmed so we have more sunlight on the grass and I will be a happier gardener.......
Willie

sparks

Aug 7, 2012, 6:16 PM

Post #7 of 14 (5822 views)

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Re: [rockydog85251] I need to level my lawn, how?

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I didn't think about shade and effect on grass. I've been trying to get my grass to come back after much construction traffic ... but the construction produced "wanted" shade. A palapa and marquesina on one side of the house.

I've fertilized and laid down some "peat like" material from Coco processing but still very very slow

Sparks Mexico - Sparks Costalegre

YucaLandia

Aug 9, 2012, 6:24 AM

Post #8 of 14 (5766 views)

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Re: [AlanMexicali] I need to level my lawn, how?

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Golf courses have added sand to holes in existing turf for decades. Even new tender blades of grass come up through the sand. The advice on a 50:50 mix is good.
-
Read-on MacDuff
E-visit at http://yucalandia.com

AlanMexicali

Aug 13, 2012, 10:45 AM

Post #9 of 14 (5691 views)

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Re: [YucaLandia] I need to level my lawn, how?

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I got the bags of good clean topsoil and mixed sand with it, not 50% but about 30% and stomped down the shovel loads in the dips and watered it and left it for 3 days. Yesterday, the forth day, it drizzled and now most patches have grass showing through as the shallow patches did sooner. I will continue on until it is finally level with this system. I let the lawn completely dry out for 3 or more days before laying down any dirt and it seemed to be the right thing to do. Thanks for the advice to everyone.

AlanMexicali

Aug 27, 2012, 5:52 AM

Post #10 of 14 (5483 views)

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Re: [sparks] I need to level my lawn, how?

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I filled in the dips. I changed the sprinklers from auto to manual. I water when it gets dry after several days. I cleaned and ajusted the sprinkler heads so they all work [some were only dribbling in some directions]. I added coco peat to the flower beds. I cut the lawn once a week. Now the plants and lawn look much better. The lawn looks like green fuzzy felt. The brown spots and large crawlers on the surface have disappeared. I guess it takes some work to have all this in place that the grardener wasn´t aware of. He and his guys did a good job installing the stone walkways and planting the evergreens and installing the 2 zone sprinkler system but blew it laying level sod and fixing things up over the last months since Dec. when we moved in though.

RickS

Aug 27, 2012, 8:34 AM

Post #11 of 14 (5462 views)

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Re: [AlanMexicali] I need to level my lawn, how?

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All's well that ends well......

AlanMexicali

Sep 26, 2012, 9:10 AM

Post #12 of 14 (5083 views)

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Re: [AlanMexicali] I need to level my lawn, how?

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Now my lawn has developed a new problem. The crawlers are back on the surface and bigger than ever and it looks bad. The before brown areas are green, no problem there. The blades just before cutting are bigger and more prominent than before and the fine blabes are inbetween them now and not as prominent anymore.

We have been having weeks of cloudy, cool and drizzle in the mornings with some rain part of the days at times and only brief periods of warm and sunny weather. I might be overwatering. I cut it 1X a week and lately this problem started. Any suggestions or is this a typical winter thing, I don´t remember if it is elsewhere around town? The green areas in our residencia are the same beautiful green velvet carpet looking. I feel they may have laid down the Bermuda grass hybred as it is all very short and even.

http://www.walterreeves.com/

I go to this guy´s site: click "Lawn Care" then click "Bermuda Grass" and get tips also. It seems there is nothing there about this problem though. I was just outside and saw a flock of ducks heading south for the first time this year.

(This post was edited by AlanMexicali on Sep 26, 2012, 9:46 AM)

sparks

Sep 26, 2012, 10:32 AM

Post #13 of 14 (5064 views)

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Re: [AlanMexicali] I need to level my lawn, how?

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AlanMexicali

Sep 26, 2012, 10:51 AM

Post #14 of 14 (5059 views)

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Re: [sparks] I need to level my lawn, how?

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I've got a lot of those above ground runners but in high traffic areas. Thinking maybe the ground is compacted and they can't get down into it? Low/no traffic areas are fine

My problem now is weeds, especially in the areas damaged by the construction work. Haven't fertilized or used weed killer yet. Gonna wait till after the rainy season. [end quote] ------- I think you just explained why the lawn went that way. The house being constructed next door has the 3 story wall at our garden wall. Last month they plastered the brick wall from our garden for 2 weeks. They set up scaffolding in our yard and laid down lots of cardboard on the grass for a few meters from the wall and plastic over our wall. They trampled the cardboard and grass the whole time. That area is were the crawlers are showing. I could not cut the grass for 2 weeks and where there was no cardboard is where the large blades are prominent now. I now presume after a few more cutting it will get back to normal. ......

(This post was edited by AlanMexicali on Sep 26, 2012, 11:31 AM)