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DIY Lawn Care Landscape Design

Remediating yard after stump removal

4 years ago

My main question is whether or not I should purchase some amount of topsoil to my backyard. I rented an excavator, dug out some big stumps and shrubs, back filled with spoils, bow raked areas and have been adding compost/dirt in the areas of the first picture by wheelbarrow. I have grass seed purchased and the weather looks perfect in the coming days/weeks for fall seeding (southern Michigan).

Any advice to get a nice even lawn in these areas would be appreciated. Thanks.

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Comments (5)

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Yardvaark
4 years ago
Getting it even will be a matter of filling low spots and raking to blend into the surrounding grade. Nothing stands out as way-out-of-whack in terms of grade, but it's hard to evaluate from pictures. You'll probably need to do the best you can ... and every year you have an opportunity to perfect it by adding a little more topsoil to sunken spots.

Insofar as getting a good stand of grass, you might consult with the GardenWeb forum for your region, and/or the Lawn forum.
User
4 years ago
Yeah, in this particular instance, topsoil won't be taken amiss. Just get the best local topsoil you can, with minimal organic material (seriously, stuff heavy in OM is just going to rot away and settle back as it goes!) and stuff that matches your local soil as closely as possible. While it doesn't matter so much for the small amounts it looks like you'll need, a close match is always a good idea.

Even post grass establishment, you can add about a quarter inch every eight weeks or so during active growing seasons to even things out. The grass will happily adjust the height of its crown to compensate for you. And you'll probably compensate for years as deep roots slowly decay off, so that's a good thing...
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gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
4 years ago
What hasn't yet been mentioned is that it is pretty late to be fall seeding in MI....or anywhere else suited to cool season grasses. Even in my very mild winter climate, the seeding or overseeding window closes in midOctober (like right now) and I would guess that window is several weeks to a month earlier in a substantially colder zone.
rifis (zone 6b-7a NJ)
4 years ago
https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/late_season_lawn_seeding
seabornman
4 years ago
We just got our lawn in shape in zone 5 and it took 3 weeks for the bluegrass to come up. Another area I put in a rye/fescue mix and it came up quickly. Anywhere we have had larger trees removed we get mushrooms, then holes in the lawn where the roots rot. Every couple of years I take a few wheelbarrows of soil around to patch those spots.

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