Any material that is completely pulverized with nothing even as large as a pea can be used to level. Sand is the usual choice because it doesn't form into clods. When you start dragging soil around, any clod of any size will become a plow and create furrows in your work.

Search this forum for other threads on leveling. One of the first and best was by Dave Proud. Unfortunately his photos have been deleted, but the descriptions are pretty good. Search for the terms, leveling bermuda sand, and that should get you plenty of hits.

Timing depends on the grass type. You should do this when the grass is either completely dormant or growing fast.

The lower you can mow it the easier the job goes.

Did he, perchance, rototill the soil before bringing in the loam? If so he may as well wait another couple of years as the soil will continue to settle for 3 years.

I read one longer article and they referenced David Proud so I will look that up. Question on sand, will it stay on top or work its way into the soil?

No on the rototil and we would likely do the work in the late spring

Work its way into the soil? Hmmm. Why do you ask that question? I can't imagine that happening, but what's your thinking?

I mean work into the soil vs having a layer of dirt and a layer of sand.

It will stay on top. Sand is my preferred growing medium for grass.

Why is sand better for growing grass?

Way confusing thread, fyi.

I wouldn't say it is better for the grass so much as it is much easier to control. It doesn't settle like a clay/loam/sand mix would. It doesn't form a capillary structure like a clay/loam/sand mix would. Roots penetrate easily, but can be pulled out more easily. I would not use sand in a sports area, although I've seen it used in coastal city high school stadiums. Sand is certainly easy to handle when putting it down.

inglewoodyard: where did we lose you? Sometimes I ask seemingly unrelated questions trying to see if there might be a bigger picture issue than the original poster realized.

Ok I see what you mean now. I think I might fill the bigger holes with the soil and I'll top dress with the sand. This way I don't have a ton of sand in one area but I'll still get a "smooth mow" after the sand is used to level it. It's about 6k sq ft and only one area is bad so it shouldn't me too much work. Just need to estimate the amount of sand needed

The type of sand is also very important. The names vary by area, but I've always heard a "sharp" sand of some kind, rather than rounded is best. The stuff I use on my Bermuda is sold as paver sand & it locks its shape nice & flat.

Texas A&M used to have a topdressing calculator on their website for estimating total material required.

If you can find a "materials supply" lot they might have different grades of sand you can look at. The one in San Antonio has everything from sugar sand up to aquarium base. I would tend more toward the aquarium base - maybe about half that size or smaller, but not the sugar sand.

I should add that I've used kitty litter clay (unadulterated with baking soda or crystals or anything else) to level a low spot and it worked fine. That's pretty coarse stuff.