Software
Houzz Logo Print
cfergus3

Leveling my Bermuda Grass with Sand

8 years ago

Well I have been doing a bit of research and I am going to try and tackle this project Memorial Day weekend. I will post pictures along the way if anyone is interested and talk about what I did that might be different from others or what I should have done. My yard is about 4000sq ft and everywhere around here sells sand by the ton. I have been told I will need 8.2 tons to cover my yard at 1/2". My options for sand are river at $36 per ton, white at $40 per ton and masonry at $40 per ton. The white and masonry may be the same thing but I'm not sure. I read that I need sharp/masonry sand but all of the landscape yards around here recommend river sand and my buddy who is a landscaper also uses river sand. My yard is pretty flat so I'm not too worried about runoff in heavy rains but any help on deciding on which sand would be appreciated. Also, I just fertilized on Saturday with a synthetic fertilizer (34-0-0) and am wondering if I should just put down milorganite when I level which will be one week later and hopefully avoid injury the grass any more than I already will be. I will probably cut it at 1/2" before getting started if I can cut it that low with scraping up a bunch of dirt. I am planning on just using a landscapers rake and a push broom to spread the sand and make it level since I don't have a drag.

here was my yard on Saturday before mowing and fertilizing. I'll get some better pictures before I start with sand. It's a little thin right now but I'm thinking it will end up being fine. Worst case is I ruin a patchy lawn.

Comments (4)

  • 8 years ago

    Can you scrounge up a 2x4 about 10 feet long, a rope about 20 feet long, and about 10 feet of chain link fencing? If you don't have a drag you're going to make a lot of excess work for yourself. After about 10 minutes with the drag you'll be saying, "How could I do this without a drag?" Attach the fencing to the board and tie the rope to either end of the board. It will need some weight to hold it down. I used a bag of soil.

    Don't plan on putting 1/2 inch of sand down. Plan to just fill the low spots. Adding 1/2 inch is just the wrong mind set. Adding soil always changes the drainage. The point of leveling is to just fill the low spots and stop scalping. You can probably buy sand in bags at a hardware store. The advantage of that is you can return unused bags or you can buy more bags in a hurry rather than waiting for delivery of another ton of sand. It costs a little more but you have these other advantages.

    If you have high spots, let the mower scalp them down for you. You might want to rent a mower for that part of the process so you don't ruin yours. You could also use something like a slit seeder, slicer, or vertical rake to help loosen the soil on the high spots. Then the drag will drag that soil around along with the sand.

    Are you already deep watering as a general rule?

    Where do you live?

  • 8 years ago

    When I water (which I don't normally need to since we seem to get a decent amount rain every week or two) I water about an inch at a time and once per week.

    I live in Woodstock Ga which is about 15 miles north of Atlanta.

    The only item I'm not sure I can get would be the chain link fence. But I could buy a drag on Amazon for $80 instead of purchasing a landscape rake for $45 if you think it's worth it.

    I laid about 900 sq ft of sod last year and tilled the ground (yes I know that was a bad idea) before hand so that area is pretty bumpy. The other side of the yard isn't quite as bad but there are some holes where tree roots used to be. Maybe I should get a smaller load and then buy bags if needed?

    I am now trying to decide between white sand and river sand.

  • 8 years ago

    Good idea to buy maybe half as much as you think you'll need in bulk and then use bags for the rest. I would not overthink the sand choices. I used generic kitty litter successfully for small spots. Even river sand will lock in once the turf is in. But if it ever thins out, it becomes very loose sand again.

  • 8 years ago
    dc...do you know of a lawn leveling company in San Antonio? Where can I purchase the best leveling sand? What feed store in San Antonio for organics? I topped dressed my lawn with a molch, compost mix, but it isn't level. I have a reel mower, and my last step is getting the lawn leveled out. thanks!
Sponsored
Pristine Acres
Average rating: 5 out of 5 stars55 Reviews
Leading Northern Virginia Deck/Patio Specialist- 10X Best of Houzz!