How to Fix My Lumpy Lawn

No one wants a lumpy lawn. Various factors can contribute to lumpiness in the lawn. Richard Jauron, of the Iowa State University Department of Horticulture, says some of those factors may include thinning of turf grass or even the freeze/thaw cycle during late winter and early spring.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Round point shovel
• Small bag of potting soil (match to your soil conditions)
• Garden hose or watering can with water
• Grass seed (bluegrass, fine leaf fescue or tall fescue)
• Seed spreader
• Gas-powered lawn aerator
• Metal tine leaf rake

Depressing the Elevated Lawn

1. Consider how to tackle your lawn, depending on the severity of your lumps. If you just have a few sporadic bumps and lumps here, grab your shovel and dig three holes around each bump or lump.

2. Flip the piece of sod back, while leaving one patch of grass attached like a hinge. Remove any excess dirt underneath, which was causing the sod to elevate.

3. Fill in any seams with the potting soil. If your lawn has a high clay content, be sure to add some organic matter (topsoil with organic matter), recommend experts at the University of Missouri Department of Horticulture, to keep your lawn as smooth as possible.

4. Replace the sod and water thoroughly, tamping down with your foot to replace the piece. This process often works temporarily.

Long-term Fix to Lumpiness

5. Rent a gas-powered lawn aerator for a long-lasting fix to lumpy lawns. This enables your yard to breathe.

6. Set the spoons on the aerator to the deepest setting, so the lawn gets a core aeration.

7. Aerate your lawn twice, ideally in the mornings, when the turf is cool and moist, but not soggy.

8. Start raking the lawn as hard as possible with a metal tine leaf rake. This will scoop up the aeration plugs and also rid of some dead grass that will be replaced with seed.

9. Pour lawn seed into your spreader, once your yard is clear of debris. Cover the yard completely, so the seed reaches all bare soil you just unearthed. Jauron recommends bluegrass for sunny areas and fine leaf fescues for areas with considerable shade. Tall fescue can tolerate shade as well.
   
   Water your lawn as needed. The aeration, combined with new seed, should allow the lawn to grow thick and healthy, while reducing the amount of "lumps" in the yard.

Tips & Warnings

• It is recommended that you do not roll your lawn to eliminate bumps and lumps, according to Doug Green, editor and author at Beginner-gardening.com. He says that lawn rolling smashes all the soil particles together, which eliminates air space necessary for good root growth.
• It is also advisable to fertilize at the beginning of every year and aerate twice a year. Kate McIntyre, from "All About Lawns," recommends aerating in the spring and fall, but never in the heat of summer.
• If your lawn does not see a reduction in lumpiness, try replacing the metal tine lawn rake with a power rake. The power rake is roughly the size of a lawnmower and can break down the lumps in the yard and the soil cores that the aerator pulls out.

References

• Renovating Your Old Lawn
• Lawn Rolling
• Improving Lawn and Landscape Soils

Resources

• Bumpy, Rough Lawns
• Lawn Aeration
• The Man's Garden