Published on 23 September 2021

The soil underlying your grass will settle and change over time, and this will often create hollows and mounds you might not particularly wish to see in your garden. The surface of your grass should be smooth if you want to achieve that perfect clean-cut effect, primed and ready for a game of bowls.

It often doesn’t matter if your lawn is slightly slanted to aid drainage, if you’re searching for the perfect lawn of your dreams, it must be smooth and free of lumps and bumps. Here are some reasons as to why your lawn might be bumpy to begin with, and suggestions on how to best level a bumpy lawn.

How to Level a Bumpy Lawn

Topdressing is probably the easiest way to level a bumpy lawn if the issues are mild. Use topdressing sparingly throughout the lawn where needed to level it out. Using a push broom, or rake, even out the soil into the grass and water well. Monitor the areas to see if it has levelled out once the grass has recovered. Repeat if necessary.

Why is my Lawn Bumpy?

Lawns can be bumpy for any number of reasons, and learning what these reasons might be is key to removing the issue altogether. Whatever the underlying problem might be, it’s important to identify it early on, so that the appropriate steps can be made to prevent it from happening again in the future. Problems with draining and water damage can often be the cause of having a bumpy lawn or visible dips in your grass. Whether there are broken water pipes buried beneath the surface that are causing draining issues or not, something like this could be playing a huge factor as to why your lawn isn’t looking quite as you’d have hoped.

Water sprinkler systems have also been known to play a part in making people’s lawns look bumpy and uneven, and can often be a recurring culprit when it comes to erosion and lawn damage. Ensuring that your sprinkler systems are working as they’re meant to, with nozzles unclogged and sprinkler heights being set to the appropriate level for your lawn, is an essential step towards minimising the damaging effects on your garden.

Unfortunately, one thing that’s difficult to avoid when it comes to your lawn is the result of the climate year in and year out. No matter where your garden might be, it’s tricky to avoid the constant freeze in Winter and thaw in Spring your grass will go through as the seasons change. The is known as “ground settling”, which is increasingly common in newer lawns, or lawns that have recently had some improvements done. Where the lawn hardens in Winter and softens in the Spring, the bumps and dips in your lawn can have a tendency to be accentuated and which leaves the appearance of a rippled effect.

Of course, other outside elements can have a huge effect on your lawn and how level it is. For example, animals and insects tend to use people’s gardens as their home. If this is the case, your lawn might undergo some heavy digging from animals attempting to burrow themselves deep into it. If you have domestic animals, you might also encounter some digging from them. You should also be on the lookout for ant mounds, as they can cause lumps and bumps in your lawn. Bear in mind that ants won’t actually harm your lawn, it’s only if they begin to form large mounds you might start to have an issue.

Levelling a Bumpy Garden: Tips and Tricks

Levelling out a mildly irregular lawn

Topdressing is definitely your best bet when it comes to fixing minor imperfections in your lawn, and keeping it healthy. Topdressing is very similar to topsoil, in the fact that both are essential for a healthy garden. However, top dressing is better used sparingly on top of your lawn after your garden has already been established. Topdressing is best used to fill in the gaps in your lawn and should be used in moderation. Topsoil, like our topsoil supreme or our organic garden topsoil, is best used to help establish your lawn. Use topsoil to create an area that helps to encourage plant growth in your garden. However, when it comes to filling in small animal-made holes, we recommend using topdressing for a quick and easy repair.

Levelling out a moderately irregular lawn

If your grass has a number of deep dips and holes in it, then you might be looking for a more serious solution to your problem. For a lawn such as this, top dressing is certainly not going to be your best option. This is because top dressing takes a long time to work, as you’ll have to dig slowly and carefully to get the result you’re after. Instead, we recommend you remove the turf/surface of the mound and fill it in with new soil, before putting the removed top back on. This way, you allow your lawn the time to fix itself, and you don’t have to keep interfering with the process too much.

Levelling out a severely irregular lawn

You’ll probably need to take more drastic measures if your lawn seems to have more holes or mounds than actual level grass. Unfortunately, topdressing won’t be the answer to your problems, as you’ll probably need a much stronger solution. We recommend a drastic approach, to say the least; disregard the area and lay down an entirely new lawn. Improving your lawn can sometimes seem like a huge task to undertake, but sometimes starting from scratch and with an open mind can be the best route to take. It’s also key to remember that a good gardener is nothing without their tools, and great high-quality tools are essential for a project such as this.