Most of the houses are built on not perfectly flat terrain. Sometimes it happens that the backyard is very difficult to use due to the unevenness. It so happens that literally 10 feet from the house there will be a very sharp slope.
If you are dreaming of a beautiful backyard, then it’s time to ask yourself how to flatten out a sloped backyard. We warn you right away that this is a rather complicated procedure that requires a lot of effort from you. However, the result is a beautiful backyard for your lawn, garden, patio, or whatever you like.
- Planning and information gathering
- Cleaning and preparation
- Adding more ground
- Tamping and leveling the ground
- Laying black soil
- Sod installing
In addition to making the backyard look nicer, it is also worth noting the problems that you may encounter without doing so. First, sheer and uneven areas of soil can form large runoffs, which over time will lead to soil erosion.
In addition, water can stagnate at the bottom of the slope, which will be detrimental to the healthy growth of plants and lawns. The same difficulties will be with the care of the backyard. It is very difficult to cultivate flower beds and mow the lawn on uneven surfaces. If all these possible inconveniences are not new to you, then let’s take a closer look at the steps that are needed when aligning a sloped backyard.
Planning and Information Gathering Phase
The first thing to take care of is figuring out which part of the backyard you need to align. Consider in detail how your backyard will look after all the changes. For a more detailed understanding, you can work out a detailed landscape plan, which will display all the numbers and sizes.
After that, you should check with your local utilities to see if there are water pipes or electrical cables under your backyard. Employees of these services can come to your site and mark where exactly the connection lines are located.
Having learned this information, you will be able to clearly define the boundaries of change and how to flatten out a sloped backyard correctly, without harming all the connections in your home.
Cleaning and Preparation of the Territory
At this stage, you already have a clear plan for changes and it’s time to start. Before changing the landscape, it is worth removing everything from the territory. If in this area there are plants that are valuable to you that you would like to preserve, then you should carefully uproot them and transplant them into pots for a while. It is also necessary to remove all garbage and other items that may interfere with changes from the territory.
After that, shave off all vegetation from the ground. If possible, use a lawnmower to get started to cut the grass as much as possible. After that, cut the lawn with a special knife. If you encounter very uncomfortable surface areas, try using a shovel. You need to completely remove all vegetation from the area before leveling.
How to Flatten out a Sloped Backyard by Properly Ground Adding
After you have removed all the vegetation, you need to take care of the soil. Just below the lawn is black nutritious soil. Usually, under a lawn, this soil is about 8 inches deep.
Collect this layer of soil, but do not rush to throw it away. This is a very useful part of the soil that you will still use in the future. Gently collect this layer and leave stored aside where it will not interfere with work.
The next step is to add the purchased soil to smooth the slope. It is necessary to evenly distribute the soil to get a smooth slope. The optimum lawn slope is considered to be 12 inches by 50 square feet. The slope should be directed from the building towards the drainage systems so that after the rain, excess water flows smoothly and does not stagnate on the lawn.
Try to fill up the soil in parts and level it. Small amounts of soil can be conveniently leveled with a rake. Carry out this procedure until you completely level the soil, this will allow it to be better tamped in the future.
This slope will be comfortable both for walking and for lawn maintenance. You can easily use the mower without discomfort. Also, if you wish, you can build a deck or patio on such a slope, for a comfortable time outdoors.
Tamping and Leveling the Ground
By leveling the soil, you will create the slope you need, however, at this stage, the soil will be loose. You will need a lawn roller to prevent soil from settling. Slowly push the roller back and forth until you have covered the entire area of the soil, this will significantly compact it.
In the process of compaction, depressions may come to light in places where there was an insufficient amount of soil. Use a shovel to fill these depressions with soil and level them with a rake. After this step, you should use the lawn roller one more time. At this stage, we have completely changed the slope of the surface and now you know how to flatten out a sloped backyard.
The Stage of Laying Black Soil
After you have created the necessary slope for your backyard, it is worth taking care of the plants and lawn, here we will need the black soil that we removed before. Spread chernozem over the entire area of the soil, at least 4 inches thick.
After that, it is worth tamping black soil a little and pours it with water. If depressions appear, it is necessary to fill them with black soil and tamp them again. Repeat this process several times until you achieve a level ground.
Preparing and Sod Installing
Once you have prepared the ground, it’s time to tackle the plants. First of all, you need to take care of the lawn and lay it correctly. Sod is almost always used because of its ease of installation and use.
There are several tasks to take care of before packing your sod. If you choose to install a sprinkler system for watering your lawn, then you need to lay pipes in the ground, before laying the sod. It is also recommended to add fertilizer to the ground so that the lawn can better take root in your area. It is best to use slow-release fertilizers to saturate the soil gradually.
The next step is to install sod. This is a fairly straightforward process, you just roll out the sod rolls and join the pieces tightly. For this process, you do not need to have special skills, just be attentive to the process and take your time. Also, remember that sod must be installed on the day it was delivered to you. If you leave it in rolls overnight, chances are good that it will die.
It is up to you to decide whether or not to use the turf roller after laying your lawn. In essence, it is designed to press the sod firmly against the soil. If you have been laying the lawn tightly, you will most likely not need to use a roller.
For the lawn to take root well and quickly, it is worth observing the correct watering cycle. During the first two weeks after installing the lawn, it should be watered 3 times a day for 20 minutes. Such watering at first will allow saturating the lawn with moisture and then it will be possible to reduce the degree of watering.
