How much topsoil Do I need to level my lawn
Lily Fisher
Published Mar 24, 2026
Multiply the length by the width by the depth of soil needed. Divide the cubic feet by 27 (that’s the number of cubic feet in one cubic yard). Round off your answer to 1.4 cubic yards. This is how much soil you’ll need.
How much top soil do I need to level my lawn?
Minor Leveling With Topdressing A typical mixture is 40 percent sand, 40 percent topsoil, and 20 percent compost. The sand provides good drainage, while the compost adds nutrients to the soil to promote grass growth. Mix a batch of leveling mix in a wheelbarrow or tub, using a shovel.
How do I measure how much topsoil I need?
Length in feet x Width in feet x Depth in feet (inches divided by 12). Take the total and divide by 27 (the amount of cubic feet in a yard). The final figure will be the estimated amount of cubic yards required.
Can I level my lawn with topsoil?
Filling Low Spots in the Lawn You can easily make your own lawn patching soil by mixing sand and dry topsoil in equal parts of half-and-half, spreading the leveling mix into low-lying areas of the lawn.How do you flatten a bumpy lawn?
- Mow the lawn at the lowest setting possible;
- De-thatch the lawn with a garden rake or de-thatcher;
- In a wheelbarrow, mix up a batch of leveling mix. …
- Apply scoops of soil mix to low areas of the lawn using a shovel;
- Rake the topdressing to spread it out evenly.
How do you fill large low spots in lawn?
When you are dealing with a low spot more than an inch lower than surrounding grass, lift any sod that is still present. Fill in the hole in lawn with soil, mounding it about 1 inch higher than the surrounding grade. Replace the grass, pat it lightly into place, and water. The grass should eventually settle into place.
How do I add topsoil to my existing lawn?
Spread the soil using something flat, like the back side of a heavy garden rake, working it into aeration holes and covering low spots. Make sure the top-dressing is no more than 1” deep (preferably ½” or less) over the existing grass. Keep working the mixture until your grass peeks through and the depth is even.
How much top dressing do I need for my lawn?
You should calculate how much top dressing mixture you will need before you go to purchase it. To work this out, you will need to multiply the length of your lawn, by the width and then by the required depth (between 0.005m to 0.01m).How thick should topsoil be?
Plants grow best in topsoil rated deep, which is 36 inches, to very deep. They develop strong root systems that provide better stability and support, which is especially important for large shrubs and trees.
How many wheelbarrows are in a yard of soil?Depending upon your wheelbarrow size (i.e. 2 or 3 cubic feet per wheelbarrow load), it will take 9 to 14 full loads to equal 1 cubic yard.
Article first time published onHow do you level a established lawn?
- STEP 1: Mow the lawn. …
- STEP 2: Examine the amount of thatch at the lawn’s roots, then dethatch as needed. …
- STEP 3: Mix sand, topsoil, and compost. …
- STEP 4: Dig up the grass in sunken parts of the lawn and fill with the soil mixture. …
- STEP 5: Spread the rest of the soil mixture in a thin layer to even out the entire lawn.
How do I level my lawn by hand?
- STEP 1: Mow Your Lawn. …
- STEP 2: Dethatch Your Lawn [As Needed] …
- STEP 3: Dig up the grass in the sunken area of the lawn. …
- STEP 4: Make Soil Mix: Topsoil, Sand and Compost. …
- STEP 5: Fill Sunken Areas and Holes with Soil Mixture. …
- STEP 6: Even Out the Entire Lawn. …
- STEP 7: Water the Lawn.
Does aeration help level lawn?
Aerating regularly to loosen compacted soil and lessen its lifting. When properly maintained, your turfgrass develops into a healthy specimen able to fend off pest and disease problems and best of all; you end up with a level lawn.
Can you put topsoil over existing grass and reseed?
Adding soil over grass can be another effective form of repairing a lawn. It is possible to dump new soil over top of what you have, and prepare it for sod or seed. … If you are not putting down a thick enough layer of soil to kill everything underneath, you may have to make some other choices.
How much topsoil do I need for overseeding?
Topdressing means to spread a thin layer (no more than ¼ inch) of topsoil, compost or peat moss over the turf that you have overseeded. An even covering about ¼ inch thick does not require much of the material, but there is enough to protect the new seed and help keep it moist.
Does grass grow in 2 inches of soil?
Grass roots grow between 4 and 6 inches long, so a layer of topsoil that’s 6 inches deep provides enough room for the roots to grow.
When should you topsoil your lawn?
You should undertake top dressing to repair holes or uneven lawn just prior to the growing season, usually the beginning of Spring; not when the lawn plants are in their dormant phase or you run the risk of damaging or even killing the lawn entirely. Top dressing for nutrients can be applied at any time.
What's the best topsoil for grass?
Topsoil similar to the existing soil structure is acceptable and will help smooth out the ground, but doesn’t contain much organic material. Compost is the most recommended material to use, as long as it is completely finished and has few fillers.
How do you level uneven ground?
Rake the area to further level the ground. Move the rake forward and backwards over the land, spreading the soil evenly across the area of the plot. Use the teeth of the rake to break up any clumps that remain. Use the back of the rake to level areas that are particularly uneven.
How do I fix my uneven lawn?
This can be done by removing the surface turf (aka, “sod”) intact and filling the dented area below with topsoil, adding water to the topsoil as you go to remove air pockets. Once you have added enough dirt to level the ground, simply replace the turf, water the grass and let nature take its course!
Is 2 inches of topsoil enough?
To spread over a garden bed, you’ll want enough to give you at least a 2-inch layer. To install a new lawn, plan to spread a layer of 3-6 inches of topsoil before sowing seed or laying sod, depending on the quality of your existing soil.
Should topsoil be compacted?
Topsoil needs to be relatively loose for plants to grow and therefore doesn’t require rigorous compaction. Too compact and roots may not be able to grow. However, too loose and the soil won’t be able to retain moisture.
Does grass grow in fill dirt?
The grass will grow best through a sandy fill. Avoid heavy clay soil or high organic-matter soil mixes, such as many of the blended topsoil and garden soil mixes available. … Lawn grass will not reliably grow up through more than about 2 inches of fill.
What is the best top dressing for lawns?
- It can be finely screened (which means no big chunks of it sitting on your lawn after it’s been spread).
- It’s easy to distribute over the turf (more on this process later).
- It contains a perfect balance of macro- and micro-nutrients that are slowly released over time.
How many shovels of dirt are in a yard?
A cubic yard of dirt is 3 feet long by 3 feet wide and 3 feet height of heap, such that 1 cubic yard = 27 cubic feet, generally 5 to 6 shovels full need to heaped up 1 cubic feet of dirt. So my estimate is, there are 135 to 162 shovels full needs to heaped up one yard of dirt or top soil.
How many bags of topsoil make a yard?
Since 27 cubic ft is a cubic yard, it would take 54 bags to make a yard.
How many yards of dirt will fit in a pickup truck?
Full-size Pickup Trucks: Can usually handle 2 cubic yards of soil, 2-3 cubic yards of mulch, and 1 cubic yard of stone or gravel.
What is the easiest way to level ground?
Fill Dirt. If your land has only a few low spots in it, adding some fill dirt is a quick and easy fix. Use a lawn-leveling mix from your local garden center or mix sand with garden soil at a 1-to-1 ratio. Load up a wheelbarrow with the fill dirt mixture and shovel a 1/2-inch layer into the depressions.
Should I level or aerate first?
Re: Mechanically Aerate BEFORE Level? Yes but if you leave them, they’ll break down and eventually your soil will be exactly the same as it was before aeration. Removing and filling will sand will allow the aeration to be a more permanent solution for water and nutrient infiltration deeper into the root zone.
How much does it cost to aerate lawn?
Professional Lawn Care Aeration and Treatment The cost to aerate your lawn by hiring a lawn care company is about $15 to $17 per thousand square feet. The average lawn size is about ten thousand square feet, making the average aeration cost around $150.
Should I cut lawn short before aerating?
Before you aerate, mow your lawn low (Timberline lawn experts recommend setting your mower to about 1.5-2 inches above the ground to maximize the effectiveness of aerating, being sure to not scalp the crown of the grass.) You will want to water one to three days before aerating.