Burrowing moles and voles, driving over it with machines or lawnmowers - there are many reasons why a meadow can become quite hilly over time. Hills and hollows of this kind make maintenance measures such as fertilization more difficult, which is why straightening can make sense in some cases. We'll tell you how it works.

Two types of leveling

First off, there are two ways you can straighten your lawn. The first method is quite radical and amounts to flattening everything and then re-seeding. If that seems too brutal to you (or you feel sorry for your beautiful meadow), the meadow can also be straightened in its current state. It won't be possible without injuries, but don't worry: your plants will recover quickly and colonize the fresh soil.

The right time for a straightening

It is best to straighten your meadow in spring - around mid-April - during a warm and dry weather period. The soil should be neither wet nor cold - after all, you will have to overseed in the course of this work, which requires soil temperatures of around 10 °C and above. Alternatively, you can do the straightening earlier (from around March) and then let the soil rest until you sow the new seeds.

Completely level the meadow and sow again

For complete leveling, mow the lawn as short as possible and dig it up thoroughly. You can also have larger areas ploughed. Now crumble the crumb of soil as finely as possible and spread the soil as evenly as possible over the entire surface, for example using a rake. In some cases, for example because the ground is traversed by numerous mole tunnels and is correspondingly full of holes, you have to bring in additional soil and apply it as evenly as possible. After successful leveling, sow the desired meadow flowers again.

Straighten existing meadow

If the meadow is just a bit hilly, you usually don't need to dig it up completely. Mow the vegetation as short as possible and then fill in any hollows with a soil-sand mixture. Use a long wooden slat or similar to scrape off the bottom with the fresh soil so that an even surface is created. Loosen the soil a little and sow the resulting gaps with fresh seed.

tips and tricks

In particularly difficult cases, it makes sense to work with a roller. The device reliably rolls away bumps, but also compacts the soil to a greater or lesser extent, depending on the device. After such a measure, you should scarify the meadow.

IJA

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