How to fix large divot in lawn?

nfi-diy

Hi all,

We plan to rip up the turf and level the yard eventually but it's a project that's a couple of years away.

In the meantime, we have a massive divet in the lawn (ankle swallower) that is very dangerous. It's too deep for topdressing.

AI purports that we can simply cut around the patch with a shovel, lift it up, put soil underneath and water in as though it's new turf but of course AI is the DIYers siren song, so thought I'd double check here.

Lawn is mostly Buffalo, seems it may have something else through it like Kikuyu. Presuming this approach will work because Buffalo doesn't have rhizomes. Thoughts?

MitchellMc

Hi @nfi-diy,

Your idea is spot on, and the AI suggestion is actually the right approach for this situation. If there’s healthy grass covering the divot area, you can definitely lift and re-lay it. I’d cut out a square or rectangle of turf that fully covers the depression, going about seventy millimetres deep so you capture the entire root zone. Cut straight down with a shovel, then slide the blade underneath to lift the piece out in one chunk.

Fill the hole with enough topsoil or even coarse sand to bring it up to the correct height, level it off, then place the turf piece back exactly where it came from. Walk over it to compact it, water it in thoroughly, then walk over it again to help the roots make contact with the soil beneath. You could use this method on any type of grass. It’s a simple and reliable fix that will keep the lawn safe until you tackle the bigger levelling project. 

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell