If your sewer line springs a leak or breaks and needs to get repaired, you have two options. Dig a trench around the sewer pipe or use trenchless sewer line repairs. A trenchless sewer repair is time and cost-effective while requiring little to no digging.
It, in the end, run ruins the evenness of your lawn.
Other causes of an uneven lawn:
Mowing
If you follow the same pattern every time you mow, eventually, you will compact the soil beneath the mower wheels, creating ruts.
Wet soil
When soil is wet and mushy, add a heavy or rolling object. Such as children on bikes, wheelbarrows, or lawnmowers – and you get ruts. This is one reason it is vital to avoid mowing when soil is wet. You might get away with it in well-drained areas. But in low spots where water gathers, you risk digging permanent ruts.
Heavy equipment
Maybe you had trees pruned or mulch delivered. Unfortunately, the wheels alone wreak havoc with a lawn, forming ruts. If the equipment extends hydraulic platforms for stability, you will also wind up with compacted soil that includes low spots.
Critters, pets, and kids
When holes appear in a lawn, and there’s loose soil scattered around the spot, the culprit could be local critters, the family dog, or children.
Tree stumps
Having a tree removed and the stump ground creates a low spot in the lawn. Any remaining underground wood eventually rots. At that point, the ground can suddenly collapse, forming a sinkhole-like depression.
Buried debris
Then a hole appears in a lawn, and there is no loose soil as evidence of digging, the most likely cause is soil subsidence. Buried trash that finally rots or decomposes tree roots can cause soil collapse.
Following a sewer line replacement or other construction or unusually heavy traffic, your prized lawn may look anything but its best, with dirt piles, holes, bare spots, and less obvious. But still significant problems such as compaction. However, a site will recover most quickly in spring or fall. These are the ideal times for planting grass seeds. Excellent care encourages the rapid restoration of a lawn’s attractive appearance any time throughout the year.
The process of repairing is as follows:
Remove all debris such as rocks, sticks, and other objects. Break up any large clods of soil and loosen the top several inches of soil in the site if compacted. Use a metal garden rake or leveling rake to move the soil around and make it as level and even as possible.
Return the soil to the excavated area. Fill the area to about 1 inch below the grade, or level, of the surrounding lawn. Break up all heavy clumps of soil in the process.
Broadcast a starter fertilizer with a formula such as 5-10-5, 16-20-0, or 5-20-10 over the bare soil. Do it at a rate no greater than 1 pound of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet of bare soil. Work it into the top 2 to 4 inches of soil.
Spread a 2-inch-thick layer of compost over the loose soil. Mix the compost with the soil to a soil depth of 6 to 8 inches by using a digging fork. Smooth the soil surface with the rake.
Take note of areas where vehicles drive on the lawn during repairs. Heavy vehicles compact the earth and will cause problems for grass growth in that area.
Till up the areas where the trucks drove on the lawn. It might seem unnecessary if the grass is intact. But, the trucks compacted the dirt, which will affect drainage in the area. It might have caused low spots and decreased grass growth size as well.
Sow grass seed of a species and cultivar that matches the surrounding grass. Do it over the bare soil at the rate recommended for the species. It can range from 1 to more than 8 pounds of seed per 1,000 square feet of soil. Broadcast the seed uniformly over the area.
Gently rake the seed in and firm it down with a hand tamp or lawn roller. It covers the seed with about 1/16 inch of soil and ensures it is solidly in contact with the soil.
Tamp the loose soil lightly. Doing so prevents the soil from settling, which causes depression. If the project area’s soil level is lower than the surrounding grade after tamping, then add a bit of topsoil. Then tamp the soil again. If the soil level is above the surrounding grade, then remove a layer of the soil with the blade of a flat shovel. It will create a smooth transition between the surrounding lawn and the disturbed area.
Spread grass seed or sod over the soil, using the same grass variety as the existing lawn’s variety. If you use sod, then cut the sod as needed with a shovel. It makes it fit flush with the edges of the existing sod, and tamp the sod lightly, pressing it into the soil. If you use grass seed, follow the application rate recommended on the seed bag, and spread a thin layer of straw over the seeded area. Straw conserves soil moisture and deters birds from eating grass seed beneath it.
Water the newly seeded section of lawn lightly each day, or as needed, so that the top 1 to 2 inches of soil in the patched site remain constantly moist but not wet. Once seedlings emerge and become established, you can gradually decrease the irrigation frequency while increasing the amount supplied with each watering. Once installed, the grass only needs a deep watering that wets the top 4 to 6 inches of soil once or twice per week.
The replacement of a septic tank or sewer pipes in your yard can cause a lot of seen and unseen damage to the lawn. However, if you are going to need to repair a property that is about to get torn up in places due to a sewer replacement project, there are several things you can do to make the work more accessible and more effective.