Q: My lawn is getting lumpy, for lack of a better word. It is mostly shady, but I don’t think it is tree roots. There are grass plants and bare spots plus little worm dirt piles. What would be a good way to smooth it out? It is getting hard to mow and to walk on.
A: There are several causes of lumpy lawns, and you hit on two common ones. Lawns that are weak from too much shade, compacted soil, or other causes tend to have grass plants spaced farther apart than healthy lawns. The grass plant itself is taller than the surrounding soil, and so the lawn is lumpy. Lawn grass varieties that grow best in shade often have a bunch growth shape and not spreading growth shape, making the lawn even more lumpy. To fix this, spread a layer of shady mix grass seed and then a thin layer of good topsoil over the lawn. It may take a couple of years to get the lowest posts filled in enough to be level.
