Lawn Leveling or what some call Top Dressing a Lawn
There are 3 types of lawn leveling.
1. Top dressing is the type of leveling for
small dips and minor uneven lawns as well as repair of most neglected lawns or
just an overall Lawn rejuvenation. Over time your lawn recedes from rain and
settling and some times you need to add extra soil. Especially for yards on the
west side of I-35 and the west side of highway 183 like Cedar Park where solid rock is
just inches away from the sod.
2. Regrading lawns is another service
altogether. If the dips and gullies in your yard are to severe other means of
releveling are needed. Normally when you buy a home the builder will put in
barely enough dirt to level the yard before you buy it. You don't see these
problems when you move in but when you go out to cut the grass it feels like
your mower went off-road to do some 4x4. We can fix this problem so there will
be no need to sprain your ankles. Some companies will fertilize for this
problem. (just kidding)
3. Retaining
walls are needed to level yards with a slope in some cases a hill. The
process involves starting at the bottom of slope and footing a wall in concrete
and back filling to achieve the proper height then landscape or re-sodded
the area leveled. Some people just want to level their front yard 8 inches.
Installation starts February 25th and will stop mid to
late May.
Don't be
fooled by commercials about top dressing applied with a blower machine. It is
much
better to Dillo dirt top dressing manually. You will be much more impressed
with the results we provide than any other company.....
30% off aeration
with the purchase of 6 or more yards of Dillo dirt installed.
20% off lawn scalping with
the purchase of 6 or more yards of Dillo dirt installed.
Special note: When considering top dressing choose manual installation. Other
Companies use a
machine that disperses dirt here and there and it does not do what it's suppose to do,
although it will green your yard temporarily but it does not add adequate soil to
replenish your yard. With Smart Home Services we guarantee you'll get what
you pay for.
Extra
benefits of manual installation:
1. Lawn
leveling automatically comes with the service.
2.
Water bills for watering your yard can be cut almost in half after initial
watering from installation.
Don't
forget we need to prepare your yard before installation. The grass needs to be
the exact height for proper installation and at that note we do offer the first
cut of the year. We call this scalping or dethatching and this is a service we
provide.
This is
my professional and my customers personal opinion on top dressing lawns with
Dillo Dirt. So this is it.
Pros: Increases biological activity and Adds micronutrients in the soil. Increases soil porosity, which increases water utilization.
Cons: There are none if properly installed by one of our technicians or myself.
Another company says that top dressing brings in insects and weeds, I have
never seen this on any of the 100's of yards we have top dressed. If there are
weeds it was because the customer didn't treat for weeds ahead of time. They
also say that they are seeing Dallisgrass. Once
again if he is seeing dallisgrasss it is because the yard already had
Dallisgrass to begin with. As far as Dillo dirt bringing in disease, such as brown patch, insects such as sod webworms, and
armyworms this is totally FALSE.
Dillo dirt is prepared between 130 to
170 degrees fahrenheit.
Those type of temperatures would kill any insect even humans.
* If
Smart Home Services just sold fertilizer we would talk down about top dressing
with Dillo Dirt as well but we sell Dillo Dirt. I don't disagree with the use of
fertilizer but if your yard only has an inch of dirt below the sod level then
fertilizer won't solve you problem. Top dressing with Dillo Dirt can save you up
to 50% off your outdoor watering bill which means it pays for itself.
We have
customers that love the results from top dressing so much they want it
done every year. I apply it to my yard and I'm almost tired of
hearing my neighbors say " Scott your yard is the greenest or prettiest and
thickest yard in the neighborhood. My grass is St. Augustine and its green 365
days a year. I also aerate right before top dressing for the best results. My
yard is so thick weeds can't find a way to get in my yard.
627-0778 Scott
If your lawn gets top dressed any other way than by wheelbarrow and manual
raking using a grading rake. Then you've
just be ripped off! If
your wanting to top dress your lawn with any other dirt type other than Austin's
finest Dillo Dirt or lady bug revitalizer. Then you need to call another company. Please don't make the
mistake made by using another company that top dress with Sandy Loam, Sand or Pea
Gravel or Dillo Sandy mix. These
top dressings will kill your yard.
There are some
companies that disagree with top dressing and say that you should use sand like
golf courses. You don't have a golf course yard so you shouldn't treat your yard
like one. Putting greens on golf courses are bent grass and require sand as a
leveling agent. Your yard is most likely St. Augustine, Bermuda, Buffalo or
Zoysia. We do not top dress buffalo yards because the grass is to weak to grow
through the new compost. Top dressing does not work as good in total shade
either.
Top dressing a lawn simply means adding organic material to
the surface of the turf. This material is called Austin’s finest (DILLO DIRT).
The purpose of top dressing is to fill in all the minor low areas that have
developed during the season, and to build up an ideal soil layer over the years.
For a really first rate turf you should top dress your lawn as needed.
The benefits of top dressing include:
Grass growth is denser _ the formation of new shoots is
stimulated and the layer of top dressing promotes the development of
runners.
Minor depressions are filled in so that a better surface is
obtained.
The soil surface is gradually built up thatch tends to
decompose in this layer and drought resistance is improved.
The water-holding capacity of sandy soil is improved.
Once The dirt is worked into the grass, the need for
watering is not needed as much. Your yard will hold water for a longer
period of time.
Top dressing a lawn simply means adding organic material to
the surface of the turf. This material is called Austin’s finest (DILLO DIRT).
The purpose of top dressing is to fill in all the minor low areas that have
developed during the season, and to build up an ideal soil layer over the years.
For a really first rate turf you should top dress your lawn as needed.
The benefits of top dressing include:
Grass growth is denser _ the formation of new shoots is
stimulated and the layer of top dressing promotes the development of
runners.
Minor depressions ailled in so that a better surface is
obtained.
The soil surface is gradually built up thatch tends to
decompose in this layer and drought resistance is improved.
The water-holding capacity of sandy soil is improved.
Once The dirt is worked into the grass, the need for
watering is not needed as much. Your yard will hold water for a longer
period of time.
Introduction to Dillo DirtTM
"Dillo DirtTM" is a compost made by
the City of Austin since 1989. If you know Austin, you will not be
surprised to learn that it was the first program of it's kind in the state
and one of the oldest in the nation. All yard trimmings collected curbside
across the City as well as some of our treated sewage sludge are combined
and composted to create Dillo DirtTM. The heat generated in
composting (130 to 170 degrees fahrenheit) is sufficient to virtually
eliminate human and plant pathogens. After active composting for over a
month, our compost is "cured" for several months, then screened
to produce finished Dillo DirtTM.
Dillo DirtTM easily meets all Texas. and EPA
requirements for "unrestricted" use, which even includes
vegetable gardens, if you desire. Like many other composts, Dillo DirtTM
has many benefits to the soil and plants. Composts add to the organic
matter in the soil, reducing watering. Organic matter feeds the microbes
in the soil as well as plants, making a more healthy environment. Dillo
DirtTM is made from totally recycled materials, and this
recycling is less expensive to citizens than landfilling these materials.
We also offer dirt brushing for an additional $15.00 a
yard.
For Lady Bug Revitalizer instead of Dillo Dirt
add an additional $25.00 per yard cost.
If you decide to use S.H.S. for your
top dressing needs. All we ask is that you would cut your yard one notch lower
on you mower than you normally would 2 to 3 days before we come out. Or we can do it
for you at an additional cost. If the grass is to long when we install it won't
be a proper installation. St. Augustine yards cut to 2 to 2 1/2 inches and
bermuda or tiff bermuda 1 1/2 inches. You
will thank me later.. and we ask that you will water in for the first week and
up to 2 weeks after installation.
**** How much dirt is in a hole
three feet wide by five feet long by four feet deep?
1. 1 cubic yards
2. 1.5 cubic yards
3. 2 cubic yards
4. 2.5 cubic yards
Tell me the answer to this question and receive 5% off
top dressing application. 5 yard minimum order required.
*** Neighborhood discounts: Only apply to 3 or more
houses on the same street ordering the minimum yard installation ( 5 yards )
total 15 yards.l me the answer to this question and receive 5% off
top dressing application. 5 yard minimum order required.
Austin Soil Amendment Made specifically for the Central TX area, a
blend of sands & compost to break down clay content. (66.66% organic matter)
Professional Mix
The secret to success in all planting, ideal for vegetable
gardens. (50% organic matter, 20% mineral sands)
Garden Mix For annual flowers, shrubs, native perennials (33% organic
matter, 22% sands) Landscape Mix To establish your new lawn, fill
or level your yard. (22% organic matter, 22% sands) Dillo Mix
Excellent for top dressing lawns and environmental gardens. (50% organic
matter) Pro-Gro™ 100% organic potting soil that provides a rich
growing medium or a great soil enhancement for your plant beds. Great for roses
and acid-loving plants. Screened Chocolate Loam The best in fill
dirt!
Dillo Dirt The City of Austin's own
recycled fertilizer.
If your lawn gets top dressed any other way than by wheelbarrow and manual
raking using a 
