Grading

Grading your lawn:
Once you have determined what amendments you need to add to your soil (if any), your next step is to properly grade your lawn.

Upgrading the Side Yard
The side yard is often the most neglected space in the yard. Get ideas for getting more out of this transition zone.
Tools ...

Do minor grading
Uneven patches in the lawn—little hills and dales—not only don't look good, they're no fun to mow. So smooth them out now, before grass-cutting season gets into full swing.

A tractor-mounted blade and/or box are most often used for rough grading, but if the area is smaller, it can be done with hand tools. The rough grading will probably uncover more debris that should be removed and not buried.

Leveling, raking and grading the soil for your new lawn are important steps to ensure the success of your sod or seed.

While the soil is moist but after it has ceased to be wet is the best time to do construction work such as grading, sodding, terracing, etc. Walks and drives are also best made at such times.

Mildew is not capable of degrading the structural components of wood; therefore, it does not cause a decrease in wood strength. Unlike decay fungi, mildew fungi do not tunnel through the wood, but live only on the surface.

Most biosolids currently available from local wastewater treatment plants are Class B, although some plants will be upgrading to Class A.

This tool is used for grading and smoothing the soil when creating new beds or lawns.

Creating an illusion of depth in a garden is cleverly done by grading plants in different heights, from low in the front of beds, to medium, to high at the back of beds.

Store-bought veggies can't ever be really fresh, because grading, washing, sorting, shipping, and inspecting take at least 48 hours.

A steel rake is useful for grading and smoothing seedbeds and for removing rocks and other debris from prepared garden soil.
Click picture to enlarge
A bastard file is another essential garden tool. Use it to sharpen the blades of shovels and hoes.

Degrading soils is "one of the major problems we face," explains Fred Magdoff, Ph.D., a professor of plant and soil sciences at the University of Vermont. This is why it's vital to add organic matter annually.

Earth Grading 62
Water Features 64
Walls 74
Fences 80
Walks and Steps 87
Terraces and Decks 91
Outdoor Rooms 97
Proportionate Size in Plants and Construction 100
Form in Plants and Construction 102
Texture in Plants and Construction 103 ...

This fall has been focused on getting my lawn re-established after the grading project over the summer. Following my own advice, I evened out most of the lumps and bumps by top-dressing and then sowing grass seed.

It is called a fuel stabilizer. STA-BIL® is the most popular. A fuel stabilizer keeps gasoline from degrading over time. This means that fuel can be left in the lawn mower over the winter without the fuel degrading.

Older systems may need some upgrading. Sprinkler heads get clogged, damaged or broken and plants suffer.

If you don't have high quality flooring in your patio, you may want to consider upgrading. If you do have a nice floor, outdoor area rugs will go well to match.
Photos
sunny afternoon on porch by Taylor Sandbek from Fotolia.com ...

Experts say well-manicured lawns and landscaping helps frame other elements of curb appeal involved with renewing and upgrading the exterior of your home, provided the landscaping is tidy, simple, healthy and installed in proportion with your home.

A steel rake is needed for loosening and grading soil, and removing debris.

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT: A professional licensed by the state and know the proper processes of landscape design, construction, grading, drainage.

alone, the rights-of-way that border the highway pavement are highly disturbed landscapes, beginning with the original construction and continuing with upgrades, mowing, spraying, snowplowing, grading, and the placement of signs and utility lines.

Despite control efforts, a small amount of fruit injury is often inevitable. Most damage is shallow and undetectable, however, and generally not noticed in normal grading procedures.

While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.

Since I was upgrading this page anyway, I thought I would dust the cobwebs off these old pages and post their links here.... just in case you were in the mood to look at a few pictures today! ...

Also include costs for the essentials that will be scheduled first, such as tearing out old landscape features, site grading, drainage system installation, and bed building. Add in the costs of other basics, including paving, lighting, and plants.

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT - A very good professional to consider when creating a garden. They are licensed by the state and know the mechanics of major construction, grading, drainage, and will advice solutions to problems.

Each square foot bed should contain a single variety of herb. Grading the beds according to intensity of flavor and whether the herbs are annuals or perennials will also help to enhance the quality of your harvested herbs.

The circle that could be drawn on the soil around a tree directly under the tips of its outermost branches is called a drip line. Rain water tends to drip from the tree at this point. The term is used in connection with feeding, watering and grading ...

They'd tackled a few of the top priorities as time and money allowed, adding an office one year, replacing the roof the next, eventually upgrading the master bath, but the big overhaul seemed years away. Then the fire happened.

is tough enough to be used as a scarifier. A dummy rake, which consists of a flat board
on edge that replaces the tines of a wooden landscape rake is used for grading soil,
especially during lawn preparation.

Stones and rocks create additional heat around garden plants, requiring more watering. Unless you include plastic or meshed landscape fabric, weeds will be another factor to contend with, upgrading maintenance time in the garden as well.

See also: Plant, Soil, Water, Planting, Lawn