What Are Some Ways to Deal With a Sloping Lawn?

What Are Some Ways to Deal With a Sloping Lawn

A sloping lawn presents some significant problems — not the least of which is that it tends to be unusable. Sloping lawns don’t just lead to poor water runoff. It’s also very difficult to make them an entertainment, recreation, or living space. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some things you can do to deal with a sloping lawn.

Leveling the Terrain of a Sloping Lawn

It may seem too simple, but the truth is, the best way to deal with a sloping lawn is to level it. By leveling the terrain, you can give yourself the yard of your dreams — you just need to be careful. Many homeowners use stone walls or other barriers to hold back the slope of the terrain while leveling the rest. This cannot be DIYed.

If you purchased a house with a sloped lawn, that’s fine. But once you start altering the grading of your lawn, you are likely to need permits and studies. It’s not as simple as just “flattening your ground.” It’s possible that something you do could redirect water runoff to your neighbors, which could lead to some extensive damage.

Regardless, leveling the terrain will give you a nice clean space to landscape in and decorate as your own — as long as you can do it safely.

Terracing Your Sloped Lawn

Terracing is often done in significantly sloped lawns. A terrace creates multiple platforms, so you don’t have a sharp drop-off at the edge of your lawn. Sometimes, you can even just terrace part of your lawn — enough for a small living area or a garden bed. Terracing is usually handled by building walls out of either rock or brick. But again, it needs to be done carefully as it does alter the way that the water runs.

Terracing can be used throughout a yard to create separate “sections.” It’s not as challenging as cutting out and leveling the entire yard, and you can choose to terrace only the areas that are closest to your home. That being said, it can cost a lot to either terrace or level a yard, and it may be more than you’re willing to pay for some outdoor square footage.

Tackling the Challenges of a Sloping Lawn

Apart from a sloped lawn being difficult to use, there are other challenges. The way that water runs off a sloped lawn can make it more difficult to maintain the grass as well as any other flowers and plants on it. When doing routine maintenance such as weeding or mowing, it can be difficult to avoid slipping. Perhaps most importantly, sloping lawns can potentially lead water runoff directly to your house. 

Sloping lawns usually can’t be mowed via riding mower because it’s dangerous. The mower could tumble down the hill. Likewise, it can be difficult for people to simply walk up the lawn to trim trees, edge the grass, or otherwise maintain the property. Many homeowners choose to remove any high-maintenance (or even moderate-maintenance) plans from the slope of their lawn for this reason.

Avoiding Erosion and Runoff

To ensure that the lawn is hardy, many homeowners will plant deep-rooted grass on their sloped lawn. Deep-rooted grass essentially holds the lawn together, so there’s less of a chance of erosion. Erosion can be particularly dangerous with a sloping lawn because the water and dirt runoff will often be positioned toward the home. 

But there are challenges when seeding a sloped lawn as well. One possibility is hydro-seeding, which includes the seeds in a liquid that is then sprayed directly at the ground. A major concern is that seeds may simply wash to the base of the lawn rather than sticking to the material of the bed. A good counter to this is investing in sod rather than seeds. Sod can be rolled out over the slope and will continue to grow where it is placed. Sprigs (with roots) and plugs (which are small collections of grass) can also be advantageous.

In some situations, the best thing to do is contact a professional. A sloping lawn is often one of those situations. Sloping lawns introduce a myriad of issues, ranging from drainage to flooding. In general, you don’t want to DIY anything with a sloping lawn — you could easily cause serious and expensive problems. 

Contact Clearfork Lawn Care for lawn care help around Fort Worth. Our friendly professionals will be able to review your lawn situation, consult with you, and give you advice that can help you create a beautiful lawn without any danger.