LAWN ROLLERS DONT WORK. BUMPY UNEVEN Lawn this SPRING? Watch this first.

Lumpy lawn? Uneven lawn? Clumpy, bumpy, and rough? Don’t roll it until you watch this video. Lawn rollers do have uses but tend to be misused, the times that they make sense are when:

After reseeding. If you roll after reseeding your lawn, it will help seeds to come into contact with the soil and will help the seeds germinate more quickly.

After installing sod. When you install sod, sometimes there are air pockets that might make the sod take longer to get established. By rolling your sod, you can eliminate air pockets and help your sod come in contact with the soil beneath.

The reason rolling a lawn is a bad idea is because it compacts the soil. Soil is made up of tiny particles. In between these particles, there are spaces or “pores”. These voids are essential for a number of things. Pores will help the soil maintain the right amounts of water and oxygen, which are crucial for growing a beautiful lawn. If the soil is to compacted, roots can decompose as they become waterlogged when the soil won’t drain. You want moist soil, but it has to drain as well. Compacted soil will also not allow for oxygen exchange, causing root systems to decompose and turf to die.

If you want a smooth lawn, do the work and figure out what the underlying issue is first. At that point you can work on a proper remedy like rodent control, frost heave, leveling with sand or topsoil, killing and digging out unwanted grass, correcting irrigation, insect elimination, or adjusting your fertility program.

Remember, most problems start with basic improper care.

[B_Loke]

Great opinions on the subject. I’ve never really considered this when I level lawns, but it has me thinking about things a little more. I’ll definitely use this info going forward. Appreciate this video, thank you.

[jeeves]

Lawn roller = 1 time purchase
Adding yards and yards of soil every spring = insane cost
Sorry I will disagree with the blanket statement that lawn rolling is bad. I live in the northeast with heavy freeze/thaw lumps every year. Add to that I have 2 acres of land. I roll my lawn maybe once every other year to knock the lumps down a bit so I am not breaking my back riding around on my mower and have had zero bad effect from it. The amount of soil i would need to reduce the lumps, not level, would make me go broke. Partly being I have sandy/gravely soil so no matter what it drains well and roots spread with no problem.
Side note: so happy you are selling GreeneCharge to the home owner market this year. Love the products.

[mikerankreviews]

I wish I knew this sooner . I’m glad I found this video

[tadmarshall]

My lawn has depressions where tree roots are decaying underground. No fix except to dig up the rotting material. Now I want to get level soil where I had to dig, seems like a lawn roller would be helpful here.

[eddieespinosa]

I am so glad I watched your video, good info

[CarlaGovindan-wh]

I've just laid new turf. How do I even it out?

[joshargyle]

Has anyone aerated then soaked the lawn and then rolled it out? Seems like it would allow more movement for leveling and not compacting as much?

[dandygg.]

Do you recommend using it right after putting sod?

[PacificNorthwestLawns]

One thing you didn't mention as a cause is pets. My dog gets out there all winter to handle business while the soil is saturated and his tracks make the yard uneven and lumpy. Great video bud. 👍🏼

[garywheeler]

I occasionally use mine after large mole damage.

[tctulloch]

Great video. I'm doing a partial renovation, mainly due to bent grass taking over that area. I've seen some "strongly" recommend rolling, but I can't see how compacting your soil is helpful. After I rake out the dead material, I'll level, treat the dirt with RGS/Air8/Humic, seed, fert and topdress with peat moss.

[s.s.]

My problem is too many night crawlers. Yes, I know that sounds good right? They come up from down deep below the surface of the lawn and leave big mounds of soil on top, which then gets flattened out when someone or my dog steps on it. I end up with hard dirt on top of the grass which then dies out. I can't use poison to eliminate some of these creatures. I've been told to do core aeration and pour on some good top soil and seed. It sure is looking bad right now.

[adamliny]

Can you use the lawn roller to stripe the lawn?

[liveyourbestlawn]

Good stuff! The best way to fix a problem is to identify the cause.

[LawnStarz]

Great video. Most of my lawns I mow are bumpy. I think it’s earth worms. How do you deal with that because they will come back up through the top dressing? Btw thanks for the awesome products!

[josephrottina]

Seasons coming big John you are the man always learning something from your brother.👍🇺🇸

[GirLzLawn]

Very useful. I’m working with a friend this Spring and we were considering rolling. His situation is new construction that wasn’t graded correctly. We will be assessing closer soon but this definitely helps. 🙌🏽

[goaheadmakeourdayscooterpe]

Here in PA we have a radio control airplane field of about 3 acres that gets rolled every spring by a full size road roller with no bad effects to grass but is necessary to do because of frost heave during the winter and even roll it with a 2500# pull roller monthly during the summer after a rain and can tell of no bad effects but I guess it depends on the type of soil.

[patekMR]

roll it and then aerate. I have 1.5 acres so top dressing isnt in question unless i unload my 401k.

[SnuffySmith]

What if your yard used to be a hayfield and is very rough to mow