Land Grading: What Is It, and Does Your Yard Need It?
December 15, 2022
Land grading is an important part of creating a healthy and sustainable habitat. A large portion of land grading projects are for homeowners who want to create vibrant landscapes around their homes. But what does grading mean in landscaping? Let's examine what land grading is and why your property and home can benefit from it.
In a nutshell, landscape grading is the process of sculpting the land and changing its shape to be level or sloped. Given how flat land is necessary to install stone walkways, patios, and other features, grading the ground is vital to preparing properties for many hardscaping and landscaping projects.
However, landscape grading is for more than just home improvements — it is also used to shape the land so that rainfall flows away from the house and not toward it. Excessive amounts of water after a heavy storm can seep into the foundation of homes and cause extensive water damage that can be expensive to repair. In addition, the shape of your property can cause water pooling in certain areas that may kill plants by drowning them. As a result, grading the land is sometimes essential to ensuring a property is safe and doesn't have any drainage issues.
Before they start grading the ground, your landscaper will identify which parts of the property are unlevel or have poor water drainage. The exact methods that are used can differ depending on what you wish to accomplish. During the grading process, landscapers will remove the topsoil from the ground to shape the land underneath. Depending on the project, they may use equipment to excavate the area when creating a gentle slope or low area.
Some landscapers may lay down a mesh to help maintain the shape of the soil, which also helps the future grass establish its roots more easily. Once the plants are settled, the topsoil is added back on top, and the landscaper smoothes out the surface so it's even. If there isn't enough topsoil in the vicinity for the grading, then more must be brought in from another location.
There are many ways to tell that your property could benefit from landscape grading. Any unevenness or odd elevation you notice can be corrected with the help of a landscaper. However, grading the ground is most needed if there is not proper drainage. Land grading will help redirect water away from a home and keep it safe. Additionally, if you're about to start a hardscaping project or want to plant a new garden, then ensuring the space is level and ready to use is a good idea.
Grading the ground can be a complicated and time-consuming process, which is why it's best to leave it in the hands of experienced professionals. With Green Acres, you can find local landscapers in your area to help with all your ground sculpting needs. You can also find Green Acres lawn care experts and professionals to help with tree services in Port St. Lucie and the surrounding area. Visit us today for more information and get your landscaping project started.
