- 1). Fix your lawn in late spring or early summer. Illinois has short, cool summers and long, harsh winters. By fixing your lawn during this time period, you will give the grass time to become established before fall.
- 2). Mow your lawn so that the grass is less than one inch tall. When your grass is cut shorter, it will help you to see the hills and craters in your lawn more easily.
- 3). Loosen the soil in the hills with a spade and rake. Remove the soil on the top of each hill with a shovel until the raised bump is the same level as the surrounding soil.
- 4). Place the soil that you removed from the hills into the divots in your yard to fill them in. Fill in each hole until it is slightly higher than the surrounding soil. The soil will settle as the air pockets work their way outward.
- 5). Cover the hills and filled-in divots with sod squares. Illinois has a cool climate that will require that you use a cool-season sod. Step on the sod to force the roots in contact with the surrounding soil.
- 6). Water the sod with the equivalent of a quarter inch of rain four times daily to keep it moist and give the roots a chance to become established. Continue this for 10 days. Gradually taper off watering your sod until you water it at the same rate as the rest of your lawn. Most lawns require the equivalent of an inch of rain every 10 days.
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