The practice started in Europe to maintain the vast lawns of great estate homes before modern tools were available.
Today, advanced knowledge about managing soil and turfgrass provides alternatives for maintaining an attractive lawn.
Rolling is still commonly used to level high maintenance, professional playing surfaces like golf greens and soccer fields.
Paul Mansfield Photography/Getty Images
But whether it’s good for your lawn depends on several factors.
What Is Lawn Rolling?
Weight is adjustable for both types depending on how much water or sand is added to the cylinder.
The drum is then rolled across the lawn in passesas in mowing.
For most home lawns, one pass with a lightweight cylinder is recommended.
Is It Good to Roll Your Lawn?
Before you invest in a lawn roller, consider what is causing the turf to become uneven.
A light pass with a roller after seeding or laying sod improves soil contact and retention.
Rolling too often or repeatedly compacts soil which is another important consideration.
This damages soil structure and defeats efforts to growturf grass.
Cool-season turf grasses with deep roots stand up better to rolling than warm-weather types that spread through rhizomes.
Here are a few tips on when to begin.
Rolling a lawn in spring after frost has passed can smooth out frost heaving.
Lawn rolling flattens the top 1 to 2 inches of soil surface making it more even and level.
Turfgrass and Lawn Care| Penn State Extension.
