How to Top Dressing a Lawn
Top dressing in conjunction with other lawn care maintenance procedures is not only highly beneficial but can often save time. So, if you are planning to aerate or scarify your lawn do so prior to top dressing. As always timing is critical so only do this when growth conditions are good.
Steps to top dressing your lawn：
1.Clear the turf and aerate.
2.Mow the lawn.
3.Apply the topsoil, spreading evenly a few feet at a time.
Water the lawn.
4.Rake and smooth any uneven areas.
It seems somewhat absurd to spread a layer of compost or sand over your grass. After all, dirt is supposed to be under the grass. This is what topdressing is, though, and it’s a great thing to periodically do for your lawn.
Topdressing a lawn is accomplished by spreading a thin layer of material such as compost or sand over the grass. This practice has been observed since golf was first invented in Scotland and is gaining popularity with homeowners looking for organic lawn care strategies.
Top dressing your lawn usually occurs at the beginning of spring when the soil is warming-up and the turf is coming out of dormancy.
There are two reasons to top dress lawns. The first is to level uneven lawns or indentations in the surface, and the second is to add nutrients as part of an overall lawn care routine.
If you are also going to fertilise your lawn, the recommendation is to fertilise a week or two before applying the top dressing, regardless of if you are repairing for unevenness or adding nutrients.
Fertilising prior to top dressing enhances the lawn’s ability to push new growth through the topsoil layer.
Top dressing also encourages running grasses to root in more quickly as they start their spring push, they can establish more quickly into the fresh soil.
There are many rich organic soil mixes now available which can be applied to lawns to not only add nutrients, but also organic matter.
Organic matter is what soil-borne friendly bacteria and micro-organisms need to feed on and thrive.
These soil mixtures add yet another source that, not only feeds the lawn itself but, feeds the soil which supports the entire lawn.
Top dressing with these organic soil mixtures is a great benefit to all lawns, and could easily be applied a couple of times a year as an added boost to your lawn care practices.
Top soil organic lawn mixtures only need to be applied sparingly.
The top soil mix is added to the lawn in small amounts and raked into the green leaf and thatch of the lawn. If applied correctly, the top soil mixture should almost disappear into the green leaf altogether after watering.
Organic top-dressing mixtures should not be used to fill in any lawn indentations. This is because they have the potential to create water traps inside the original depression, as well as add organic matter in quantities which may be too rich for the lawn to handle.
Note if you have clay soils adding organic top dressing breaks down the soil particles making it easier for the new lawn growth to push through.
