Top Dressing Mixture For Lawns

When ordering top dressing first determine the surface area and multiply by the depth of top dressing desired generally 1 8 to inch.

Top dressing mixture for lawns.

Amount to use when top dressing a lawn. If it s heavy clay choose a sandy loam mix to help improve drainage. Any areas where it globs or mounds up should be corrected immediately. Topdressing is a sand or prepared soil mix applied to the surface of the lawn.

When top dressing a lawn with any material only a very thin layer should be spread evenly over the entire lawn. A general guide is around 1 5 2 kg 3 4 lb of top dressing mixture per square metre. Check the soil ph and adjust accordingly if it is out of range. The grass grows greener because the soil is fed with well aged organic matter that enhances soil health.

You can make your. An organic soil such as black dirt or dry sand will prevent water from penetrating too deeply and drowning the grass. Many people also make the mistake of top dressing with sand to try to correct clay soil. You then spread the top dressing over the required area using a flat surface such as the back side of a rake or a tool called a lute that is made especially for this purpose.

I would recommend watering the area well or top dressing before a nice rain letting the mixture settle for a day or two then go back with your rake and smooth out any little hollows or bumps that may develop. When tackled as a diy project the process isn t difficult. Open up the thatch layer with a power rake or aerator to create channels for the topdressing material to penetrate the surface. This is actually the worst thing you can do as adding sand to clay soil.

The good news is that choosing a top dressing mix is very simple. It needs less water because the top dressing retains soil moisture reduces surface evaporation and keeps the roots cool in the heat of summer. Topdress lawns with a thin layer of soil 3 organic humus compost to renovate and improve an existing residential or commercial lawn or sports field turfgrass. It is tedious and labor intensive however.

At this point you re technically finished but in my experience a good top dressing mixture does some settling. With this layer of soil 3 compost we are addressing the problems of thinning or unhealthy sod and or providing the first application of fertilizer for the year. The term topdressing also is used for the process of applying the material. Topdressing can be used to smooth the surface of the lawn.

Here s what top dressing does for your lawn. Topdressing materials are evenly applied in a thin layer typically inch 6 35 mm or less for a variety of purposes. If it sandy use a loam mix this will improve moisture retention. Use compost topdressing to improve lawns and as a fertilizer application.